Authors - Tumiso THULARE, Keneilwe Jeannette MAREMI Abstract - This paper presents findings from a pilot e-Participation implementation conducted in partnership with the Mpumalanga Department of Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs (CoGHSTA) and the City of Mbombela over two years. The pilot project focused on enhancing the municipality's capacity to implement and sustain e-Participation initiatives. It also assessed the current state of public participation and explored the opportunities and challenges of adopting digital participation mechanisms in South African local government. A qualitative research approach was used, involving a scoping review and engagement sessions with municipal officials from various units, including public participation, communications, ICT, policy, and governance. The scoping review identified theoretical challenges to e-Participation in South African municipalities, while engagement sessions examined institutional experiences, governance processes, and the City of Mbombela's readiness for digital participation. The findings revealed that the municipality shows policy alignment and has partially adopted digital participation tools such as social media, municipal websites, and mobile communication channels. However, e-Participation implementation faces challenges such as the digital divide, limited ICT infrastructure, low digital literacy, institutional capacity constraints, poor coordination, and insufficient funding. The study further found that public participation still relies heavily on traditional methods, with digital platforms mainly used for sharing information instead of fostering citizen empowerment or collaborative governance. The paper concludes that while e-Participation can enhance transparency, accountability, and inclusive governance in South African municipalities, its success requires integrated technological, institutional, and participatory reforms. The findings provide practical guidance for municipalities aiming to enhance digital public participation in resource-constrained settings.
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