Cultural heritage tourism is perceived as one of the major development opportunities for Africa. Objective- This study conducted in South Africa, enquired the perceptions of the local communities towards their cultural heritage tourism development, and their level of participation in such development. Approach- Quantitative data were collected from simple randomly selected respondents using a structured questionnaire. Descriptive data analysis provided information required to address research objective. Results- Local community members surveyed are sceptic towards cultural heritage tourism development invariably becoming a panacea for their rural development. Implication- Cultural heritage tourism development in South Africa should align with the sustainable rural tourism critical success factors recommended by this paper. Value- This study conducted in a district of South Africa has implications for cultural heritage tourism development in developing economies
