The purpose of this chapter is to discuss Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) and indigenous forms of care in the context of social development in South Africa. It also attempts to tease out the nexus between indigenous knowledge systems and forms of care and social development. The chapter argues that the way social development has been defined in South Africa in the last three decades has not seriously taken into consideration the roles that IKS and indigenous forms of care could play in propelling social development and overall development processes in South Africa. Arguably, social development is still informed by Western or European theoretical frameworks and development approaches, among others. Due to this occurrence, social development interventions, in the form of programmes and projects, are falling short of meeting the needs of the most vulnerable in South Africa, especially those in the rural areas where indigenous systems have not been overly eroded.