Reverse Empowerment in South Africa's Comprehensive Rural Development Programme

Bibliographic Data

ID5200201
AuthorsTabukeli Musigi Ruhiiga (0000-0002-4703-2267, North-West University, corresponding author)
Year2013
Volume41
Issue2
Pages165-174
Publication date2013-02-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Human Ecology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0970-9274 • E-ISSN: 2456-6608
PublisherKamla Raj Enterprises (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1080/09709274.2013.11906564
OpenAlexW2769885916
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited2

This paper reports a testing of the ‘reverse empowerment’ concept on South Africa’s ambitious comprehensive rural development programme (CRDP). The objectives of the study were to provide a brief overview of the rural development policy, to isolate key elements of service delivery, to analyse state budgetary interventions and, to trace evidence of reverse empowerment. The methodology involved nine pilot sites spread across provinces in terms of budgetary allocation for the programme 2009-2013. This was reinforced with a survey of the Department’s annual reports for the period 2009-2012 to show the apportionment of spending on services, infrastructure and production. The data was analysed and the results confirm the operation of reverse empowerment because the implementation mechanism of the state is bureaucratic, focuses on service and infrastructure delivery and fails to create space for communities to participate in their own development. The findings have direct implications for state policy

Bureaucracy · Business · Economic growth · Economics · Empowerment · Geography · Political science · Politics · Rural development · Service delivery framework · Community Development and Social Impact · Innovation and Socioeconomic Development · Legal Issues in South Africa · Marketing

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