Civic Education

Civic education is vital because it equips citizens and communities with knowledge about how municipalities work, what their rights and responsibilities are, and how to access services or participate in decision-making. COMPACT has developed civic education materials for communities and other local government stakeholders. A comprehensive guide entitled Working Towards Collaborative Local Government: A Reference Guide, developed together with the Heinrich Böll Foundation, provides information on:

  • Institutional and legal framework for local government in South Africa
  • Accountability in South Africa’s legal framework
  • Inside local government: structures and role-players
  • The planning, implementation and oversight cycle
  • The right to water, housing and sanitation, and spatial justice

 

It contains information on all relevant local government legislation and policy, as well as useful resources and contact details of organisations. COMPACT has also developed a simple and accessible Local Government Pamphlet Series (translated into Afrikaans, isiXhosa, isiZulu, Setswana and Sesotho) covering several local government topics:

  1. Understanding local government
  2. Accountability and oversight in municipalities
  3. Municipal councillors
  4. Ward committees
  5. Youth participation

 

These pamphlets were piloted in the North West with Moses Kotane Local Municipality and JB Marks Local Municipality in 2025.

COMPACT also supports the use of the Civics Academy video series (available in English, Afrikaans and isiXhosa) which explores how local government functions and how citizens can engage it. The Education and Training Unit (ETU) has a comprehensive section for community organisers on local government in South Africa. The Dullah Omar Institute (DOI) has also recently developed factsheets to build capacity of civil society to participate in local government.

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