Community Perspectives on Local Action Groups: A Case of Mnquma and Mbhashe Municipalities in South Africa

Rural policy in South Africa increasingly stresses the focus on a bottom-up approach and cooperation between local government and the local community. However, on the ground, rural development initiatives continue to struggle as development agents stall to abandon the legacy of top-down programmes at the grassroots level. The objective of the Local Action Groups (LAGs) is to increase the social capital of rural populations, strengthen commitment, and promote local economic development action based on people's own initiative. As the concept is still relatively new in the South African rural development space, this study sought to explore the understanding of local people of the concept, the existence of LAG initiatives, the factors that promote them, and how these initiatives have contributed to the livelihoods of people in rural areas. Limited knowledge of LAGs in the South African context required the use of an explorative case study design following a qualitative approach. The study purposively selected 19 participants from the municipalities of O.R. Tambo and Amathole Districts in the Eastern Cape. The atlas ti. 8.4 project file, Hermeneutic Unit, was used for qualitative analysis. Findings reveal that LAGs were found in the agriculture, manufacturing, retail, and crafts work sectors. Results also show that the availability of capital, the desire for skill acquisition, the availability of markets, and the desire to generate income influence the participation of local people in these activities. Although LAGs are making a noticeable difference in people's livelihoods, their contribution is still not yet satisfactory.