Thesis (MPA (School of Public Management and Planning))--Stellenbosch University, 2008. / Since 1994, the newly elected democratic government of the Republic of South Africa, starting with the government of National Unity, has introduced various policies and legislation in an endeavour to place the country on a path to recovery after the demise of apartheid. The national government has placed this responsibility in the hands of municipalities, or local government as they are commonly referred to. As a result, municipalities have an active duty to create conducive environments to enable local communities to participate in the preparation, implementation and review of their Integrated Development Plan (IDP). The purpose of this study is to assess the public participation of Rosendal-Mautse, one area among the five towns that comprise Dihlabeng Municipality, in the IDP process of Dihlabeng Municipality. In view of the anthology of legislation governing “public participation” at local government level, the study poses two hypotheses, which were tested against the data collected. Furthermore, two additional research questions were formulated to guide the research process. Results of the research are provided in a way that will enable the reader to draw his or her own conclusions on the value of this study. The literature review on international understanding and practices of public participation suggest that participation has grown and that its role has extended in development. This has resulted in the birth of new approaches that cut across theory, policy and practice, with each approach in turn producing its own trajectory and contextual specificities that are characterised by unique debates and empirical evidence. Municipalities are currently burdened with the responsibility to achieve socio-economic goals associated with public participation. However, despite compliance with legal requirement for public participation, only an appropriate knowledge of the process leading to meaningful participation and the relevant skills hold the key to success in this quest to reconstruct and develop the country where all will live a better life.