How collaboration makes small towns stronger

The Towns Action Network (TAN) is an action-based learning and support network designed to empower changemakers in South African small towns. This network was established to foster collaboration and knowledge-sharing among local municipalities, civil society and the private sector. As a learning network, TAN played a key role in strengthening partnerships that drive small-town regeneration. Since the introduction of the Small Town Regeneration (STR) programme in 2012 by the South African Local Government Association (SALGA), later adopted by CoGTA in 2014, it is clear that sustainable transformation requires coordinated efforts between municipalities and communities.

Leveraging small town champions for change

Initiatives in TAN were designed to explore effective ways of partnering that enabled local economic development and addressed issues facing small towns. These issues include economic decline, unemployment and a lack of service delivery. Identifying changemakers within municipalities, communities, civil society organisations and businesses to jointly own the small town regeneration process is instrumental to how TAN operates.

The goal is to make structural and governance improvements that make solutions sustainable and treated as more than tick-box exercises. Rather than reinventing the wheel, TAN explored creative ways to collaborate effectively by supporting and enhancing existing policies and structures that facilitate public participation, such as Integrated Development Plan (IDP) processes.

Small towns, big impact. Getting small town regeneration is an effective pathway to sustainable local economic development.

However, for this to work, municipalities must be stable and operate transversally, while non-state actors must be open to cooperating with municipalities in a way that is constructive rather than destructive. An all-hands-on-deck approach is critical, particularly given the uniqueness of each small town’s challenges.

Small towns in South Africa face mounting economic, social, and infrastructural challenges, exacerbated by weak municipal capacity and constrained public budgets. The STR strategy was initiated to address these issues, recognising that meaningful change cannot happen in isolation.

Connecting civil society, government and the private sector in small towns

TAN was created to bridge gaps between government, business and civil society to make sure knowledge-sharing and collaboration drive effective regeneration. Through engagement with local changemakers, the network provides a space for sharing insights, exchanging best practices and addressing shared challenges. These initiatives have been central in fostering local economic development by ensuring that governance structures and collaborative efforts are designed to address systemic challenges like unemployment and economic decline.

By working across different municipalities, TAN has identified common barriers to progress, such as fragmented governance structures, lack of public trust and limited access to resources. However, it has also highlighted opportunities for growth through collaboration, shared learning and leveraging local strengths to build sustainable futures for small towns. A stable and well-functioning municipality, proactive civil society and engaged business sector are all crucial for designing sustainable regeneration efforts.

Considerations for small town regeneration

Through its work, TAN has identified several key challenges that hinder small-town regeneration. In an effort to share knowledge about what works for small town regeneration, these learnings are shared below.

Cultural hubs bursting with potential. The Valley of Six Changemakers Network organised their own Changemakers Festival, showing how small investments can spark longer term action.

• Context matters
  No two towns are the same. While some towns have active local governments and disengaged communities, others have citizens that are engaged with dysfunctional municipal structures. A one-size-fits-all approaches fail to address these nuanced realities. TAN made it possible to surface these and work with these nuances.

• Lack of collaboration:
  Many changemakers operate in silos, either within their own communities or institutions. Weak intergovernmental coordination and limited collaboration between public and private actors hinder meaningful progress. TAN provided a space where changemakers could meet and engage with similar small town champions, either in the same community or institution.

• Capability deficits:
  Many municipalities and community organisations lack the strategic, operational and governance skills needed to foster effective partnerships. Without these capabilities, efforts to work together often falter. As a learning network, TAN facilitates the development of these capabilities to bolster municipalities and community organisations.

• Apathy and lack of trust:
  Many residents feel disconnected from local governance, leading to disengagement and reluctance to participate in regeneration efforts. Additionally, historical tensions between state and non-state actors create barriers to cooperation. TAN became a space where, through collaboration, actors from different sectors could foster trust.

The work of TAN in addressing these challenges is surfaced in the strategies identified and tested. These strategies aim to enhance small-town regeneration.

• Locally driven interventions:
  Driven by Citeplan and Kagiso Trust, the pilot implementations of STR in Senekal, Breede Valley, and Modimolle illustrate the importance of place-based solutions that consider each town’s unique context. Tailoring interventions to local needs and strengths ensures more sustainable impact.

• Bridging the public-private divide:
  Successful regeneration requires intentional engagement between government and community actors. Creating structured dialogues and joint decision-making platforms enhances policy relevance and fosters shared accountability.

• Capacity building for effective partnerships:
  Initiatives such as the Genadendal engagements facilitated by Ranyaka have demonstrated the need for equipping municipalities and community groups with collaboration skills. Strengthening these capabilities ensures more effective joint action.

• Harnessing hope as a catalyst:
  Community initiatives like the Changemakers Festival and the Forgotten Highway project, coordinated by the Karoo Development Foundation, highlight how hope can be a catalyst for collaborative action. Using cultural and sporting events to engage youth, local talent and heritage structures builds social cohesion and stimulates local pride.

Change for small towns

TAN’s approach has yielded significant outcomes across participating small towns:

The power of partnering. Small town community members and officials that talked openly in safe spaces shared responsibility for better service delivery.

• Strengthened local partnerships:
  By fostering trust and collaboration, municipalities and communities now work together more effectively, setting the stage for sustained development.

• Policy influence:
  Local experiences and lessons from TAN are shaping more context-responsive policies at both municipal and national levels, ensuring grassroots voices inform governance decisions.

• Increased community engagement:
  More towns are witnessing a shift from apathy to active participation, with communities recognising their agency in driving change.

• Attracting investment and talent:
  Good governance and collaborative frameworks create stable environments that attract businesses, investors, and skilled individuals who can contribute to local economies.

The cumulative effect of these efforts is a growing network of resilient towns, each leveraging its unique strengths to build a more sustainable future. The lessons from TAN underscore the power of collaboration in regenerating small towns. Sustainable impact requires locally driven solutions, cross-sector partnerships and ongoing capacity-building efforts. As towns continue to navigate economic and governance challenges, fostering trust and leveraging community strengths will remain essential to creating vibrant, thriving towns.

TAN’s work demonstrates that change is possible when individuals and institutions come together with a shared purpose. By scaling these lessons and approaches, small towns across South Africa can build more inclusive, thriving local economies that offer hope and opportunity for future generations.

This blog post incorporates the findings captured in the report ‘Collaborative action for Small Town Regeneration in South Africa’.

Edited: Natalie Tannous

This blog post is subject to the following disclaimer.