International Journal of Business Ecosystem & Strategy

Small, Medium, and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs) are the foundation of South Africa's economy, driving job creation, innovation, and local economic growth. However, these businesses frequently face challenges in critical areas such as bookkeeping and financial literacy, which have a direct impact on operational performance and sustainability. Limited financial knowledge and inadequate record-keeping practices have long been issues for Alice's SMMEs, posing significant challenges to effective financial management. These gaps in financial literacy and bookkeeping make it difficult for SMMEs to manage cash flow, make informed decisions, and plan for growth, limiting their ability to fully contribute to the local economy. Addressing these challenges has become critical for SMMEs, as improved financial management practices are required for success and resilience in a competitive market. The study's exploring the impact of bookkeeping and financial literacy on the performance of SMMEs in the context of Alice. Data was collected qualitatively through in-depth interviews with 15 SMME operators and analysed thematically to gain a thorough understanding of their experiences and practices. The findings show that both accurate bookkeeping and financial literacy improve business performance, allowing owners to make data-driven decisions, avoid cash flow issues, and lay the groundwork for future growth. Those who fall short in these areas suffer from financial mismanagement, which harms their businesses. Despite the challenges, the study identified strategies implemented by SMMEs owners to improve both bookkeeping and financial literacy such as digital bookkeeping tools, external financial advisory support, and collaborative financial management across teams. Finding from this study are crucial for enhancing SMMEs’ operational performance and fostering economic resilience within South Africa's competitive market.

The world economy and ecology have undoubtedly been impacted by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) epidemic. Female-owned Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs), particularly those operating in marginalised rural economies, are major victims of the COVID-19 outbreak, mostly due to their restricted usage of digital technologies. Digitalisation thus opens up new opportunities for rural women owned MSEs and can help them remain competitive. The study aims to explore COVID-19 pandemic digitisation lessons for rural women owned micro-and small-enterprises. Even though the literature on Women Entrepreneurship is well covered, to the best of our knowledge, the intersection between rural women entrepreneurship and digitisation remains largely unexplored, particularly in African economies. A qualitative approach using personal insights to provide COVID-19 pandemic digitisation lessons for women owned MSEs was used to guide the collection and analysis of the data. The data were collected from a purposive sample of seven women entrepreneurs operating MSEs in the Raymond Mhlaba Local Municipality located in South Africa’s Eastern Cape Province and analysed through thematic analysis. The results highlight the critical importance of incorporating digital technology into business operations, stressing the need to prioritize data security, adopting a mobile-first approach, recognising the significance of an online presence, and innovatively developing digital or digitally enhanced offerings. The study's insights provide data-informed insights, as we continue to advocate for inclusive and effective responses to crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic. For rural women owned MSEs in South Africa, it is clear that digital platforms have been helpful, and while digitalization alone is insufficient, this research can inform the recovery strategies and policies needed after the pandemic. Key words: COVID-19, digitization, micro-and small enterprise, rural women entrepreneurs  

Immigrant entrepreneurship has been credited for its contribution to economic development globally. The importance placed on immigrant entrepreneurship has put it at the centre of debate in South Africa. The debate emanates from whether immigrant entrepreneurs bring value to the economy of South Africa or not. However, studies have revealed that immigrant entrepreneurship, if properly regulated, plays a pivotal role in the economy. The study aimed to investigate the role of cultural and disruptive innovation on immigrant entrepreneurs' competitive advantage. The study used a qualitative research methodology, which allowed the study to have a deeper insight into the experiences of immigrant entrepreneurs regarding the aspects of cultural and disruptive innovation, which play a role in their business performance. Data was collected from 20 immigrant entrepreneurs operating in the Eastern Cape. The study findings reveal that cultural and disruptive innovation aspects that have aided immigrant entrepreneurs in having a competitive advantage have more to do with adopting unique business models and strategies, which include networking, adaptability, and market creation or differentiation. The study also highlighted policy and practitioner implications, especially for South African township entrepreneurs.

In emerging economies, women entrepreneurs play a critical role in job creation and social and economic progress, particularly in townships. However, the specific context of women's township entrepreneurship has mainly been overlooked in South African research, which remains fragmented and lacks cohesive insights. This study explores the role of microfinance in fostering women's township entrepreneurship within a South African context. Research has repeatedly demonstrated that microfinance institutions hold a vital position in the economic advancement of women, resulting in elevated female participation in business activities and ultimately fostering their overall empowerment. The investigation focused on women entrepreneurs within the marginalised township of Mdantsane, located in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa.  Using a qualitative approach, the study involved in-depth interviews with 15 women entrepreneurs selected through purposive sampling. The data was analysed using thematic analysis, revealing five key themes: empowerment through financial independence, building entrepreneurial skills and networks, increased business volume and turnover, overcoming socioeconomic barriers, and reduction in gender inequalities. The findings suggest that an intervention mapping approach is crucial for policymakers to design tailored microfinance programs for women entrepreneurs in township economies. This approach involves a systematic process that begins with a thorough assessment of the specific financial needs and challenges faced by women in these communities, followed by the development of targeted interventions that address those needs.

The significance of SMMEs in local government is closely associated with job creation and income generation; SMMEs subscribe to the stimulation of socioeconomics in South Africa. The main aim of the study was to investigate the challenges affecting the implementation of renewable energy on Small, Medium, and Micro Enterprises in South African Local Government. The study was conducted at Raymond Mhlaba Local Municipality in Alice and municipal officials and SMME owners taking part as participants within the same area. The study followed an interpretive philosophy with a case study research design. The sample size was 12 participants, using a non-probability sampling method and purposive sampling technique. The study's target population included SMME owners and municipal officials from the Directorate of Engineering and Services from Raymond Mhlaba Local Municipality. The study collected primary data using semi-structured interviews. Thematic Data Analysis was used to analyze the data. The study findings revealed financial barriers, lack of technical expertise, and the challenge of permits and approvals to connect renewable energy systems to the grid as the main challenges affecting the implementation of renewable energy for SMMEs.  The study's recommendations include financial incentives through grants, capacity-building workshops, collaboration with various stakeholders, and community solar projects. The contribution of this study will be significant since most SMMEs struggle with electricity supply during load shedding, which negatively affects business production and operations.

The significance of SMMEs in local government is closely associated with job creation and income generation; SMMEs subscribe to the stimulation of socioeconomics in South Africa. The main aim of the study was to investigate the challenges affecting the implementation of renewable energy on Small, Medium, and Micro Enterprises in South African Local Government. The study was conducted at Raymond Mhlaba Local Municipality in Alice and municipal officials and SMME owners taking part as participants within the same area. The study followed an interpretive philosophy with a case study research design. The sample size was 12 participants, using a non-probability sampling method and purposive sampling technique. The study's target population included SMME owners and municipal officials from the Directorate of Engineering and Services from Raymond Mhlaba Local Municipality. The study collected primary data using semi-structured interviews. Thematic Data Analysis was used to analyze the data. The study findings revealed financial barriers, lack of technical expertise, and the challenge of permits and approvals to connect renewable energy systems to the grid as the main challenges affecting the implementation of renewable energy for SMMEs.  The study's recommendations include financial incentives through grants, capacity-building workshops, collaboration with various stakeholders, and community solar projects. The contribution of this study will be significant since most SMMEs struggle with electricity supply during load shedding, which negatively affects business production and operations.

Community policing was introduced in post-apartheid South Africa to rebuild trust between law enforcement and communities. However, its crime prevention role is limited by persistent challenges. This study explores these limitations through the perceptions of police officers and community members in Bizana, Eastern Cape, using a qualitative design and semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis identified key obstacles: limited police resources, rural–urban inequalities, weak community engagement, and inadequate training. While community policing contributes to social control, crime prevention, and safety, its impact is undermined by poor police–community cooperation and fear of victimisation, which deters reporting and hotspot identification. Structural factors, including poor roads and a shortage of police vehicles, fuel rising rural crime, especially stock theft and drug-related offences. Limited institutional support for Community Policing Forums and night patrols further reduces their sustainability and effectiveness. The study offers context-specific insights into the implementation of community policing in rural South Africa and underscores the need for better resource allocation, stronger partnerships, and context-responsive strategies. It also advances global development priorities, particularly SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions) and SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), by emphasising accountable, inclusive, and effective policing systems.

This paper aims to explore how service quality mediates the relationship between emotional intelligence and non-financial performance in Zimbabwe's tourism centres.  The study further examines the relationship between emotional intelligence and non-financial performance of tourism centres in Zimbabwe. Furthermore, the paper investigates the relationship between service quality and non-financial performance of tourism centres in Zimbabwe. Using a positivist paradigm, quantitative methods, and a sample of 549 respondents, data were collected via self-administered questionnaires and analysed with SPSS 29 and Amos 24 software. Main findings of the study demonstrate that  (i) emotional intelligence significantly enhance non-financial performance of tourism centres in Zimbabwe (ii) service quality has a statistical significance impact, but it negatively correlates with non-financial performance of tourism centres and finally (iii) service quality does not mediates the relationship between emotional intelligence and non-financial performance of tourism centres in Zimbabwe relationship. These findings imply that managers should prioritise emotional intelligence directly rather than relying on service quality improvements alone. Policy recommendations include enhancing human capital, encouraging financial institutions to support tourism ventures, and integrating emotional intelligence and service quality into training curricula to foster better performance across Zimbabwe’s tourism sector.

Extortion through protection fees has become a major challenge to small businesses in rural towns of the Eastern Cape, South Africa. This study examines how extortion operates as a form of localised criminal governance and its socio-economic effects on small business owners. The researcher adopted a qualitative approach, conducting semi-structured interviews with 12 small business owners and 4 key informants, including local government officials and community leaders, in 3 rural towns in the Eastern Cape. Thematic analysis showed that the issue of extortion arises from systematic demands for protection fees and the creation of parallel governance structures that undermine state authority, leading to significant socio-economic consequences, such as business closures, decreased investment, job losses, and psychological distress. The findings also suggest that perpetrators target vulnerabilities, including the absence of the state, economic disparities, to establish territorial power, and withdraw resources from both sectors, the informal and formal economy. The study concludes by emphasising that extortion is not only criminal opportunism but also reflects institutional failures in governance that affect the success of economic development, state legitimacy, and social cohesion in rural areas. Strategies to improve must focus on both law enforcement limitations and the underlying socio-economic challenges that enhance criminal behaviours. This study contributes to the advancement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth) by highlighting threats to small business sustainability, SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions) through its focus on criminal governance and weakened state authority, and SDG 1 (No Poverty) by demonstrating how extortion exacerbates economic vulnerability in rural communities. Key Terms: Extortion; Protection fees; Criminal governance; Rural crime; Small businesses; Eastern Cape; Informal economy, Local governance

E-hailing services have become an integral part of student mobility in South African cities, offering convenience and flexibility within transport systems that are often fragmented and unreliable. However, for female university students, the use of these services extends beyond issues of accessibility and cost, intersecting with persistent concerns about personal safety, vulnerability and exposure to gender-based violence. This study examines female students' perceptions of safety and risk when using e-hailing services within an urban university context in the Eastern Cape province. Adopting a qualitative research design grounded in an interpretivist paradigm, the study draws on in-depth, semi-structured interviews with female students who regularly use e-hailing platforms for academic, social, and personal travel. The findings reveal that while e-hailing services are often perceived as safer alternatives to walking or traditional public transport, they simultaneously generate new forms of anxiety linked to driver behaviour, route deviations, inadequate platform accountability and broader societal violence against women. Participants described engaging in continuous risk assessment and adopting self-protective strategies such as monitoring routes, restricting travel times, and relying on peer-based safety networks to navigate perceived threats. The study further highlights the limitations of existing platform safety features, which are frequently experienced as symbolic rather than substantively protective. These findings underscore the need for a more coordinated response involving e-hailing companies, universities, and policymakers to strengthen passenger safety beyond individual vigilance. The study contributes to SDG 5 (Gender Equality) by highlighting the structural and social conditions that limit women’s ability to move freely and safely in public and semi-private spaces. It further aligns with SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), specifically the goal of ensuring safe, inclusive, and accessible transport systems for all, with particular attention to the needs of women and vulnerable populations. Furthermore, by centring female students lived experiences, this study contributes to ongoing debates on gendered mobility, digital transport governance, and safety within higher education environments in the Global South.