Taking responsibility for entrepreneurship development in South Africa: The role of local municipalities

2020 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 257-268
Author(s):  
Thanyani S Madzivhandila ◽  
Mazanai Musara
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Economic Development ◽  
Local Economic Development ◽  
National Development ◽  
Academic Journal ◽  
Entrepreneurship Development ◽  
Local Municipalities ◽  
Poverty And Inequality ◽  
Entrepreneurial Development

Local economic development policies around the world increasingly emphasise entrepreneurship as a tool to mobilise local and indigenous economic potential. This paper explores the role of local municipalities in entrepreneurship development in South Africa. In particular, it provides a critical review of local economic development strategies and their effect on entrepreneurial development. Special attention is placed on deeply rural municipalities, primarily because of their marginalisation from national development efforts and the acute need for entrepreneurial development to tackle the triple challenges, which are unemployment, poverty and inequality. The paper argues that local municipalities should play a pivotal role in enhancing the development and upliftment of entrepreneurs in their areas of jurisdiction. The paper uses an integrative literature review method in which sources such as academic journal articles, reports and books are analysed, critiqued and synthesised. Lessons are drawn from other developed and developing nations, combined with the observations and thorough review of literature, to develop a framework that can inform South African Local Municipalities in mobilising entrepreneurship development in their communities. The paper concludes that for entrepreneurship development to be strengthened and for local economic development to be accomplished, local municipalities should invest in the development of entrepreneurship within their municipalities.

scholarly journals Industrial strategy and local economic development: The case of the foundry industry in Ekurhuleni Metro

2014 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 448-464 ◽  
Author(s):  
T Phele ◽  
S Roberts ◽  
I Steuart
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Economic Development ◽  
Local Economic Development ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Action Plans ◽  
Foundry Industry ◽  
The Past ◽  
Concrete Action

This  article explores the challenges for the development of manufacturing through a case study of the foundry industry in Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality. Ekurhuleni Metro covers the largest concentration in South Africa, but the industry’s performance has been poor over the past decade.  The findings reported here highlight the need to understand firm decisions around investment, technology and skills, and the role of local economic linkages in this regard.  The differing performance of foundries strongly supports the need to develop concrete action plans and effective institutions at local level to support the development of local agglomerations.

Agritourism and local economic development in South Africa

2014 ◽  
Vol 26 (26) ◽  
pp. 93-106 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian M. Rogerson ◽  
Jayne M. Rogerson
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Economic Development ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Local Economic Development ◽  
Special Significance ◽  
Research Issues ◽  
National Economic ◽  
Policy Suggestions ◽  
National Economic Development

Abstract The role of tourism for local economic development (LED) is a topic of critical importance for geographers. In the case of South Africa tourism is a priority sector for national economic development. The significance of research issues around tourism and LED is underlined by the ‘developmental’ mandate of local governments. Although tourism has received attention in a growing body of LED writings on South Africa issues around agritourism so far have been overlooked. Agritourism represents an evolving form of rural tourism which is targeted at mainly urban consumers. Against the background of a review of international scholarship on agritourism this article explores its potential implications for LED planning in South Africa. A national audit of agritourism is presented which shows its uneven geographical distribution. Agritourism is of special significance for small town economic development in South Africa’s intermediate tourism spaces. Policy suggestions are offered for strengthening agritourism as a driver for LED in South Africa.

Maximising the Use of Environmental and Cultural Resources for Community-Led Entrepreneurship Development in Rural South Africa

2020 ◽  
pp. 164-192
Author(s):  
Mavhungu Abel Mafukata
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Economic Development ◽  
Cultural Heritage ◽  
Local Economic Development ◽  
Cultural Resources ◽  
Rural South ◽  
Sustainable Entrepreneurship ◽  
Entrepreneurship Development ◽  
Tigray Region ◽  
Rural South Africa

Limpopo is one of the poorest provinces in South Africa. This state of poverty is despite the province's potential to be self-supportive from its well-endowed natural and cultural heritage resources. This chapter argues that commercialisation of these resources could promote sustainable community-led entrepreneurship and local economic development. This chapter hypothesises that there is an economic linkage between the environment and local economic development as GebreMichael and Waters-Bayer found in Tigray Region, Ethiopia. A plethora of emerging literature on local economic and entrepreneurship development reveal that there was considerable linkage between commercialization of these resources and sustainable entrepreneurship and local economic development. This chapter locates itself in the context of “Rural Development” and would be anchored on Monaheng's theorisation on development; the technocratic, the radical, and the reformist approaches.

Beyond the development impasse: the role of local economic development and community self-reliance in rural South Africa

1999 ◽  
Vol 37 (3) ◽  
pp. 389-408 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tony Binns ◽  
Etienne Nel
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Economic Development ◽  
Local Economic Development ◽  
Eastern Cape ◽  
Self Reliance ◽  
Western Development ◽  
Successive Generations ◽  
Rural South Africa

The failure of successive generations of imported, Western development strategies and projects to deliver meaningful reductions in poverty and achieve basic needs in Africa, has provoked a deep questioning of Western concepts and methodologies of development. Non-governmental organisations and development practitioners are increasingly focusing their attention on strategies which build upon local knowledge, skills and resources. The concepts of ‘self- reliance’ and local economic development are examined in the context of development challenges which face Africa. This is followed by a detailed case study of local economic development in the rural Mpofu District of the former Ciskei Homeland, which was incorporated into the Eastern Cape province of South Africa with the demise of apartheid in 1994.

Assessing the role of Local Economic Development Agencies in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

2018 ◽  
Vol 33 (4) ◽  
pp. 438-455 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isaac Khambule ◽  
Oliver Mtapuri
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Economic Development ◽  
Local Economic Development ◽  
Local Development ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Implementation Problem ◽  
Economic Development Agencies ◽  
Development Agencies ◽  
Development Structure

There is a growing recognition of the role of subnational institutions in addressing some of the foremost developmental challenges that South Africa is facing; however, subnational institutions have been mired in inefficiencies and capacity challenges in leading local development. This has led to the establishment of Local Economic Development Agencies as institutions which were expected to give impetus to local economic development and accelerate local government’s responses to unemployment, poverty and inequalities. Yet little is known about the efficiency of Local Economic Development Agencies in addressing the key failures of local economic development. This article employed a qualitative approach in which semi-structured interviews were undertaken with key gatekeepers. The article assessed the roles and functions of Local Economic Development Agencies in addressing key local economic development failings through a case study of three Local Economic Development Agencies in South Africa. The results indicate that while Local Economic Development Agencies do solve the implementation problem, their efficiency is undermined by the lack of coordination of roles and functions in the local government-led development landscape. Furthermore, the roles and functions of Local Economic Development Agencies are limited, constrained and do not necessarily adhere to the premise that led to their establishment. Local Economic Development Agencies thus lack the appropriate legitimate mandate to be the main economic development structure, due to their own inherent capacities.

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