Putting Participation at the Heart of Development

Afesis-corplan is a NGO that has contributed to community-driven development and good local governance in the Border-Kei (Amathole) region of the Eastern Cape since 1992.

Registered as a not-for-profit Section 21 Company, Afesis-corplan operates under the governance of a Board of Directors comprising prominent members of the public and private sector.

Afesis-corplan is hosting a seminar entitled ‘Putting Participation at the Heart of Development’ on 29 June 2012 in East London, Eastern Cape. The seminar will coincide with the launch the SoLG publication in the Eastern Cape.

Speakers for the day include:

• Dr. Brigalia Bam, chairperson, South African Development Coordination Conference Electoral Commission Forum;
• Ngwadi Mzamo, deputy director-general, Department of Local Government and Traditional Affairs, Eastern Cape;
• Prof. Nomfundo Luswazi, drector, Centre for Rural Development, Walter Sisulu University;
• Ronald Mukanya, Good Governance Learning Network (GGLN).

The state of the Local government has always been a very topical issue in the new democratic government in South Africa. The issue touches all South African citizens’ as it has adverse implications on whether citizens receive the desired services and democracy as stipulated in the South African constitution. Civil society organisations are directly involved in the matters of local government as they work with communities at the grassroots. This year civil society organisations focus on the topic on ‘Putting participation at the heart of development’.

The publication states that involving citizens in development issues helps to better planning, monitoring and accountability between the state and South African citizens. The realisation that participation in local governance is a human right and its realisation lies in the creation of meaningful spaces for citizen engagement and expression of voice, the seminar seeks to explore the various ways to promote public participation. It aims to tackle the following:

• The state of the local government (SoLG);
• The notion of public participation in a democratic South Africa;
• Do we need to revise the current initiatives on public participation or more avenues need to be explored?

Time: 8h30 - 14h00

For more about the Afesis-corplan, refer to www.afesis.org.za.