Delays and disruptions in the completion of large road construction projects in South Africa have been a trend in recent times. These delays have impacted negatively on Local Economic Development initiatives directed at reducing poverty and the ever-escalating levels of unemployment. This article examines the causes of such disruptions in Local Economic Development (LED) projects through the lens of the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) Guide in order to determine whether project management tools, skills and techniques are effectively utilised in ensuring an increased level of success in the completion of LED-related projects. Road construction projects under scrutiny took place in the eThekwini Municipality in KwaZulu-Natal. This study used a qualitative approach in which a total of eight participants comprising contractors, consultants and project managers from SANRAL were purposively sampled. A content analys