Local Economic Development (LED) is an international tool, which is also tried and tested in South Africa in the post apartheid democratic government to initiate and accelerate local development for effective service delivery. As an outcome based on local initiatives and driven by local stakeholders, it has a contribution to make in South Africa if it is properly implemented. The broader aim of the LED is to create employment opportunities in the local government sphere, alleviate poverty and redistribute resources and opportunities to the benefit of all community members. However, unemployment and poverty pose a challenge to LED. In most cases, LED fails to yield fruition because municipalities lack LED governing structures. Those that have such structures superimpose and dictate the strategy through top down approaches, and this is problematic. This article address with the way in which LED could be best employed as a community eng