A Review of the Current Spatial Planning Policies in Rural South Africa and the BRICS Global South for Ensuring Sustainable Economic Development

The study aims to examine the state of preparedness of the local municipalities in prioritizing and offering due planning support for the informal sector. This is more of a policy review of the existing tools and instruments and how they view the informal sector. Through a case in the Hopewell Settlement under the Richmond Municipality in the KwaZulu Natal Province of South Africa. Considering the notable economic impact of the informal sector on the municipal economies, it is quite surprising that there is usually a lack of informal sector plans that are essentially packaged with focusing on the sector with the key stakeholders and connecting them with the various funding sources for a successful implementation of the informal sector policy. By using both quantitative and qualitative secondary data available in the various sector plans and strategies of the municipality, the study will further conduct a desktop analysis and profiling of the Richmond Municipality and the Hopewell Settlement. Following the methodology as above, the following outcomes emanated: Firstly, the Richmond Municipality does not have an informal sector plan or specific informal strategy that focuses on the issues pertaining to the informal sector. Secondly, the existing future plans and vision are still not making room for the prioritization of the informal sector so that it can be a key player in the bigger economy. Thirdly, with issues like global warming and natural disasters on the rise, the informal sector could be opportunistic enough to disrupt the way in which things are done by providing the solution that the communities need.