Background – Reducing poverty requires a stable and accountable political environment. The citizens of South Africa have chosen to pursue these goals through a democratic system. But for democracy to flourish, citizens need to be encouraged and empowered to speak out on the issues that affect their lives. When citizens participate, they ensure that leaders are held accountable, that government operations are transparent and efficient, and that power is distributed through checks and balances. In South Africa, a primary barrier to good governance and oversight is poor communication between communities and their elected leaders and municipal officials, who confuse their roles and responsibilities. Local residents are also too often unaware of their rights and duties as citizens. Communities lack knowledge of how local government works and how they can take an active role in their own social and economic development.

Project – The project supports the Alfred Nzo District Municipality, one of the poorest rural municipalities in South Africa’s Eastern Cape. It is implemented by the consortium of Swisscontact and ECOTEC and sponsored by the Austrian Development Agency. Swisscontact and its local partners work together with local authorities, civil society organizations, and community members in the Alfred Nzo District to foster effective dialogue between these three groups and between local and district municipalities. The project engages local theater groups to help open these communication channels. The groups act out dialogues between citizens and members of the local government or administration, exploring potential solutions to resolve problems between the two sides. Community radio shows are another way that the project spreads the word about new opportunities for citizens to get involved in developing their towns and villages.
Reducing poverty is an important goal of the project. Public dialogue empowers people to explain their most pressing problems to those municipal leaders who are really in charge and in a language that they can understand. Most importantly, the Swisscontact project assists local authorities and organizations with their own local economic development and poverty reduction efforts. By frequently and publicly comparing project effectiveness, organizations will be motivated to follow through with their activities and achieve tangible results.
The Swisscontact project in Alfred Nzo District Municipality empowers citizens, civil society organizations, public servants, and politicians alike to address political, social, and economic problems. It encourages local citizens and government agencies to find common solutions, while helping ensure that the agreed-upon strategies are brought to fruition.