Enterprise Ilembe (Pty) Ltd is a private company which is a municipal entity of the Ilembe District Municipality – meaning that all the shares of Enterprise Ilembe are held by the Municipality. The Municipal Systems and the Municipal Finance Management Acts permit the establishment of a local economic development agency as a possible special purpose organisation to promote the local economy. Examples in South Africa include the Durban Investment Promotion Agency, the Johannesburg Development Agency and many others in more neglected areas of South Africa.

LED agencies are special implementation vehicles created by municipalities and other stakeholders to achieve their common objectives. As such it should be remembered that an economic development agency does not make policy, it implements it. The mandate for policy making lies with the elected members of Council, not with the agency. It is the role of the agency to implement the local economic development policy set out in the Integrated Development Plan (IDP). The agency may recommend policy to elected members, but it is not mandated to make policy on behalf of those the people of the locality have elected to be their representatives.