Numerous studies and development theorists have identified the potential of community participation (CP) in development planning. However, limited studies have synthesised existing literature to compare its strengths and weaknesses. This article, therefore, fills this knowledge gap by synthesising critical academic perspectives to (a) contrast the case for and against the promotion of CP theory in development planning and (b) detail its historical effects and contributions to the water service delivery sector. Overall, findings on the weakness reveal that (a) participation at times overrides existing legitimate decision-making processes, (b) reinforces the interest of the already powerful through knowledge acquisition and manipulation, (c) drives out those advantages participation cannot provide, and (d) leads to opportunistic behaviours, that is, free-rider syndrome. On the strengths, participation can lead to the realisation of (a) improved project design, (b) increased project acceptability, (c) a more equitable distribution of benefits, (d) increased resource mobilisation, and (e) improvements in sustainability parameters. Taken together, the authors premise that unless these strengths and weaknesses are fully documented and appreciated from a historical standpoint, efforts to take full advantage of CP as a theory in development planning will remain futile.
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