The Service Providers Forum - a vital institution for integrated development

Abstract

In recent years more attention has been given to the preparation of integrated development plans than to their implementation, The Service Providers Forum in KwaZulu-Natal has emerged as an institution that has potential to improve the alignment of Service Providers and thereby contribute to the implementation of Integrated Development Plans (IDP). The article traces the origins of the Service Providers Forums and analyses the achievements and problems encountered up to 2000. It discusses the implications of legislative changes about that time for the Service Providers Forums and examines the Zululand district as a case study of how the Forum was used in the early stages of the integrated development planning process (2001 -2002). The article identifies issues that need to be addressed in order for Service Providers Forums to fulfil their potential as instruments for integrated development.