Discuss the concept of participatory development approach and critique with an example from the SA context.

Participation  has become the dominant approach in all development initiatives, and is recognized by the world bank, by acknowledging that a meaningful social change in any development initiative cannot be achieved only by external experts involving in development processes (World bank, 1996:p.7). This approach allows development initiatives to be able to incorporate local communities as part of the development process without being dominated upon. The development process involves the participation of the beneficiaries from the inception stage to implementation of the development intervention. This approach is also significant today because it allows people and communities to define and become subjects of their own development rather than becoming objects to technologically processes involved in development. This approach allows grassroots people to become partners in the development and this approach enables the society to build their own capacity and self reliance.

Despite the ambitious direction in which participatory approach strengthens community's and citizens participation in development processes, the approach still faces operational challenges, for example, a potential pitfall of joint decision making in a group of stakeholders representing diverse social positions and technical backgrounds is the power imbalance among actors that threatens the integrity of participatory strategy (Ingaki, 2007). This is evident as pointed out in the study of community partnership project to improve healthcare services in South Africa. In the study she asserts that the author found out the different ways in which certain groups of participants were not involved in decision making process. And the study revealed that inputs from youth, people with low income, the elderly and community members with low education were overshadowed by inputs from academics and elites.

Participatory development employed in particular initiatives often involves the process of content creation, for example UNESCO's finding a voice for employs ICT for development initiatives.