The design of offices for the Amathole district council in Stutterheim, Province of the Eastern Cape

South Africa is 20 years into democracy and it prides itself in the 1994 democratic elections. This document briefly looks into the era of the democratic governance and its impact on the less developing settlements in the Amathole and Amahlathi districts. The meanings and concepts of democratic governance are explored. Consequently, the findings convey that not everyone in South Africa and Eastern Cape are able to practice their right of accessing information or voicing their opinion concerning government in a formal platform. This contradicts the core values to democracy which imply a people centered approach where people lead the country (themselves) through the governing authorities. The frequent protests against service delivery are a clear indication that there is a break down in the communication between government and South African citizens. Material from the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) revealed that overpopulation, unemployment, poor education and lack of service delivery are the primary issues that hinder the progress of the region with reference to service delivery. Thus the primary objective of this research is to find ways to rehabilitate communication breakdown by creating a medium of clear dialogue between the government and its people. The architectural aim of this research is to design a district municipality that will be a connector of other municipalities, towns, settlements and precincts. The building aims to be a catalyst for development in the district that celebrates the heritage of the region. The project aims to communicate its fundamental concepts in the expression of the design, for example the permeability of the building will promote transparency, accessibility and integration with the community. In this way, democracy and its core principal of governing with the people will be done with less spatial hindrances