1,720,961 research outputs found
The effect of the Gauteng Enterprise Propeller’s support on the manufacturing MSMEs
Get PDFAbstract: Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) are regarded as the vehicles for economic growth, employment creation and poverty reduction. However, recent reports and studies show that small businesses in South Africa are not creating jobs. The purpose of this study is to assess the effect of the support provided by the Gauteng Enterprise Propeller (GEP) on MSMEs in Gauteng. The study was conducted to understand the kind of support the GEP provides to MSMEs and the effect of that support on their annual turnover, employment and income level for employees. A descriptive research strategy using mixed methods of data collection was employed. Primary data was gathered through questionnaires which were sent to MSMEs while secondary data was obtained from the GEP’s reports. The study found that the support provided by the GEP is generic and does not respond to specific needs of the MSMEs. Furthermore, the support provided by the GEP was found to be supply-side driven as it is not informed by the needs of the MSMEs. With regards to the effect of the support on these enterprises, it was found that the support resulted in an increase in annual turnover and income levels for employees while employment remained stagnant. MSMEs prioritised higher productivity as opposed to increasing the number of employees.M.Phil. (Industrial Policy
COVID-19 burial guidelines in Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS)
Get PDFAbstract: The COVID-19 pandemic has had a considerable impact on mundane daily tasks and significant cultural practices, including funerals and burials. Growing up, I observed that death in my family is a well-respected cultural process. It is believed that those who departed into the spirit world will be joining the living dead in the afterlife. For the deceased to be welcomed into the spirit world in the traditional sense, families perform specific rites of passage rituals during the burial. This is an important exercise to avert the wrath of the spirit world on the bereaved family. Attention to detail during these rituals is vital to assist the bereaved family in expressing their grief while simultaneously showing respect to the spirit world. As a non-practising sangoma, I had observed traditional funeral and burial processes long before the outbreak of the pandemic and understood their importance. While the pandemic shook traditional burial processes and made some rituals impossible, I found comfort in the knowledge that indigenous knowledge systems (IKS) could be used to appease the spirit world. In this article, I explain how IKS can assist bereaved families during funerals and burials to avert the wrath of the spirit world and find closure
An investigation into the success factors of operating a spaza shop in Hillbrow
Get PDFAbstract: The informal sector in South Africa plays a vital role in reducing the level of unemployment. Hillbrow, close to the Johannesburg Central Business District, inhabits many spaza shops due to the pressure and demand for job creation. This technical report investigates the success factors of running a spaza shop by immigrants in Hillbrow. The study focuses on the factors that sustain the success of the spaza shop in urban areas and the research methodology was used to explain the appropriate approach and data was collected from the African immigrant-business owners in Hillbrow with the help of questionnaires provided to them as voluntary participants. The proliferation of spaza shops in Hillbrow run by African immigrants is mainly due to unemployment. Some possess essential skills that they apply as business principles to run a spaza-type shop or small business as a source of survival or lucrative business...M.Com. (Local Economic Development
Critical assessment of South Africa’s water policy
Get PDFAbstract: The impact of climatic change on the availability of fresh water for human consumption has become a global phenomenon. Looming water scarcity has been projected for years ahead. Countries that are known to be semi-arid and arid, had to swiftly adapt their consumption patterns to mitigate to possible water scarcity challenges. Informed by the Water Resource Management Guidelines, SA infused the guidelines into its water management regime. This exercise coincided with the changes in the political dispensation of the country. Amongst all the policies of the previous regime, the Water Policy needed urgent attention. The previous Water Policy of 1956 was found to be woven with political motives, where ownership and access to the resource was in the hands of a few. When the African National Congress came into power in 1994, it adopted the international guidelines on water management. This free access was capped at 6kl for all South Africans for uniformity and equality in the management of the resource. The study asserted that the attitudes, perceptions and willingness to pay by the communities had an impact on the management of the resource in the townships. In an effort to highlight this supposition, a mixed housing development area was used as a focus area of study. In this study, three different households were identified. Four-roomed section and the Reconstruction Development Program houses, were identified to be mostly below the acceptable economic status. The mortgage section was found to have high levels of education with corresponding incomes. Thus the study was able to prove beyond any reasonable doubt that the indigent status of the household was not the determining factor in the inability of the achievements of policy objectives. All three sections did not believe in paying for water. Indigent status was found to be insignificant to the willingness to pay for water. During this period, the demand management of the resource was absent; therefore, communities adopted the attitude of a free resource. Willingness to pay by the communities was also found to be dependent on the existence of governance between the two role players in the townships. Improving governance overtime would improve willingness to pay by the households. In the policy agenda, infusing the human element may take longer than envisaged in policy goals, however the study found that it was necessary towards a sustainable usage of the resource by the...D.Litt. et Phil. (Public Management and Governance
The impact of price on residential water demand: (a comparative study)
Get PDFM.Comm.Southern Africa is considered by the rest of the world to be a water scarce region. Previously within the region water was not regarded as a high profile subject in the development process. A paradigm shift is required in the region to recognise the need to concentrate on demand management instead. The paper briefly examines the climatic conditions as a contributing factor to scarcity of the water resources. It further focuses on the human factor which is regarded as a factor that can be managed as opposed to the climatic conditions. In managing the human factor, the usage of water cannot remain the same as it was before the scarcity problem that the SADC region is faced with. It is also recognised that water resource is necessary for survival, therefore basic human requirements are examined. This scarcity makes water to be regarded as an economic good. The paper further explains the elements that make water to be regarded as an economic good. Water being an economic good, it commands a price. The study explains pricing the resource as the only method of making the population understand about the importance of the resource. Different pricing methods are explained in detail. To demonstrate this demand management of water the study interrogates three cities namely Soweto, Cape Town and Durban. In this interrogation the demand management techniques used and their efficiency are compared and contrasted to ascertain the efficiency of the chosen demand management techniques and the existence of gaps within these techniques
An analysis of the importance of mobile technology on small businesses in Noordwyk
Get PDFAbstract: Literature indicates that the use of mobile technology by small businesses improves how the business performs and increases its likelihood of success. This paper sought to identify the access and use of mobile technology by small businesses in South Africa and its perceived impact on their success. A positivism approach was followed with a quantitative research method albeit the study was exploratory in nature. Surveys were conducted through the use of standardised questionnaires to collect data. Results revealed that small business owners in Noordwyk have access to mobile technology, with the majority owning about 3.4 devices on average, and that they make use of mobile technology extensively in the running of their businesses. The costs associated with the use mobile technology such as the cost of data and airtime are some of the obstacles that hinder small business owners from taking full advantage of the benefits of mobile technology. Social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram play an important role in the marketing and branding of small businesses. This paper recommends that future research should focus on same study on various samples and studies on how mobile technology impacts productivity and profitability in small businesses. In addition, it suggests that the South African government can look into subsidising small businesses with regards to the costs associated with the use of mobile technology, over and above the funding initiatives in place
Proposed strategy for micro-enterprise Development : a case of immigrants and locals in Tembisa and Ivory Park
Get PDFAbstract: Spaza shops, which are ‘small convenience stores’, play an integral part in many township economies within low-income earning societies in South Africa. These micro-enterprises act as providers of basic groceries and home essentials to those societies. Recent studies and reports show that there has been a dwindling case of South African-owned spaza shops, while those operated and owned by foreign nationals are reportedly growing and increasing in volume in certain township areas. Trade practices such as ‘coopetition’ – the use of social networks and collaborating with competition – has been cited as the differentiating factor that gives foreign national spaza shop owners the competitive advantage. Aim: The purpose of this study was to explore how local government can assist South African- owned spaza shops to be sustainable and grow through the local economic development (LED) agenda. The aim, therefore, was to create a practical strategy for LED practitioners to enable competitiveness and promote the sustainability of South African spaza shops in the Tembisa and Ivory Park townships within the Ekurhuleni and City of Johannesburg municipalities..
Socio-Economic transformation in South Africa: The role of Local Economic Development (LED) strategies
Get PDFThis study aims to provide compelling evidence demonstrating the effectiveness of local economic development (LED) in advancing economic and social development. The research undertook a systematic review of existing literature to assess whether LED strategies have effectively addressed the racially and gender-based socio-economic disparities between affluent and impoverished communities. The analysis revealed that municipal LED efforts have predominantly concentrated on community economic development projects, many of which have turned out to be economically unfeasible with minimal enduring impact on poverty alleviation. Moreover, the collaboration among government entities, local businesses, and the voluntary sector was frequently found to be weak or altogether absent. For significant socio-economic transformation in South Africa, LED policies must emphasize not only an increase in the number of job opportunities but also a diversification of economic activities. Local governments are called upon to play a proactive role in this transformative process. Furthermore, the LED strategy should be comprehensive and not reliant on a limited number of projects. This study This research is characterised by originality and great scientific value, as it underscores the necessity for the national government to take on a leadership position and devise LED guidelines that empower local authorities with the capacity to effectively foster LED activities
Road infrastructure in South Africa: What is missing? Road infrastrucure
No full textRoad’s infrastructure is regarded as an essential factor to achieve development goals. It is recorded that most people living in the rural areas are constrained by poor road infrastructure, thereby causing poverty, hunger, and food insecurity. This situation calls for more investments in road infrastructure to promote agricultural activities. Using systematic review method, this study reviewed literature pertaining to road infrastructure in South Africa, the review focused on the importance, benefits, and present state of road infrastructure and the socio-economic effects of poor road infrastructure. The study revealed that Most South African roads are in bad shape, especially roads in the rural areas. due to lack of qualified personnel to manage road infrastructure, government regulations and policies and financial challenges. The implications of this study\u27s findings are substantial for future research. Firstly, in order to ensure the timely delivery of infrastructure construction projects, the study\u27s findings are expected to provide guidance to decision-makers and stakeholders in South Africa and other nations on how to proactively implement measures to provide and maintain sustainable, good road infrastructure
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