External Evaluation of the Local Economic Development Support Programme in iLembe District, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

• Unité de recherche: SECO
• Numéro de projet: 2025-WEIN95/SECO-063.514

Description succincte (Anglais)

The evaluation finds that the Vuthela Programme contributed important innovations—such as a one-window title deed process and a vocational training model—that are now being replicated nationally, while also delivering most planned activities and strengthening municipal systems in iLembe, KwaDukuza and Mandeni. However, these technical gains did not translate into a wider cycle of local economic development because many reforms were not fully implemented and municipal leadership lacked the political drive to use Vuthela as a platform for broader change. Progress was hindered by weak local reform commitment, limited state capacity, political constraints, and a programme design that was too complex, overly technical, and insufficiently adaptive to local realities. SECO’s internal collaboration improved compared to the past, but Vuthela did not fully exploit complementarities between public- and private-sector support, partly due to limited engagement from some units and the absence of dedicated oversight mechanisms. Key lessons emphasize the need for locally anchored political commitment, simpler and context-aligned programme design, continuous strategic steering, and full buy-in from all SECO units in multi-unit initiatives. The evaluation recommends applying these lessons in SECO partner countries and encourages local authorities in iLembe and KwaZulu-Natal to build stronger coalitions for growth, development, and learning.

Documents annexés

• WEIN 95 Management response [PDF] 317 kB
• WEIN 95 Vol 1 Evaluation Report [PDF] 1'031 kB
• WEIN 95 Vol 2 Evaluation Appendices [PDF] 439 kB