The participatory development approach enables the society to build their own capacity and self-reliance and allows grassroot people to become partners in the development process. In the case of participatory development, participation is not used as a passive process but is used as a way to collaborate and provide information between community members and all stakeholders involved. 

In the South African context, the participatory development may not be successful because of factors such as centralisation of power, limited capacity, limited coordination and the culture of poverty making it more difficult for societies to engage in meaningful development. For example, the small groups formed by community members to take part in the development efforts end up being taken over by local elites (centralisation of power) and often end up participatory to development initiatives using the ideas and initiatives of local elites.