Démocratisation Et Participation Locale À Johannesburg : La Voix Et Les Voies De La Société Civile Face À Des Institutions Participatives Dysfonctionnelles

Urban social movements in Johannesburg are sidelining participatory institutions, and local councilors in particular, in order to be heard. This is due mainly to the centralization of powers in the hands of the mayor, and the fact that local councilors are primarily accountable to the dominant party rather than to their constituency. In this context, civics often use the institutional fragmentation of local government to find alternative sites of negotiation with the State. However, this can prove disruptive as the multiplication of such sites seems to enhance competition between civics rather than to offer multiple and cumulated ways of lobbying government.