Tracking Rural development Progress in South Africa: Towards an Alternative Approach

Rural development has increasingly become a key agenda in developing countries. Despite a plethora of rural development approaches being implemented in independent African countries, poverty, unemployment, and, most importantly, socio-economic conditions have remained unsatisfactory. Like other developing countries, the post-apartheid South African government has a well-defined rural development policy and strategy. Despite the existence of generic policy imperatives, rural development has stalled and, in some cases, declined. At the backdrop of this unprecedented trajectory, this review paper sought to critically assess global and national rural development approaches and identify their strengths and weaknesses as a precursor to suggesting an alternative rural development strategy suited to the local context (in the case of South Africa, former homelands) as opposed to the adoption of generic approaches. A desktop review of rural development approaches was conducted utilising literature from various databases. Results showed that distinct approaches have been utilised to enhance rural development in different regions and South Africa depending on prevailing socio-economic and geopolitical environments as well as local people's development aspirations. Therefore, the development of targeted rural development strategies will not only invoke local acceptance but also stimulate local resources and capital.