A dissertation submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Masters in Development Studies in the Department of Anthropology and Development Studies, Faculty of Arts at the University of Zululand, 2017. / The aim of this study was to examine partnerships between the local municipality, host communities and the selected multinational companies in community development activities. Numerous studies have been conducted in pursuit of the role of multinational corporations (MNCs) in developing countries. Whilst it has been understood that MNCs are essential for the development of less economically developed countries (LEDCs), other studies have discovered that LEDCs face the challenge of limited benefits from MNCs which does not necessarily address the root causes of underdevelopment. As a result, exploring factors that inform corporate social responsibility (CSR) of the selected MNCs in the City of uMhlathuze was the point of departure in this study. In this regard, the study sort to find out if there were any partnerships between MNCs and the local Municipality during the execution of CSR activities, and whether were there laws or documentations that guide and support partnerships amongst the MNCs, host communities and the local municipality. The study followed a qualitative research approach and thereby used qualitative data collection tools to help achieve its objectives. It was found that the type of partnerships that exist between MNCs and the municipality are erratic and not formal. This is entirely caused by the absence of governmental binding laws and documentations between MNCs and municipalities in the city of uMhlathuze, South Africa, and LEDCs in general. Given that the local municipality is the custodian of the communities, particularly in the area of community development, the study concluded that community development partnerships between MNCs and the local municipality are essential. The completion of this study has helped realise that partnership are essential and that they can help achieve community development goals and address the root causes of poor livelihoods for the City of uMhlathuze and communities in the developing countries, if they could be properly managed.