IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/rbs/ijbrss/v12y2023i5p381-394.html

Support from the government for SMEs in South Africa

Author

Listed:
  • Ntsieni Ramasimu

    (University of South Africa)

  • Morengwa Jacobeth Majadibodu

    (University of South Africa)

  • Watson Ladzani

    (University of South Africa)

Abstract

This study intended to investigate how the Lephalale Local Municipality's small and medium companies (SMEs) are hampered by a lack of government support. This study also aims to demonstrate how SMEs face difficulties in surviving as a result of problems in the business environment. Consequently, the government of South Africa has programs to assist SMEs. The growth of SMEs is important for advancing innovation, wealth distribution, and employment. The majority of SMEs launch and maintain their businesses with their own money. By using a qualitative research approach and semi-structured in-person, phone, and email interviews to collect data, the goals of this study were met. There were 318 registered SMEs in the area. Using purposive sampling methods, data from operational enterprises with a lifespan of 0 to 5 years were gathered. Atlas TI 8 was used to evaluate the data. The primary conclusions of this study show that (i) small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) find it difficult to maintain their operations because they lack access to capital and business equipment. This fails if SMEs are not given the proper support. Because they lack the resources to compete with big companies, SMEs find it challenging. (ii) Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) should think about enrolling in bookkeeping training and sending their staff to business training in order to network for the survival of the company. In order to assist SMEs in fulfilling the requirements for maintaining their enterprises, this study advises the government to examine present standards. With the right assistance, SMEs can create business plans and maintain operations, which will result in the creation of jobs, particularly for local communities. The government ought to think about mentoring and overseeing sponsored SMEs. Key Words: Competition, Financial Resources, Government Regulations, SMEs, Government Support

Suggested Citation

  • Ntsieni Ramasimu & Morengwa Jacobeth Majadibodu & Watson Ladzani, 2023. "Support from the government for SMEs in South Africa," International Journal of Research in Business and Social Science (2147-4478), Center for the Strategic Studies in Business and Finance, vol. 12(5), pages 381-394, July.
  • Handle: RePEc:rbs:ijbrss:v:12:y:2023:i:5:p:381-394
    DOI: 10.20525/ijrbs.v12i5.2525
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.ssbfnet.com/ojs/index.php/ijrbs/article/view/2525/1915
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.20525/ijrbs.v12i5.2525
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.20525/ijrbs.v12i5.2525?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Watson Ladzani & Godfrey Netswera, 2009. "Support for rural small businesses in Limpopo Province, South Africa," Development Southern Africa, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 26(2), pages 225-239.
    2. Antonio Lecuna & Boyd Cohen & Roberto Chavez, 2017. "Characteristics of high-growth entrepreneurs in Latin America," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 13(1), pages 141-159, March.
    3. Besnik A. Krasniqi & Sameeksha Desai, 2016. "Institutional drivers of high-growth firms: country-level evidence from 26 transition economies," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 47(4), pages 1075-1094, December.
    4. Almaree KEMP & Anthea BOWMAN & Berenice BLOM & Charl VISSER & Danelle BERGOER & Dominique FULLARD & Geraldine MOSES & Sheri-Lee BROWN & Johan BORNMAN & Juan-Pierré BRUWER, 2015. "The Usefulness of Cash Budgets in Micro, Very Small and Small Retail Enterprises Operating in the Cape Metropolis," Expert Journal of Business and Management, Sprint Investify, vol. 3(1), pages 1-12.
    5. Birte Freudenreich & Florian Lüdeke-Freund & Stefan Schaltegger, 2020. "A Stakeholder Theory Perspective on Business Models: Value Creation for Sustainability," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 166(1), pages 3-18, September.
    6. Yang Songling & Muhammad Ishtiaq & Muhammad Anwar & Hamid Ahmed, 2018. "The Role of Government Support in Sustainable Competitive Position and Firm Performance," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(10), pages 1-17, September.
    7. Kuratko, Donald F. & Neubert, Emily & Marvel, Matthew R., 2021. "Insights on the mentorship and coachability of entrepreneurs," Business Horizons, Elsevier, vol. 64(2), pages 199-209.
    8. Farzana Chowdhury & Siri Terjesen & David Audretsch, 2015. "Varieties of entrepreneurship: institutional drivers across entrepreneurial activity and country," European Journal of Law and Economics, Springer, vol. 40(1), pages 121-148, August.
    9. Hezron Mogaka Osano, 2019. "Global expansion of SMEs: role of global market strategy for Kenyan SMEs," Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Springer, vol. 8(1), pages 1-31, December.
    10. Darush Yazdanfar & Peter Öhman, 2018. "Growth and job creation at the firm level: Swedish SME data," Management Research Review, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 41(3), pages 345-358, April.
    11. Darek Klonowski, 2010. "The effectiveness of government-sponsored programmes in supporting the SME sector in Poland," Post-Communist Economies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 22(2), pages 229-245.
    12. Omolara Eunice Abdul, 2018. "Entrepreneurial skills and growth of Small and Medium Enterprise (SMEs): A comparative analysis of Nigerian entrepreneurs and Minority entrepreneurs in the UK," International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, Human Resource Management Academic Research Society, International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, vol. 8(5), pages 27-46, May.
    13. Horev, Tuvia & Babad, Yair M., 2005. "Healthcare reform implementation: stakeholders and their roles--the Israeli experience," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 71(1), pages 1-21, January.
    14. Cecile Nieuwenhuizen, 2019. "The effect of regulations and legislation on small, micro and medium enterprises in South Africa," Development Southern Africa, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 36(5), pages 666-677, September.
    15. Muhammad Salman Shabbir & Mohd Noor Mohd Shariff & Arfan Shahzad, 2016. "A Conceptual Development of Entrepreneurial Skills and Entrepreneurial Intentions: A Case of IT employees in Pakistan," International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, Human Resource Management Academic Research Society, International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, vol. 6(3), pages 65-78, March.
    16. Kanayo K. Ogujiuba & Ebenezer Olamide & Azikiwe Isaac Agholor & Estelle Boshoff & Phetole Semosa, 2022. "Impact of Government Support, Business Style, and Entrepreneurial Sustainability on Business Location of SMEs in South Africa’s Mpumalanga Province," Administrative Sciences, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-19, September.
    17. Darush Yazdanfar & Peter Öhman, 2018. "Growth and job creation at the firm level: Swedish SME data," Management Research Review, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 41(3), pages 345-358, April.
    18. Sisira Kumara Naradda Gamage & EMS Ekanayake & GAKNJ Abeyrathne & RPIR Prasanna & JMSB Jayasundara & PSK Rajapakshe, 2020. "A Review of Global Challenges and Survival Strategies of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs)," Economies, MDPI, vol. 8(4), pages 1-24, October.
    19. Eunice Abdul, Omolara, 2018. "Entrepreneurial skills and growth of Small and Medium Enterprise (SMEs): A comparative analysis of Nigerian entrepreneurs and Minority entrepreneurs in the UK," MPRA Paper 86751, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 19 Apr 2018.
    20. Andrea Quintiliani, 2017. "Financial distress cost of Italian small and medium enterprises," Journal of Risk Finance, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 18(5), pages 564-580, November.
    21. Nyamagere G. Sospeter & Mariam I. Nchimbi, 2018. "Insights on Impact of Business Development Services on Growth of Women Owned Enterprises in Tanzania," Journal of Management and Strategy, Journal of Management and Strategy, Sciedu Press, vol. 9(1), pages 82-93, February.
    22. Bruce MASAMA & Juan-Pierré BRUWER, 2018. "Revisiting the Economic Factors which Influence Fast Food South African Small, Medium and Micro Enterprise Sustainability," Expert Journal of Business and Management, Sprint Investify, vol. 6(1), pages 19-28.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Dikeledi Betty Nkoe & Ntsieni Fitzgerald Ramasimu, 2025. "The challenges and government support for SMEs at Sol Plaatje Municipality in the Northern Cape Province of South Africa," International Journal of Research in Business and Social Science (2147-4478), Center for the Strategic Studies in Business and Finance, vol. 14(5), pages 52-62, July.
    2. Ellen Chenesai Rungani, 2025. "Assessing the Comprehensiveness of Managerial Support for SMMEs in South Africa," Administrative Sciences, MDPI, vol. 15(9), pages 1-24, August.
    3. Ronny Shibiti & Teddy Timothy Masabo & Watson Ladzani, 2023. "Readiness of SMMEs for the adoption of the fourth industrial revolution in Mamelodi Township," International Journal of Research in Business and Social Science (2147-4478), Center for the Strategic Studies in Business and Finance, vol. 12(8), pages 33-47, November.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Dikeledi Betty Nkoe & Ntsieni Fitzgerald Ramasimu, 2025. "The challenges and government support for SMEs at Sol Plaatje Municipality in the Northern Cape Province of South Africa," International Journal of Research in Business and Social Science (2147-4478), Center for the Strategic Studies in Business and Finance, vol. 14(5), pages 52-62, July.
    2. Marcus Box & Karl Gratzer & Xiang Lin, 2023. "Self-employment, corruption, and property rights: a comparative analysis of European and CEE economies," SN Business & Economics, Springer, vol. 3(1), pages 1-29, January.
    3. Jolly Joshua Habila Dauda & Prof. Gregory Namusonge (PhD) & Dr. Samson Nyang'au (PhD), 2023. "Entrepreneurial Marketing Skills and Growth of Small and Medium Plastics Manufacturing Enterprises in Nigeria," International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Project Management, IPRJB, vol. 8(2), pages 32-32.
    4. repec:bcp:journl:v:8:y:2024:i:10:p:2010-2023 is not listed on IDEAS
    5. Ira Amalia, 2025. "The Influence of Creativity and Skills on Business Success in East Jakarta SMEs," Global Insights in Management and Economic Research, INSPIRETECH GLOBAL INSIGHT, vol. 1(01), pages 12-18, February.
    6. Diana Schüler, 2023. "Institutional change and entrepreneurship as occupational choice—The case of South Korea," Journal of International Entrepreneurship, Springer, vol. 21(3), pages 385-439, September.
    7. Omonigho Simon Umukoro & David Efevogho Okurame, 2018. "Role of mentoring in career adaptability and ambiguity tolerance of potential Nigerian entrepreneurs: the moderating effect of age," Journal of Global Entrepreneurship Research, Springer;UNESCO Chair in Entrepreneurship, vol. 8(1), pages 1-13, December.
    8. Amita Pathania & Sunita Tanwar, 2024. "Decoding startup failures in Indian startups: Insights from Interpretive Structural Modeling and Cross-Impact Matrix Multiplication Applied to Classification," Journal of Entrepreneurship, Management and Innovation, Fundacja Upowszechniająca Wiedzę i Naukę "Cognitione", vol. 20(2), pages 93-116.
    9. Juan-Pierré Bruwer & Lindiwe Mabesele & Vincentia Benting & Joël Cloete & Chante Jacobs & Jade Marais & Kgosi-e-tsile Rabolao & Marianne Spangenberg, 2021. "The Theoretical Link Between Cash Flow Statement Usage and Decision Making In South African Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises," International Journal of Business Research and Management (IJBRM), Computer Science Journals (CSC Journals), vol. 12(4), pages 191-204, August.
    10. Abbas Saad Hamada Alkhuzaie & Muzaffar Asad & Ala'a Zuhair Ahmad Mansour & Mohammed Ali Bait Ali Sulaiman & Umar Nawaz Kayani & Muhammad Uzair Asif, 2024. "Compliance with Accounting Standards by Jordanian SMEs," Economic Studies journal, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences - Economic Research Institute, issue 1, pages 89-107.
    11. David Urbano & Sebastian Aparicio & David Audretsch, 2019. "Twenty-five years of research on institutions, entrepreneurship, and economic growth: what has been learned?," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 53(1), pages 21-49, June.
    12. Gentjan ÇERA & Maksim MEÇO & Edmond ÇERA & Sadik MALOKU, 2019. "The Effect Of Institutional Constraints And Business Network On Trust In Government: An Institutional Perspective," REVISTA ADMINISTRATIE SI MANAGEMENT PUBLIC, Faculty of Administration and Public Management, Academy of Economic Studies, Bucharest, Romania, vol. 2019(33), pages 6-19, December.
    13. Bandara, KBTUK & Jayasundara, JMSB & Naradda Gamage, Sisira Kumara & Ekanayake, EMS & Rajapackshe, PSK & Abeyrathne, GAKNJ & Prasanna, RPIR, 2020. "Entrepreneurial Marketing & Performance of Small & Medium Enterprises in Developed and Developing Economies: A Conceptual Exploration," MPRA Paper 104341, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    14. Wu Juan & Li Yaokuang, 2020. "An Exploratory Cross-Country Analysis of Female Entrepreneurial Activity: The Roles of Gendered Institutions," Entrepreneurship Research Journal, De Gruyter, vol. 10(3), pages 1-20, July.
    15. Kim, Yeonshin & Hur, Won-Moo & Lee, Luri, 2023. "Understanding customer participation in CSR activities: The impact of perceptions of CSR, affective commitment, brand equity, and corporate reputation," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 75(C).
    16. Yanjie Jiang & Xiaodi Ding, 2025. "Exploring the Nexus Between Ecosystem Services and Economic Sustainability: A Stakeholder Perspective," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 32(3), pages 3639-3658, May.
    17. Franco-Trigo, L. & Fernandez-Llimos, F. & Martínez-Martínez, F. & Benrimoj, S.I. & Sabater-Hernández, D., 2020. "Stakeholder analysis in health innovation planning processes: A systematic scoping review," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 124(10), pages 1083-1099.
    18. Fracarolli Nunes, Mauro & Lee Park, Camila & Shin, Hyunju, 2021. "Corporate social and environmental irresponsibilities in supply chains, contamination, and damage of intangible resources: A behavioural approach," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 241(C).
    19. Possenti, Silvia., 2012. "Rural development strategies as a path to decent work and reducing urban informal employment : the case of South Africa," ILO Working Papers 994790883402676, International Labour Organization.
    20. Tarcia Camily Cavalcante Quezado & Nuno Fortes & William Quezado Figueiredo Cavalcante, 2022. "The Influence of Corporate Social Responsibility and Business Ethics on Brand Fidelity: The Importance of Brand Love and Brand Attitude," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(5), pages 1-20, March.
    21. Kuldeep Singh & Shailesh Rastogi, 2026. "Financial Distress, COVID-19 and Listed SMEs: A Multi-methodology Approach," Vision, , vol. 30(2), pages 185-199, April.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:rbs:ijbrss:v:12:y:2023:i:5:p:381-394. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Umit Hacioglu (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/ssbffea.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.