Magister Economicae - MEcon / The main objective of this research was to measure and compare the influence of institutions (government laws, rules, regulations) on the transaction cost of establishing microenterprises in informal/township areas and suburbs. The research target area was Maitland (a suburb) and Joe Slovo (a township area). A research framework was developed using the theories of institutions and the TACE. In order to achieve the research objectives, both quantitative and qualitative research designs were used. A total research sample of 40 microenterprise owners were selected from these two areas. A random sampling technique was used to select half (twenty) microenterprise traders in Maitland and the other half (twenty) from Joe Slovo. The research also applied non-random sampling technique to select relevant government institutions that regulate microenterprises in these two areas. The research has collected both primary and secondary data. To collect the primary data, face-to-face interviews were held with the shop owners in the two research sites and government (City) officials. A questionnaire containing both open-ended and closed-ended questions was used in collecting the primary data. The secondary data was collected using desktop (internet) search and also physically searching government archives and publications. Descriptive statistics (frequency distributions and graphical representations) of the data were used to analyze and compare the data collected in a meaningful way. The research also used non-parametric independent samples t-test to compare the differences of the transaction costs of establishing microenterprises in Joe Slovo and in Maitland. The data collected was analyzed and compared using SPSS statistical research analysis software. The results show, to establish a microenterprise business, microenterprise owners in both formal and informal areas need to comply with the environmental health laws. In addition to complying with the environmental health laws, microenterprises in formal areas are obliged to comply with the City zoning scheme and seek permission to establish businesses in these areas. The application process for seeking the City zoning approval is cumbersome and subjective. The results show that entrepreneurs in informal/township areas are automatically allowed by the local government to establish microenterprises in these areas and need not comply with the Zoning Scheme. The main findings of the study reveal that microenterprises in formal suburbs face higher TACs in establishing businesses in these areas when compared to those in township areas.

Since the dawn of democracy, South Africa has received high numbers of refugees from around the African continent in particular. One of the largest groups of refugees, Somalis, have established numerous enterprises in South African cities, concentrated in micro and small business sectors, particularly in the grocery and textile industries. The presence of Somali entrepreneurs and their role in the South African economy is contested, framed in relation to township informal economies and debates on xenophobia. Research to-date, however, focuses almost exclusively on Somali informal micro-enterprises in the spaza shop sector. To address this gap in the research and debate, this thesis examines Somali entrepreneurs, their development of varied formal enterprises, and their business strategies. I demonstrate in that these small formal businesses operate beyond the micro township-based informal spaza sector, building networks between township and city formal economies, and linking multiple economic sectors. In doing so, they act as a medium between producers of goods and general city consumers. The research demonstrates that Somali immigrant entrepreneurs can be considered what Bonacich (1973) describes as “middleman minorities.” This argument builds on qualitative research in Cape Town with Somali refugees who own formal small businesses that employ between five and a hundred employees. I draw on their histories, examine the evolution of their businesses, to substantiate how as newcomers - refugees, with limited knowledge about South African business dynamics, and little access to resources of the country - they managed to find their feet in business in varied ways. I show how Bellville as Cape Town’s Little Mogadishu, acts as a business hub and melting pot, a place to meet, to work together and connect their businesses to the rest of the city. From these histories, experiences, and networks, I analyse the business strategies that Somali entrepreneurs draw on, which include partnerships, shareholding, the building of trust, and their own mobility. I also investigate what enabled them to get a foot in the door when they first arrived, find new business opportunities, and access new markets in the city, region, and in some cases beyond. I argue that Somali immigrant entrepreneurs have created a diverse set of complex formal businesses, ranging from the sale of textiles, the processing of animal products, to consumer household goods. Through these businesses, these entrepreneurs have created jobs, new economic networks, new products, and extended markets, as well as physical retail and wholesale spaces. In making this argument, this research offers a better understanding of entrepreneurial work and its logics in the Cape Town Somali immigrant community. Their own experiences as entrepreneurs, as well as their business strategies, exceed by far narratives of informality, the spaza shop sector, and experiences of violence and xenophobia. This research broadens understandings of immigrant entrepreneurial activity in South African cities, and shift existing negative perceptions that depict refugees and immigrants as burdens on host communities and cities. I hope the research might also help inform the formulation of relevant policies for transitioning informal micro-enterprises in the country into small formal enterprises, one strategy that might address the critical issue of high unemployment in South African cities and society.

Magister Philosophiae - MPhil / This thesis presents a study of spaza shop businesses in the Delft South township, Cape Town, South Africa. The major goal is to establish whether the advent of foreign run spaza businesses is due to a particular ‘entrepreneurial’ business model underwritten by relatively strong social networks. The study focuses primarily on South African and Somali owned spaza shops as previous research indicates that these are the two major groups of spaza operators in the area. The thesis centres on three core research questions: 1) is there a shift in spaza ownership from South African to Somali shopkeepers in Delft? 2) What are the different spaza business models in operation? 3) What is the significance of social networks or relationships to the success of these business models? The core findings confirm that a major shift has occurred in market share between South African and foreign owned spazas in Delft, with ownership now favouring Somali businessmen, even within the last year. The research shows that this change in ownership is a direct result of the emergence and use of a new, and more sophisticated, ‘entrepreneurial’ business model employed by foreign spaza operators, compared to the more ‘survivalist’ model used by South Africans. This business model is primarily based upon being price competitive and is made possible through collective procurement and distribution. However, an important factor in this success lies in the differential social networks that South African and Somali spaza owners can access to support their business practices in Delft South. Using an anthropologically influenced in-depth ethnographic case study approach, the research operationalises the concept of ‘business models’ by exploring the establishment process (ownership, labour and employment), capital investment, stock procurement, business operation and mobile distribution to spaza shops. The study demonstrates how the socially richer and clan-based social networks of Somali shopkeepers enable a more entrepreneurial business model, whereas South Africans rely on a network limited to the immediate family and approach the spaza business as a supplementary livelihoods strategy. In addition to deepening our understanding of competing business models and the social networks that underwrite them, this research also provides new insights into the significance of spatiality to the spaza economy through the concepts of ‘strongholds’ and ‘neighbourhood economies’; previously unseen forms of spaza related business, principally around the mobile distribution of spaza stock to retailers in Delft South; and the instrumental use of both formality and informality by foreign business people.

PhDRDV / Institute for Rural Development / In South Africa, various government and private sector-led initiatives have been directed towards promoting youth involvement in small retail businesses. This was designed to counter the high unemployment and poverty rates among youth. However, high failure rates of the initiatives consistently frustrate these noble efforts. Even though this is the case, neither attributes of youth-run small retail business resilience nor the factors that predispose them to the high failure rates are well-known. This situation demands taking urgent action to foster resilience in the youth-run small retail business sector. Thus, the current study focused on identifying the major threats and strengths to business and determining a set of objective criteria and indices for use in measuring resilience. Potential resilience strategies were also sought. The study was conducted in Vhembe District of Limpopo Province in South Africa. An explorative mixed research approach was employed. Participants were selected using both snowball and cluster sampling procedures. Data were collected using semi-structured interview guides and questionnaires. Qualitative data were analysed using Atlas ti version 8 software techniques such as network diagrams and code primary document tables. For each objective, in-depth results were obtained, further interrogated in a survey and analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences software (IBM SPSS; version 25) in the subsequent phase. The main statistical techniques utilised were Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Kruskal-Wallis tests. Significance was determined at P< 0.5. Results from PCA test reviewed three major threats to small retail business resilience that included poor infrastructure (28.54 %), financial infrastructure (20.97 %) and competition (14.94 %). The three factor structure accounted for a total variance of 64.46 %. Poor infrastructure and financial inadequacy threats did not vary with distance from the urban area (P > 0.05) while competition significantly varied with distance from the urban area (P< 0.05). With regard to strengths, PCA analysis produced a four factor structure that explained a total variance of 54.59 %. The four major strengths included marketing ability (16.97 %), good customer care (14.42 %), business knowledge (12.08 %) and commitment (11.13 %). A six dimension criteria for measuring small retail business resilience was established using PCA. The six dimensions encompassed security measures (18.01 %), outsourcing abilities (13. 70 %), marketing strategies (10.07), risk management (8.54 %), financial management (8.43 %) and innovation (7.89 %). The six factor structure explained a total variance of 66.67 %. These resilience pillars were related to threat detection, prevention and adaptation business mechanisms. Four resilience dimensions (security measures, marketing abilities, risk management and innovation) were similar across distance variations from the urban area (P> 0.05). However, significant differences between urban and rural areas were observed in two variables, that is, joining business alliances (P=0.012) linked to outsourcing abilities and keeping money away from the business premise (P=0.034) associated with financial management. Resilience indices were further developed utilising the six building blocks of the criteria. The indices for measuring small retail business resilience were expressed in the formula: R1= ƒ (SM1, OA1, MS1, RM1, FM1, I1, S1) + e where SM=Security Measures; OA= Outsourcing Abilities; MS= Marketing Strategies; OM=Risk Management; FM= Financial Management; I= Innovation; S= Subjective resilience dimensions and 1= particular time; e= error. The assumption underpinning these indices was that, small retail business resilience is not observable and thus it can be measured through assessing each dimension separately at a particular time. The outcomes reflected that, measuring youth-owned small retail businesses resilience encompasses a clear understanding of area specific threats and the subsequent customised performance measures. Resilience dimensions may change with time due to socio-economic changes, government policies and local conditions. As such, it is crucial to constantly assess youth small retail businesses in order to determine their current status and changes in resilience components. Current strategies and potential interventions for promoting small business resilience were also reviewed. Small retailers were currently utilising strategies such as business collaboration, specialisation and stock diversification. To, address the weaknesses associated with presently utilised strategies, potential interventions that encompassed financial support, provision of cheap stands, need for financial assistance and provision of business training and infrastructure upgrades were proposed. The present study provided a criteria and resilience indices that can be used by policy implementers, development agencies and funders to determine resilience drivers, monitor changes in resilience attributes over time and identify necessary interventions in the small retail sector. This assists decision makers to make pre-informed decisions before providing support to youth small retailers. The use of participatory research methods in the present study helped to ground the work in the youth small retail sector and thus, contributing to community engagement practices. The use of mixed study approaches has been consistently recommended in studies related to resilience measurement methods. As a result, the mixed research methods utilised in the present study provides directions for future replication in studies aimed at developing approaches for measuring resilience in the small business sector. Lastly, the simplicity of the criteria and indices make it easier for small retail business owners and other practitioners to use in future. / NRF

MCom (Business Management) / Department of Business Management / The spaza-shop sector is an integral part of the Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs) in the South African economy. The industry is made up of more than 100 000 enterprises with a collective annual turnover of R7 billion. Spaza shops also contribute about 4% (about 100 000 jobs) of employment in the informal sector. Spaza shops usually have a short lifespan and rarely grow; the failure rate of spaza shops, including those owned by immigrants is very high in South Africa. It is estimated that the failure rate of small businesses (including spaza shops) in South Africa is between 70% and 80%. It is also noted that about 50% of small businesses fail within the first five years of commencement of business, irrespective of the country. Despite severe competitive pressures faced by SMMEs, immigrants (especially Somalis and Ethiopians) have established a strong foothold in the spaza-shop sector. The main objective of the study was to investigate the success factors of immigrant-owned spaza shops in Thulamela Local Municipality. To address the research question, which focuses on the lived experiences and perceptions of participants, the interpretivist paradigm was used. A qualitative approach was adopted with a sample of 25 participants; purposive sampling was used to select participants with the required characteristics. Structured interview questions administered through face-to-face interviews were used to collect data and content analysis was used to analyse data. The data collected revealed that there are a plethora of success factors that are enhancing the continuance and sustenance of immigrant spaza shops in Thulamela Local Municipality. Of these, the most frequently given ones include - human capital, networks, culture, superior customer service, long operating hours and business location. The researcher recommended that immigrant spaza-shop entrepreneurs should establish a mentorship program that will assist in training other local spaza-owners to successfully manage their enterprises, in a bid to create harmony within the sector and to promote job creation. / NRF

Sammanfattning Denna rapport dokumenterar ett examensarbete för högskoleingenjörsprogrammet i innovationsteknik och design, vårterminen 2018 vid Karlstads universitet. Examensarbetet är utfört enligt konventionell produktutvecklingsprocess i ett uppdrag om att ta fram en papperskorg för SPAZA, ett svenskt företag som tillhandahåller exklusiva produkter för spaoch hotellmiljöer. Samtliga produkter i sortimentet är inom ramen för SPAZAs material- och tillverkningsrestriktion: laserskuren, bockad samt pulverlackerad rostfri stålplåt. Syftet med projektet är att tillämpa erhållen kunskap från högskoleingenjörsprogrammet och med vetenskapligt underlag ta fram en papperskorg som ser till behoven genom alla led i dess livscykel. Detta utan att stil eller estetiskt uttryck kompromissas. Med en förstudie identifierades behov för tillverkning, frakt, montering samt användning av hotellgäst och städpersonal. Dessa behov formulerades öppet som primära och sekundära krav och tillsammans med det som redan på förhand specificerats av uppdragsgivaren bildades en produktspecifikation, som sedan användes som underlag för idégenerering. Vid idégenerering producerades ett flertal idéer på former och funktioner. Dessa kombinerades och bildade tillsammans helhetskoncept som utvecklades i ett modellarbete. Med hjälp av erkända metoder för sållning så valdes ett antal koncept som presenterades för uppdragsgivaren. Under ett konceptvalsmöte valdes ett koncept ut för vidareutveckling. Ett slutgiltigt koncept, Konceptet 4 som det kallas, härstammade ifrån en idé på funktionslösning om att använda plåtens fjädrande materialegenskaper för att hålla uppe påsen. Konceptet ser till behoven i de olika leden och möter totalt 30 av 31 stycken listade krav i en kriteriematris. En första CAD-modell på Koncept 4 skickades till CNC Plåt i Västervik för tillverkning av prototyp. Denna prototypen utvärderades och justerades därefter i enlighet med identifierade förbättringar i form och funktion. Dessa implementerades i en ny prototyp som godkändes av uppdragsgivaren som underlag för produktion. Projektet är avslutat och papperskorgen är ett steg närmare produktion. / Abstract This thesis documents a bachelor’s degree project for the engineering programme in Innovation Technology and Design, spring semester 2018 at Karlstad University. The project has been carried out in accordance with conventional product development process, in an assignment to design a paper bin for SPAZA; a Swedish company that provides elegant products for spa and hotel environments. All products in the assortment are within the SPAZA material and manufacturing specification: laser cut, bent and powder coated stainless steel sheet. The purpose of the project is to apply knowledge acquired from the engineering programme and, with a scientific basis, design a paper bin that considers the needs in all the different stages of its life cycle. This without compromising style or aesthetic expression. A pre-study identified the needs in manufacturing, shipping, assembly and use by hotel guests and cleaning staff. These needs were then formulated openly as primary and secondary requirements, and together with what had already been specified by the outsourcer, a product specification was formed, which was later used in idea generation. Idea generation produced a lot of ideas for forms and functions. These were combined, and together they formed concepts that were developed further in work with models. Recognized methods for screening were then used to determine which concepts that were of value to present to the outsourcer, and during a conceptual meeting a decision was made on which concept to realize. A final concept, Concept 4 as it was called, derives from an idea for function about using the sheet metal’s flexing material properties to hold up the bag. The concept meets the needs in the various life cycle stages with a total of 30 out of 31 fulfilled requirements listed in the product specification. A CAD model of Concept 4 was sent to CNC Plåt in Västervik for prototype manufacturing. The prototype was evaluated and adjusted in accordance with identified improvements in forms or function, and with a second version of the CAD model having been delivered to the outsourcer, the goal of the assignment was achieved. The project is finished, and the paper bin is one step closer to production.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / Food security is the ability to secure an adequate daily supply of food that is affordable, hygienic and nutritious and it has become a chronic development problem in most urban areas of the global South. This thesis contributes to the urban food security debate by exploring the connection between drought and food security in urban Swaziland. Specifically, the study examines the effects of the 2015/16 drought on access to food in the informal settlement of kaKhoza in the city of Manzini. The study used climate change and food security conceptual framework to interrogate the connection between drought and food security in the urban context. The framework shows how climate change variables like extreme weather events (e.g. drought) impact food security drivers such as agricultural management, demographic, cultural and socio-economic variables, and how these drivers impact the four components of food security (food availability, access, utilization and stability of access). The study drew from both the positivistic and interpretivistic paradigms and adopted a case study approach based on the mixed methods research design. Data was collected from the informal settlement of kaKhoza using a three step procedure involving a questionnaire survey, in-depth interviews, key informant interviews and focus group discussions. A questionnaire was administered to 145 heads of households using systematic sampling technique. Purposive sampling was employed to select 30 and 8 respondents for in-depth and key informant interviews, respectively. The researcher also engaged the observation method approach to capture additional information about effects of drought as observed in the study site. The researcher adhered to all legal and ethical procedures during the data collection and research writing processes. As such, participation in the research was strictly voluntary without any form of coercion, whatsoever. The results reveal that drought contributes to food insecurity in low income urban spaces by reducing the quantity and frequency of free or low priced rural-urban food transfers. As a result, low income households have had to rely more on food purchases, thereby making them increasingly food insecure. The problem is compounded by reverse food flows from urban to rural areas. The drought induced food price hike, compelled many low-income households to be less dependent on the supermarket as the main source of their food, and to buy increased amounts of food from the vegetable markets and tuck shops. Residents employ different coping mechanisms to deal with drought induced food shortage, some of which are too risky and further expose them to food insecurity. These coping strategies include: skipping meals, begging, use of informal credit, over reliance on informal markets and selling of sexual favours, which expose respondents to HIV and AIDS infection.

Masters of Art / Since the arrival of hip-hop in Cape Town and indeed South Africa in the 1980s, a diverse and vibrant range of hip-hop sub-genres has developed in Cape Town. Scholarship, however, have approached hip-hop mainly through a linguistical angle focusing mostly on Cipha hiphop in the Cape Flats. This ethnographic work looks at performances and practices of Spaza hip-hop. It explores the musical genre of Spaza hip-hop in the township of Khayelitsha, discussing ideas advanced by scholarship almost ten years ago and re-assessing issues of language, citizenship and ethnicity from today’s perspective. It looks at Spaza hip-hop not only as a musical genre, as it explores questions of identity, ethnicity, race, and gender. My research discusses how Spaza hip-hop music is consumed today, how it is produced and how it circulates. Across two years of fieldwork, I followed park sessions, open mic sessions and events; I have interviewed artists, producers and audiences. I argue that Spaza hip-hop in 2018 had changed drastically from its first apparition. Not only most of the artists are now older, but also the Spaza hip-hop scene is now invaded by trap hip-hop artists. Across my research I explore issues of gender in hip hop which is generally perceived as a “masculine” music. I illustrate how female artists constantly challenge norms and negotiate a space of their own, paradoxically transforming Spaza hip hop in a space for freedom.

This dissertation is based on the premise that design, no matter how intricate or complex in nature, arises from something as basic and rudimentary as a ‘need’. It is a process of retrospection into how interior design answers the needs of human beings in the environment. The aim of the project is celebrate the act of waiting and the experience of the ‘every-day’ world. Interior design is used to acts as ‘mediator’ between people, their needs and the environment. The project sheds light on the ‘every-day' life world by investigating the activities and interactions of people within the context of a public transport facility. The ‘status-quo’ of such facilities in South Africa is questioned by investigating the extent to which interior design acts as mediator to facilitate the user. The main activities of ‘waiting’ and ‘foodvending’ form the basis of the design project. The proposed site (Spaza Shed) is located in Scheiding Street at the north-western edge of the Pretoria Station precinct in the central business district (CBD) of Pretoria. Originally used as an office building, it underwent radical alteration when it was converted into a bus terminal by Stauch and Vorster Architects in 1993. This typological change rendered the building isolated from the rest of the site context. In addition, following the upgrading of what is today the new bus station building (south of the building) the Spaza Shed was abandoned and used for storage. Today, the building houses several steel kiosks of which only a few are occupied by food-vendors who prepare and sell ‘traditional’ meals. Lack of facilities and systems mean that the building presents a health risk to both tenants and customers. The northern edge of the building consists of a series of small shops and inadequate benches where bus commuters clamour while waiting. The proximity of the Spaza Shed relative to the bus station provides the potential for the Spaza Shed to serve as an active waiting station for bus commuters as well as pedestrians moving past the building. The proposed program rests on the basis of mediation and interaction by connecting the Spaza Shed building with the bus station as well as the CBD. An active waiting area is proposed which will house seating (based on ergonomic principles and postures), public restroomand shower facilities, food kiosks, interior green spaces, free wifi access and interactive information stations. A proposal is made for a a play area and a day care center. / Dissertation MInt(Prof)--University of Pretoria, 2013 / Architecture / MInt(Prof) / Unrestricted

Text in English / The aim of this research is to assess the impact social capital has had on Somali businesses. It argues against the perception that Somali business expertise is derived solely from the principles of economics. It argues that social capital plays a pivotal role in shaping the Somali spirit of entrepreneurship. The role of social capital in the creation of Somali human and financial capital is examined. This thesis, being a qualitative study, used semi-structured, unstructured interviews and direct observation as data collection methods. / Sociology / M.A. (Sociology)