Enhancing Public Participation
Introduction:
The South African Constitution is underpinned by principles of good governance, also highlighting the importance of public participation as an essential element of successful good local governance. Section 152 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa,1996 confirms a number of citizen rights and more specifically, the rights of communities to be involved in local governance. Municipalities are obliged to encourage the involvement of communities and community organisations in local government. This obligation extends to the entire way in which a municipality operates and functions.
The principle behind public participation is that all the stakeholders affected by a public authority’s decision or actions have a right to be consulted and contribute to such a decision