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Shorttitle: The democratic changes that took place in South Africa has brought new political developments in the country. It has provided constitutional rights to the black majority who were previously denied such rights. These changes also resulted in the transformation of the local governance system in South Africa in the amalgamation of various local government structures that were previosly classified according to race and class. The democratic changes have enabled the black majority to participate in the decision-making process and have access to basic services that were previously denied. This has resulted in the provision of services in a balanced manner and not based on the race as per the historical policies of the apartheid-led government. The democratic local government structures were created to ensure that citizens have a platform to participate in the policy processess through the political systems and societal structures created.The book explores the extent to which these political developments have resulted in access to services and improvement of life.

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Mr Mbulaheni Mulaudzi has started his career as a Research Assistant at the Africa Institute of South Africa. He is currently a Director: Community Development Policy and Service Standards at the Department of Social Development. He holds a Master Degree in Political Studies specialising in public policy from the University of Pretoria.

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