The Role of Local Government in Promoting a Sense of Belonging as an Aspect of Social Cohesion: A Document Analysis

Abstract

Local government in South Africa is expected to contribute towards efforts to realise the constitutional vision of building national unity, diversity, belonging, social justice and a cohesive society. Municipalities as spheres of government closest to communities are expected to contribute towards this constitutional vision by facilitating among other things a sense of belonging as an aspect of social cohesion. However, there is insufficient evidence of what and how municipalities should facilitate a sense of belonging as an aspect of social cohesion. Accordingly, this paper explores various government documents to determine what is envisaged for municipalities to facilitate a sense of belonging as an aspect of social cohesion. The study utilised a qualitative document analysis method to explore what government highlights as the role of a municipality pursuing social cohesion through the facilitation of a sense of belonging. The analysis indicates that most government documents do not provide explicit and coherent approaches and objectives to be pursued by municipalities to facilitate social cohesion and a sense of belonging. Thus, the article found that documents make reference to social cohesion, but these references are not comprehensive enough. Likewise, documents seldom mention a sense of belonging. Accordingly, the article recommends that government documents should be more explicit in terms of the role of local government. In relation to the Cape Town case study, it also 
recommends that the City of Cape Town should include in its documents how it is facilitating a sense of belonging.