NATIONAL RESEARCH CONFERENCE REPORT

The National Research Conference Report details a two-day event held on 1-2 December 2025 in Johannesburg, focused on 'Reimagining Developmental Local Government'. The conference served as a platform to showcase findings from the COMPACT project—a European Union-funded initiative implemented by the Public Affairs Research Institute (PARI), SALGA, and Integrity Action—which aimed to enhance accountability and public participation in 12 South African municipalities. The report covers discussions on citizen participation tools, gender and youth inclusion, innovative municipal practices, performance monitoring, and the implementation of Citizen-Based Monitoring (CBM).

• The COMPACT programme, co-funded by the European Union and implemented by PARI, SALGA, and Integrity Action since April 2022, developed a 'COMPACT Toolbox' to translate action research into practical resources for municipal participation and accountability.
• Research indicates that public participation in South African municipalities is often a 'tick-box' exercise, with significant systemic challenges including the exclusion of youth and a lack of knowledge among officials and councillors regarding legal participation requirements.
• There is a critical distinction between 'invited' participation (formal state-created platforms like IDP consultations) and 'invented' participation (community-driven, self-organised actions), with the latter often emerging as a corrective when formal channels fail to be responsive.
• Citizen-Based Monitoring (CBM) was piloted in Kouga and Oudtshoorn Local Municipalities, demonstrating that trained community monitors can identify service delivery issues early and improve infrastructure outcomes, such as the Jeffreys Bay Causeway upgrade.
• A case study of the City of Cape Town's 'Ease of Doing Business Index' shows how data-driven reform of regulatory processes can reduce approval timelines and improve investor confidence while supporting developmental local government.
• Performance monitoring in municipalities is often hindered by a lack of technical training for elected leaders and a failure to enforce consequences for poor performance; in Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality, 86% of respondents indicated that consequences for poor performance are not enforced.
• Digital infrastructure in local government is currently fragmented, with data often stored in disconnected spreadsheets; there is a call for 'shared digital public infrastructure' and the use of open Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) to ensure interoperability.
• Gender-inclusive participation is identified as a prerequisite for responsive service delivery, noting that women often prefer dialogue-based and empathetic engagement formats compared to the more assertive communication styles typically adopted by men.
• Civic education for youth is essential to rebuild trust in democratic systems; the 'My Voice' programme by Engage South Africa has reached over 2,000 young people since 2018 across provinces including Vhembe, Gqeberha, and Mahikeng.

APA

Public Affairs Research Institute (2025). NATIONAL RESEARCH CONFERENCE REPORT. https://pari.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/COMPACT-National-Research-Conference-Report-FINAL.pdf

Chicago

Public Affairs Research Institute. NATIONAL RESEARCH CONFERENCE REPORT. 2025. https://pari.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/COMPACT-National-Research-Conference-Report-FINAL.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Public Affairs Research Institute |title=NATIONAL RESEARCH CONFERENCE REPORT |date=2025 |url=https://pari.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/COMPACT-National-Research-Conference-Report-FINAL.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{publicaffairsresearchinstitute2025national, author = {{Public Affairs Research Institute}}, title = {{NATIONAL RESEARCH CONFERENCE REPORT}}, institution = {Public Affairs Research Institute}, year = {2025}, url = {https://pari.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/COMPACT-National-Research-Conference-Report-FINAL.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }