Municipal demarcation process in the establishment of the Collins Chabane Local Municipality and reasons for the eruption of Vuwani, South Africa

Abstract

The demarcation of municipal boundaries in post-apartheid South Africa is characterised by objections from affected communities. Beyond polarising-affected communities, proposed redeterminations regularly elicit destruction of public infrastructure and even loss of life. Hostilities over municipal boundaries which were drawn in the rural areas for the first time. This article is drawn from the highly publicised demarcation unrests experienced in the Vuwani area as a result of the newly established Collins Chabane Local Municipality in the Limpopo province. Findings reflected in this article emanated from data collected through the questionnaire, interviews and secondary data sources. Empirical evidence uncovers low levels of public participation in demarcation process by the residents. Actually, more people in Vuwani participated in the anti-demarcation protests in objection to the new municipality. The fact that violent protests regularly accompany municipal demarcation objections in South Africa could reflect an urgent need to improve the facilitation of meaningful public participation in the municipal demarcation process.