In the contemporary era there is an urgent global need for enhanced place-based economic development strategies. One essential element of these strategies is planning for Local Economic Development (LED). In South Africa Local Economic Development issues have galvanised widespread attention from government, NGOs, scholars and practitioners. National government acknowledges that LED is the strategic enabler for national economic and development objectives and in particular of South Africa's National Development Plan. In addition, LED is viewed as an important potential catalytic instrument to create the necessary broad partnerships and conditions for economic development that can generate better and higher quality service delivery, decent jobs, participation and empowerment of communities, women, youth and vulnerable groups. Accordingly, with the encouragement (as well as some considerable amount of prodding) of national governmen