Molefe, Roseline2024-10-092024-10-092023-09-01https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14519/779Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Master Technogiae: Comparative Local Development. In the Department of Economics. Faculty of Economics and Finance. Tshwane University of TechnologyThe objective of the study was to investigate the local economic development (LED) in the Lekwa municipality in terms of its compliance with legal and policy guidelines; strategic aim; objectives; structures; resourcing; consultation processes; stakeholder participation; and the resultant outcomes. This entailed (i) establishing compliance with national LED guidelines and IDP formats; (ii) checking the goals and objectives of LED in Lekwa against LED national guidelines; (iii) investigating the processes used to develop the LED strategy with reference to the strategic guidelines provided for LED in the literature; (iv) identifying challenges in LED implementation in Lekwa municipality; (v) assessing the potential role of LED post-COVID-19 and how it could be used for the rebuilding of communities and economies in the Lekwa municipality and the district. The problem statement of the study addressed a gap identified in the literature, namely a lack of LED delivery, and sought to establish effective ways to remedy this. The study methodology, the study applied the qualitative method. Qualitative method is used to study peoples believes, experiences, attitudes, behaviour, and interactions. It produces non-numerical data (Pathak et al., 2013). In this study questionnaires and semi-structured interviews were used to collect data. A total of 32 participants from Lekwa municipality participated in the study; with purposeful and snowballing sampling technique used to locate participants. The study key findings revealed that Lekwa municipality's LED targets complied with national requirements; nevertheless, greater precision and measurability were required to track progress effectively. The study identified challenges that hindered the successful implementation of LED initiatives, such as insufficient funding, skilled personnel, infrastructure and support from the national government. Despite these obstacles, the study found that LED success in Lekwa municipality could be enhanced, and the study recommends that greater collaboration among government, business and community stakeholders; invest in human capital; increased investment in infrastructure development; and identifying new opportunities for economic growth and development could play a major role in LED implementation success.1-111 PagesenCC0 1.0 Universalhttp://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/Local economic developmentLekwa municipalitySouth AfricaLocal economic development forum.Thesis