Creating Capacities and Building Capabilities for the Civil Society Sector in South Africa

Abstract

Civil society organisations (CSOs) in South Africa play an important role in the social, political and economic development of the country. This has particularly been the case since the turn to democracy in 1994. The increasing needs of society have underscored the requirement for CSOs to have the appropriate capacity to address the demands of society. At the same time, however, they experience many challenges in their role of bridging the gap between the state and society, while also bridging the gap between themselves, which are manifested in a variety of ways. The primary objectives of this study were: to identify the key capacity and capability challenges faced by CSOs in South Africa; to determine the most appropriate mechanisms to capacitate them in order to overcome these challenges; to identify interventions required to sustain capacity within this sector; and to identify which sector of society should take the lead in building the capacity of CSOs in the country.