Abstract:
Participation of civil society in the implementation of public policy has been a
consistent thrust of the transformation agenda of the South African democratic
government. The whole thrust has been that people need to participate in their
own development and take ownership of the process. A vibrant and diverse civil
society is, therefore, important in consolidating and sustaining democracy as well
as in holding government accountable. This article evaluates the extent to which
programmes implemented by civil society, particularly in partnership with social
development, are empowering and sustainable. Poverty alleviation has been a
concern of all governments globally. As such governments have developed and
implemented various public policies as a way to address the plight of poverty. The
continued challenge of poverty in South Africa raises questions on the quality of
participation of various actors in the policy process, the implementation of public
policy and the approaches used. The high levels of poverty further calls for the
evaluation of the extent to which strategies and programmes aimed at addressing
poverty are sustainable in order to achieve long-term benefits and remove the
poorest of the poor from the cycle of poverty. The findings of this study indicate
that programmes implemented by civil society organisations (CSOs) are still far
from being sustainable given the capacity challenges, limited funding and lack of
vision on how to mobilise resources for the future. If South Africa has to meet the
Millennium Development Goal (MDG) target of halving poverty by 2014, then this research points to a rethinking in the involvement and participation of CSOs in
poverty alleviation. It calls for a paradigm shift that is completely non-bureaucratic,
allowing the development of systems for capacity building and funding that will
allow CSOs to participate effectively in the implementation of programmes.
