CompactMyMunicipality

This fact sheet presents preliminary action research findings from the COMPACT project, which engaged 12 partner municipalities in South Africa between October and December 2022 to evaluate planning, oversight, and community participation.

• Preliminary research indicates that while stakeholders are eager to improve planning participation and oversight, the Integrated Development Plan (IDP) cycle is viewed as a compliance exercise lacking substance in some municipalities. This is exacerbated by a lack of project implementation, which leads to community fatigue, anger, and distrust.
• The research identifies internal institutional challenges, including departments working in silos and tension between politicians and officials regarding service delivery. Additionally, there is a identified need for more youth involvement in participation processes and increased training for ward committee members, who serve as a critical interface between municipalities and communities.
• The COMPACT project conducted action research across 12 partner municipalities in South Africa from October to December 2022, interviewing 373 individuals, including Mayors, Speakers, Municipal Managers, councillors, and officials. The research found that best practices for IDP exist among these partners regarding ward committee meetings, public participation meetings, the institutionalisation of ward committee action sheets, and the use of technology.

APA

Public Affairs Research Institute (n.d.). CompactMyMunicipality. https://pari.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/COMPACT-Factsheet-2-v2.pdf

Chicago

Public Affairs Research Institute. CompactMyMunicipality. n.d. https://pari.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/COMPACT-Factsheet-2-v2.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Public Affairs Research Institute |title=CompactMyMunicipality |url=https://pari.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/COMPACT-Factsheet-2-v2.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{publicaffairsresearchinstitutendcompactmymunicipality, author = {{Public Affairs Research Institute}}, title = {{CompactMyMunicipality}}, institution = {Public Affairs Research Institute}, url = {https://pari.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/COMPACT-Factsheet-2-v2.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }