**NGO mediation in public participation **

Abstract

NGOs have stepped into a growing space for participation created at the interface of the decentralisation of the state and participatory development. Despite legal mandates and policy frameworks that seek to foster participation in urban development, actual citizen involvement often falls short of expectations, especially from marginalised groups. Civil society organisations, such as NGOs, have often stepped in to bridge the institutional gaps between these groups and their government. This intermediary function has a long history. However, the recent emphasis on citizenship and human rights has inspired stronger demands for public participation and institutional accountability by newer forms of civil society organisations, such as advocacy NGOs. As a result, since 1999, South Africa has seen some significant legal and extra-institutional actions by civil society organisations intended to influence public decision-making. The practices of these intermediaries have become pivotal in formal participatory processes, with some of them taking greater advantage of institutional spaces and arrangements of participation in state-led urban development. Their mediatory practices have emerged as a crucial mechanism for enabling access to decision-making institutions for local communities. However, despite their significance, these practices are rarely examined for their consequences on the relationship between local communities, the local state, and the broader question of participatory governance. This paper explores NGO mediation in public participation. It argues that while it is a crucial mechanism for enabling access to decision-making institutions that would otherwise remain inaccessible for low-income residents, it shapes and produces a particular relationship between local communities and government. The paper draws on my PhD research, in which I used qualitative research methods to examine the role of an urban sector NGO in facilitating the participation of low-income residents in the redevelopment of Woodstock-Salt River in Cape Town.