scholarly journals Challenges facing SMMEs during their first two years of operation in South Africa

2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 505-512 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandiso Ngcobo ◽  
S. Sukdeo
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Job Creation ◽  
Awareness Campaigns ◽  
Kwazulu Natal ◽  
The World ◽  
Medium Enterprises

Unemployment is a serious problem that is facing South Africa (SA) and many countries across the globe. As a result, Small, Micro and Medium Enterprises (SMMEs) have been identified as some of the suitable entities for job creation in SA. However, not many of the SMMEs experience success to the point that they can significantly contribute to the alleviation of unemployment. The objective of this paper is therefore to investigate possible challenges that SMMEs experience. The findings generally point to a need for awareness campaigns as some of the concerns raised by the participants are not legitimate. Even though the investigation was conducted in SA in the province of KwaZulu-Natal the findings are considered relevant for the rest of the country and many other parts of the world experiencing similar challenges

The economic impact of the Comrades Marathon

2012 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 220-235 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melville Saayman ◽  
Andrea Saayman
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Job Creation ◽  
Local Economy ◽  
Social Accounting Matrix ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Kwazulu Natal ◽  
The World ◽  
Sport Events ◽  
The Impact

PurposeThe Comrades Marathon is a world‐renowned ultra marathon that takes place yearly between the cities of Pietermaritzburg and Durban in KwaZulu‐Natal, South Africa. It attracts athletes from around the world, and boasts a participation of more than 14,000. The purpose of this article is to determine the impact that this marathon has on the provincial economy – a manufacturing‐based economy.Design/methodology/approachSpending data of participants and their accompanying spectators were compiled by means of surveys and participants were split into categories based on their origin. The provincial Social Accounting Matrix is used to quantify the impact of this spending stimulus on production, income and job creation within the province.FindingsThe results show that Comrades Marathon contributes significantly to the provincial economy and that more than 600 jobs are dependent on the event.Research limitations/implicationsIt has a larger impact on the local economy than many similar sport events and this is attributed to the specialised nature of the event as well as its status as an ultra‐marathon.Originality/valueThis research is one of few on ultra‐marathons and the focus is on participants’ spending behaviour during the event.

Strategies for Digitizing Records in Academic Higher Education in South Africa

2021 ◽  
pp. 65-78
Author(s):  
Lungile Precious Luthuli ◽  
Thobekile K. Buthelezi
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
South Africa ◽  
Information Value ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Portable Devices ◽  
Academic Institutions ◽  
Digital Platforms ◽  
Kwazulu Natal ◽  
The World ◽  
Analytical Review

Digitizing records ensures that the continuation of information value remains accessible and usable in all academic institutions. The study aimed to establish strategies being used for digitization of records in higher education institutions in South Africa. A case study design was found appropriate to investigate the strategies of digitizing records in KwaZulu-Natal. The study employed the qualitative research approach and collected data from the literature. Content analysis was used for data analysis. Furthermore, the study used an analytical review of empirical findings conversant of digitization of records in academic institutions as the strategy. Literature was reviewed across the world and narrowed down to KwaZulu-Natal intending to trace strategies being used by universities in KwaZulu-Natal. The findings revealed that most records are stored on the digital platforms or network servers that the university manages. Users across the world get access to these records and it gives the platform to download all records. The findings further revealed that records are stored and digitized individually from the portable devices. The study recommended that institutions should offer more training to the staff.

scholarly journals Public outlook on small and medium enterprises as a strategic tool for economic growth and job creation in South Africa

2015 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 412-418 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lawrence Mpele Lekhanya
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
South Africa ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Small And Medium Enterprises ◽  
Job Creation ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Survival And Growth ◽  
Analyse Data ◽  
Medium Enterprises

In spite of the key role played by the Small and Medium enterprises in economic development, there has been little effort to look at what needs to be done to improve survival and growth of SMEs. There is still a general lack of in-depth understanding from policy makers and other relevant stakeholders of how SMEs can be used as a strategic tool for economic growth and job creation in South Africa. These misperceptions and misunderstand leads to continuous failure to SMEs survival and growth. This study seeks to address this research gap. The study investigates the public views on what needs to be done to grow South African economy through the development of SMEs. Quantitative research approach was used to collect and analyse data for the study. Primary data was collected from four (4) provinces of South Africa. 230 people participated in the study. Questionnaires were emailed to each respondent and follow-ups were made via telephone. It was found that many SMEs fail within five years of their existence due to the various reasons. The most critical of these were related to lack of access to finance, lack of management experience as well as human capital. Study further revealed that most the SMEs owners/managers do not have business management related skills but rather they are just ordinary entrepreneurs.

Business partners for development-KwaZulu-Natal pilot project, South Africa: a new approach to the delivery of sustainable water and sanitation services in poor peri-urban areas

2002 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 197-202
Author(s):  
P. Rousseau ◽  
E. Tranchant
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Community Involvement ◽  
Water Conservation ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Pilot Project ◽  
Water And Sanitation ◽  
Sanitation Services ◽  
Business Partners ◽  
Kwazulu Natal ◽  
The World

An innovative tri-sector partnership has been formed in two peri-urban areas in Durban and Pietermaritzburg, in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, which aims to provide sustainable water and sanitation services to these previously disadvantaged communities. This forms part of the world-wide Business Partners for Development (BPD) programme initiated by the World Bank to bring together the diverse resources, expertise and perspectives of three distinct sectors: business sector, public sector and civil society, in particular Non-Governmental Organisations (NGO's). The project focus includes infrastructure upgrading, water loss management, community involvement and capacity building, education and awareness on water conservation, health and hygiene, and customer management. The establishment of a common research framework examining impacts and outcomes and an international sharing and learning programme will, it is hoped, lead ultimately to better and replicable practices.

scholarly journals South Africa and national TB control: Are we making progress?

2017 ◽  
Vol 59 (2) ◽  
pp. 4
Author(s):  
Gboyega A Ogunbanjo
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
World Health Organisation ◽  
Incidence Rates ◽  
World Health ◽  
Hiv Positive ◽  
Western Cape ◽  
Eastern Cape ◽  
Tb Control ◽  
Kwazulu Natal ◽  
The World

South Africa accounts for the worst global tuberculosis epidemics fuelled by the spread of HIV infection. The tuberculosis (TB) incidence increased from 300 per 100,000 people in the early 1990s to more than 950 per 100,000 in 2012.1 In addition, the country remains one of the countries with the highest TB burden globally, with the World Health Organisation (WHO) statistics giving an estimated incidence of 454,000 cases of active TB in 2015.2 This means that about 0.8% of South Africa’s population of 54 million develop active TB disease annually. Of the 454 000 TB cases in South Africa in 2015, WHO estimated that about 57% (258,000) were HIV positive. It also estimated that of 157,505 whose status was known, and who were known to be HIV positive, some 85% (133,116) were on antiretroviral therapy.3 From the same 2015 report, Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and Western Cape provinces had the highest incidence rates of 692, 685 and 681 per 100,000 respectively. The most notable decline was in KwaZulu-Natal where the incidence decreased from 1,185 to 685 per 100,000 over the last five years.1

scholarly journals SMEs and product mix decisions: fact or fiction

2016 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 608-616
Author(s):  
Michael C. Cant ◽  
Safura Mohamed Kallier ◽  
Johannes A. Wiid
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
South Africa ◽  
Growth And Development ◽  
Driving Force ◽  
Job Creation ◽  
Jel Classification ◽  
Product Mix ◽  
Economic Growth And Development ◽  
The World ◽  
The Right

Research over the years has shown that in order for any business to survive, the correct product mix must be offered to the market. If the product does not satisfy the needs of the market, its reason for existence can be questioned. This principle applies to all businesses – big or small. The question arises if SMEs adhere to this fact and, if so, how they go about doing this. SMEs over the world make huge contributions to economic growth and job creation and are seen to be a driving force for economic growth and development in any economy. In the highly competitive environment that SMEs operate in, selecting the right merchandise for the right customer is important and, in most instances, its ability to survive or perish. This study aimed to determine if SMEs in South Africa make decisions regarding the product mix and, if so, if they conform to different profiles regarding the decisions that they make. A questionnaire was used to collect the data and was sent to SMEs around South Africa operating in different industries. The results indicated that SMEs in South Africa consider product characteristics, consumer behavior and strategic aspects when making product mix decisions. Keywords: merchandising, product, SMEs, product mix, business, South Africa. JEL Classification: M00, M300, M310

scholarly journals Factors affecting the performance of small and medium enterprises in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

2016 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 277-288 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sharmilee Sitharam ◽  
Muhammad Hoque
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Business Performance ◽  
Small And Medium Enterprises ◽  
External Factors ◽  
Technological Advancement ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Kwazulu Natal ◽  
Medium Enterprises ◽  
Internal And External Factors

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) have an important role to play in the development of the country. A strong SME sector contributes highly to the economy, contributing to the gross domestic product, by reducing the level of unemployment, reduction in poverty levels and promotion of entrepreneurship activity. In South Africa (SA), the growth of SMEs and prevalence of SMEs is significantly low. Therefore, the aim of the study is to identify the internal and external factors affecting the performance of SMEs in KwaZulu-Natal, SA. This was a cross-sectional study conducted among 74 SMEs owners/managers who were members of the Durban Chamber of Commerce via online using anonymous questionnaire. The results revealed technological advancement would improve the performance of the business. With regards to challenge, the majority of the respondents viewed competition as a major challenge. Almost all the respondent indicated that crime and corruption affecting business performance. Competition was the only factor amongst the studied internal and external factors that revealed a significant association with the performance of SMEs in KwaZulu-Natal (p = 0.011). SMEs need to recognize they must prepare for both domestic

scholarly journals Major new lineages of SARS-CoV-2 emerge and spread in South Africa during lockdown

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Houriiyah Tegally ◽  
Eduan Wilkinson ◽  
Richard R Lessells ◽  
Jennifer Giandhari ◽  
Sureshnee Pillay ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
African Country ◽  
Epidemic Spread ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Kwazulu Natal ◽  
Whole Genomes ◽  
The World ◽  
And Control

In March 2020, the first cases of COVID-19 were reported in South Africa. The epidemic spread very fast despite an early and extreme lockdown and infected over 600,000 people, by far the highest number of infections in an African country. To rapidly understand the spread of SARS-CoV-2 in South Africa, we formed the Network for Genomics Surveillance in South Africa (NGS-SA). Here, we analyze 1,365 high quality whole genomes and identify 16 new lineages of SARS-CoV-2. Most of these unique lineages have mutations that are found hardly anywhere else in the world. We also show that three lineages spread widely in South Africa and contributed to ∼42% of all of the infections in the country. This included the first identified C lineage of SARS-CoV-2, C.1, which has 16 mutations as compared with the original Wuhan sequence. C.1 was the most geographically widespread lineage in South Africa, causing infections in multiple provinces and in all of the eleven districts in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), the most sampled province. Interestingly, the first South-African specific lineage, B.1.106, which was identified in April 2020, became extinct after nosocomial outbreaks were controlled. Our findings show that genomic surveillance can be implemented on a large scale in Africa to identify and control the spread of SARS-CoV-2.

Selected Key External Factors Influencing the Success of Rural Small and Medium Enterprises in South Africa

2014 ◽  
Vol 22 (03) ◽  
pp. 331-348 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lawrence M. Lekhanya ◽  
Roger B. Mason
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Small Businesses ◽  
Small And Medium Enterprises ◽  
Business Owners ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Rural Businesses ◽  
Kwazulu Natal ◽  
Medium Enterprises ◽  
Skills Shortages

Small businesses are critical to improving economic development in rural areas of South Africa. However, rural entrepreneurs are still faced with challenges and problems which make the success of small businesses, especially in rural areas, uncertain. This paper investigates business environmental, financial and infrastructural factors that influence the success or otherwise of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in rural areas. Primary data was collected in five rural areas of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) from a sample of 374 business owners/managers, with respondents completing a questionnaire. Access to finance and skills shortages were the factors that most significantly differentiated between more successful and less successful rural businesses in KZN. The majority of respondents indicated that poor roads/transport and access to electricity were major problems.

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