ABSTRACT
At present, in many rural small towns of developing countries, effective and efficient land use planning and development control are not well established. This is particularly so in small towns, characterized by the patent manifestation of the chaotic state of land use activities. Thus, this aimed at exploring development control tools for improved sustainability of land use compatibility in a growth point area of Vuwani Town. The research employed a phenom-enological case study design comprising of mixed method approach. A interviews were held with officials from Collins Chabane Local Municipality. Questionnaires were distributed to the developers and informal traders in Vumani town. The study results reveal that policy documents are key development control tools associated with land use compatibility. Drawings insights from the findings, this study recommends various initiatives to ensure the implementation of development control tools to curb land use incompatibility in small rural towns.
