The Evolving Local Economic Development Process in Mafikeng: A Contested Terrain Between Political and Profit Interests

This paper examines the politics behind the economics of local economic development (LED) in Mafikeng, the capital of the former Bophuthatswana bantustan and now of the North-West Province. Problems of conflicts and distrust between Mafikeng City Council (MCC) and local community groups led by business owners (Mafikeng Development Forum) hampered the initial stages of the building of local economic development in the town. Mafikeng Development Forum (MDF) was initially at the forefront of the process but due to the integrated nature of local pro-growth initiatives and local political struggle in South Africa, the Council managed to dominate and control the process. However, the inability of the local Council to implement LED projects and the local business group's ability to lodge its interests at the North-West Provincial government may reposition the private sector to centre stage of local economic development issues in Mafikeng. Using U.S. and British LED literature, an argument is made that the concept of local dependence provides a useful window on the politics of local economic development.