Spatial Planning-Housing Nexus: The Ramifications of Dual Governance in Rural Areas Under Traditional Leadership at the eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality

This article examines the multi-faceted interplay between spatial planning and housing development in rural areas under traditional leadership within the eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality, KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa. It explores the ramifications of dual governance, in which traditional authorities and municipal structures co-exist, often with overlapping mandates and conflicting priorities. The study highlights how this duality impacts land allocation, housing delivery, and spatial planning processes, leading to inefficiencies, tenure insecurity, and uneven development. Using a desk-based qualitative research approach and legal policy analysis, the article identifies key challenges, including power dynamics, jurisdictional disputes, limited co-ordination, and the marginalisation of traditional governance in formal planning frameworks. It argues for an integrated governance model that harmonises traditional and municipal systems to enhance equitable and sustainable housing and spatial development. The study’s recommendations for policy and practice include strengthening participatory mechanisms, clarifying land rights, and fostering collaborative policy frameworks to bridge the gap between the two systems, thereby significantly contributing to achieving equitable development in South Africa.