IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/ssi/jouird/v7y2025i1p159-173.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Alleviation of poverty through entrepreneurship in savings and credit associations – Stokvels – a case study from South Africa

Author

Listed:
  • Anthony Kambi Masha

    (Walter Sisulu University, South Africa)

  • Siphenathi Fihla

    (Walter Sisulu University, South Africa)

Abstract

Women, especially widows, have always faced different forms of discrimination and financial exclusion. During the COVID-19 pandemic, most economic activities came to a standstill, resulting in a struggle for survival for widows involved in stokvel-preneurship. This study is set against the background that although studies on stokvels exist and, whilst negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic have been felt across the country, little is known about how widows involved in stokvel-preneurship in the Eastern Cape province went on with their stokvel activities during the COVID-19 pandemic to alleviate poverty, a gap that this study aims to address. We used a quantitative process by employing a positivist paradigm from a unique axiology, ontology, epistemology, technique, and rhetorical stance. Data were collected using questionnaires and analysed a T-independent test was employed as a data analysis tool to test the significance difference between the mean groups. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the features and summaries of the study's data set. The study found that widows could continue their stokvel businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study concluded that the COVID-19 pandemic was a huge disruptor, but widows involved in this study moved on with their stokvel activities because they needed to survive.

Suggested Citation

  • Anthony Kambi Masha & Siphenathi Fihla, 2025. "Alleviation of poverty through entrepreneurship in savings and credit associations – Stokvels – a case study from South Africa," Insights into Regional Development, VsI Entrepreneurship and Sustainability Center, vol. 7(1), pages 159-173, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:ssi:jouird:v:7:y:2025:i:1:p:159-173
    DOI: 10.70132/z7884944539
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://jssidoi.org/ird/uploads/articles/25/Masha_Alleviation_of_poverty_through_entrepreneurship_in_savings_and_credit_associations__Stokvels__a_case_study_from_South_Africa.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://jssidoi.org/ird/article/192
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.70132/z7884944539?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. Saskia Vossenberg, 2013. "Women Entrepreneurship Promotion in Developing Countries: What explains the gender gap in entrepreneurship and how to close it?," Working Papers 2013/08, Maastricht School of Management.
    2. Sutter, Christopher & Bruton, Garry D. & Chen, Juanyi, 2019. "Entrepreneurship as a solution to extreme poverty: A review and future research directions," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 34(1), pages 197-214.
    3. Johnson, Susan, 2004. "Gender Norms in Financial Markets: Evidence from Kenya," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 32(8), pages 1355-1374, August.
    4. Daiane Borges Machado & Elizabeth Williamson & Julia M Pescarini & Flavia J O Alves & Luís F S Castro-de-Araujo & Maria Yury Ichihara & Laura C Rodrigues & Ricardo Araya & Vikram Patel & Maurício L Ba, 2022. "Relationship between the Bolsa Família national cash transfer programme and suicide incidence in Brazil: A quasi-experimental study," PLOS Medicine, Public Library of Science, vol. 19(5), pages 1-17, May.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    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. K. Gayathri Reddy & Varsha, P. S. & L. N. Sudheendra Rao & Amit Kumar, 2019. "Exploring dimension, perceived individual tension and capacity building measure of women empowerment in India," Asian Journal of Empirical Research, Asian Economic and Social Society, vol. 9(5), pages 111-131, May.
    2. Olivier Dagnelie & Philippe Lemay‐Boucher, 2012. "Rosca Participation in Benin: A Commitment Issue," Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, Department of Economics, University of Oxford, vol. 74(2), pages 235-252, April.
    3. Saskia Vossenberg, 2014. "Beyond the Critique: How Feminist Perspectives Can Feed Entrepreneurship Promotion in Developing Countries," Working Papers 2014/14, Maastricht School of Management.
    4. Menzies, Jane & Chavan, Meena & Jack, Robert & Scarparo, Simona & Chirico, Francesco, 2024. "Australian indigenous female entrepreneurs: The role of adversity quotient," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 175(C).
    5. Carolina Laureti, 2015. "The Debt Puzzle in Dhaka’s Slums: Do Poor People Co-hold for Liquidity Needs?," Working Papers CEB 15-021, ULB -- Universite Libre de Bruxelles.
    6. Samir Marwan Hammami & Tareq Muhammad Alhousary & Ahmad Taha Kahwaji & Syed Ahsan Jamil, 2022. "The status quo of omani female entrepreneurs: a story of multidimensional success factors," Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology, Springer, vol. 56(4), pages 2063-2089, August.
    7. Samuel Godadaw Ayinaddis, 2023. "Socio-economic factors affecting women’s entrepreneurial performance in MSEs in Bahir Dar City, Ethiopia," Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Springer, vol. 12(1), pages 1-21, December.
    8. Emmanuel Affum-Osei & Sharon G. Goto & June Chun Yeung & Rong Wang & Hodar Lam & Inusah Abdul-Nasiru & Darius K. S. Chan, 2024. "A cross-cultural study of entrepreneurial motivation and entrepreneurial intentions amongst university students: the roles of individualism and collectivism," Journal of Global Entrepreneurship Research, Springer;UNESCO Chair in Entrepreneurship, vol. 14(1), pages 1-19, December.
    9. Keim, Jan & Müller, Susan & Dey, Pascal, 2024. "Whatever the problem, entrepreneurship is the solution! Confronting the panacea myth of entrepreneurship with structural injustice," Journal of Business Venturing Insights, Elsevier, vol. 21(C).
    10. Aparicio, Sebastian & Audretsch, David & Noguera, Maria & Urbano, David, 2022. "Can female entrepreneurs boost social mobility in developing countries? An institutional analysis," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 175(C).
    11. Folorunsho M. Ajide & James T. Dada, 2023. "Poverty, entrepreneurship, and economic growth in Africa," Poverty & Public Policy, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 15(2), pages 199-226, June.
    12. Morvant-Roux, Solène & Guérin, Isabelle & Roesch, Marc & Moisseron, Jean-Yves, 2014. "Adding Value to Randomization with Qualitative Analysis: The Case of Microcredit in Rural Morocco," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 56(C), pages 302-312.
    13. Walid A. Nakara & Karim Messeghem & Andry Ramaroson, 2021. "Innovation and entrepreneurship in a context of poverty: a multilevel approach," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 56(4), pages 1601-1617, April.
    14. Binhui Wei & Chunkai Zhao & Mingzhong Luo, 2025. "Returning Entrepreneurship and Subjective Well-Being: Evidence from Migrant Worker Households in Rural China," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 26(3), pages 1-45, March.
    15. Qinghao Wang & Chentao Zhang & Mingyue Gong & Beiqi Zhu, 2024. "Village Organization and Sustainable Growth of Farmers’ Income: An Empirical Study Based on Dynamic Survey Data of the Labor Force in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(21), pages 1-25, October.
    16. Maria Bastida & Ana Olveira & Miguel Ángel Vázquez Taín, 2023. "Are cooperatives gender sensitive? A confirmatory and predictive analysis of women's collective entrepreneurship," Annals of Public and Cooperative Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 94(4), pages 1035-1059, December.
    17. Mohd Yasir Arafat & Imran Saleem & Amit Kumar Dwivedi & Adil Khan, 2020. "Determinants of agricultural entrepreneurship: a GEM data based study," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 16(1), pages 345-370, March.
    18. Supriya Garikipati & Isabelle Agier & Isabelle Guérin & Ariane Szafarz, 2017. "The Cost of Empowerment: Multiple Sources of Women’s Debt in Rural India," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 53(5), pages 700-722, May.
    19. Francis Lwesya & Adam Beni Swebe Mwakalobo, 2023. "Frontiers in microfinance research for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and microfinance institutions (MFIs): a bibliometric analysis," Future Business Journal, Springer, vol. 9(1), pages 1-18, December.
    20. Bacq, Sophie & Drover, Will & Kim, Phillip H., 2021. "Writing bold, broad, and rigorous review articles in entrepreneurship," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 36(6).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    JEL classification:

    • L26 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - Entrepreneurship
    • L29 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - Other

    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:ssi:jouird:v:7:y:2025:i:1:p:159-173. 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: Manuela Tvaronaviciene (email available below). General contact details of provider: .

    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.