South African Non-Governmental Development Organisations (NGDOs) - organising and coordinating for 'Development Effectiveness'? A Case Study of KwaZulu-Natal Province

The notion of 'development effectiveness' born of aid effectiveness discourses, has become topical in international development. This paper examines how Non-Governmental Development Organisations (NGDOs) in South Africa are organised to contribute to 'development effectiveness'. Drawing from the Theory of Change and Coordination Theory, it considers how selected NGDOs in KwaZulu-Natal province understand 'development effectiveness', how they are internally organised to contribute to such effectiveness, and whether they coordinate efforts in their development work. The sample covered five NGDOs with a legal status of Social Development. In-depth interviews were conducted with three to four staff members at each NGDO. Each organisation's strategic plans, web reports and annual reports were analysed and observation exercises were carried out through attendance of their events and meetings, including meetings with beneficiaries and collaborators. The results show that the participant NGDOs did not draw from international definitions of 'development effectiveness' but crafted their own understandings of this process in response to their context. They were internally organised to contribute to 'development effectiveness', and had mixed experiences of collaboration with other NGDOs. However, they largely lacked the ability to challenge the status quo (hegemony) and to organise for systemic change.