Community engagement represents an opportunity for local and district municipalities in South Africa to connect and build strengthened relationships with communities, to understand their needs and implement programmes which respond to those needs, and to build programmes which have a sustainable impact with the benefit of inputs from community members who understand their context better than anyone else. Community engagement is difficult. It has become more and more difficult in South Africa as communities have become increasingly frustrated over service delivery. Cities in South Africa attract large numbers of inhabitants seeking opportunity, improved livelihoods, and higher average incomes, and the City has limited capacities and resources to meet these needs. Community safety is a painful and inflammatory issue, as experiences of crime and unsafety lead to trauma, fear, anger and frustration.

Relationships between local government and communities have become very conflicted and difficult to manage. This gap between local government and communities has also resulted in flawed planning processes because community voices are not heard, and projects and programmes do not reflect their dreams and needs. As a result, communities do not value projects and vandalise or ignore them, and so the relationship becomes even more difficult. Consultation is often seen by officials and communities as a tickbox exercise rather than as something that will generate a richer, more valuable strategy, plan or programme.

Many communities have consultation fatigue; often, they express frustration that they are used as a research laboratory but never see their inputs brought to life in projects. This guide contains some simple principles and practices which can strengthen relationships between government and citizens, enable effective participation in development activities by communities, strengthen service delivery, protect and promote stability with communities, and potentially support a shift of our national development path in local environments across the country.

Urban safety is a complex field. It is the output of transversal activities, touching the mandates of a range of local government departments and units. Urban safety addresses factors contributing to vulnerability, exclusion, poverty and suffering in South Africa. It is the outcome of education, health, economic, childcare, community development, transport and law enforcement policies. Those tasked with consulting on Urban Safety have to respond to complex social circumstances. This guide is developed for use by urban safety practitioners, but will also be useful in any community engagement setting. All development and service delivery processes are complex and will benefit from the inclusive, principled approach outlined here.