Public participation in local government is important for the delivery of services. The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 and a plethora of other pieces of legislation encourage, some even prescribe, the participation of communities in the affairs of the municipality. In this article public participation is considered, starting with a review of perspectives that underscore its significance in the delivery of services. The question that it seeks to answer is whether the service delivery protests, increasingly becoming ubiquitous as democracy in South Africa matures, are a manifestation of the fact that the constitutional and legislative requirements for public participation are not being fully adhered to in managing public affairs. The context for the consideration of this question is the City of Tshwane. Based on the study that the authors completed on the subject, the article argues that the City of Tshwane does not