Abstract:
The aim of this study was to systematically review empirical studies conducted on integrated development
planning (IDP) as an apparatus for strengthening community involvement in South African municipalities.
This study was conducted due to an increasing lack of community involvement in municipal affairs. Many
scholars indicate that the coronavirus (COVID-19) has presented many challenges in the local sphere of government,
and one of the challenges is poor community participation. The IDP is an important mechanism for
strengthening community involvement. By doing so, communities can determine their most desired needs
and aspirations. To realise the objective of this study, which was to systematically review empirical studies
on IDP as an apparatus for strengthening community involvement in South African municipalities, the author
has deployed a qualitative research approach in the form of a systematic review. Secondary data has been
retrieved from different databases, such as Google Scholar, Sabinet, Scopus, and Google, using keywords for
this study. A total of seventy (70) studies were sampled and systematically reviewed. However, only thirty-eight
(38) were relevant and cited in this study. Three different theories have been deployed in this study: democratic
decision-making, new public management, and the ladder of citizen participation. It is found that there is an
increased lack of community involvement in the IDP process due to obsolete mechanisms, unethical conduct,
and poor understanding of the design and implementation of the IDP by local government practitioners. Thus,
this study recommends that municipalities always adhere to different pieces of legislation governing local
government when designing and implementing the IDP process.
