Challenges Confronting Amathole District Municipality Managers in Implementing Socioeconomic Strategies in Rural Communities

ABSTRACT The paper examines the challenges confronting Amathole District Municipality (ADM) managers in implementing the socio-economic strategies on the rural communities in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. The objective of this paper was to examine the challenges confronting the ADM managers in implementing the socio-economic strategies in rural communities and analyse the needs to effectively improve on their district socio-economic policies. This paper used a literature review methodology to unpack the challenges faced by the ADM managers and its local municipalities in achieving an effective implementation of socio-economic policy goals. In addition, the finding of the study shows that most of the District Managers are incompetent to implement an effective Local Economic Development (LED) strategy, inappropriate national and provincial government policies, practices and burdensome requirements; socio-economic conditions prevailing in many municipalities that are not been adequately addressed through macro, micro-economic and industrial policies and plans of the State; a breakdown of values at a societal level that is breeding unethical behavior, corruption, culture of non-payment, and lack of accountability were some of the major challenges faced by the ADM managers in implementing socio-economic policy in the district. There is a need for the government and her policy-makers to urgently adhere to rural communities needs in order to avoid the rural-urban migration in the country. The study recommends that the ADM managers should ensure that municipalities meet the basic service needs of communities.