Community Development Workers

Community development workers help the municipality with service delivery by improving communication and helping local people to access services to which they are entitled. Community development workers are multi-skilled public servants deployed in communities to help people access municipal and government services including various other poverty alleviation programmes.

They work as community facilitators, focusing on finding solutions to identified needs and blockages by interacting with national, provincial and local government structures. The concept of the CDWs is “based on the will of the people”. “You must live with the people, walk with them and talk their language,” . As part of their work, community development workers interact with ward committees, councillors and local municipalities, among others.

Community development workers are often described as “our future managers in the public service,” as they partner with councillors in the development of the municipality.