Abstract:
This research aimed to assess the potential of social entrepreneurship to contribute
in increasing the economic participation of the youth in South Africa. With South
Africa experiencing high levels of youth unemployment and characterised by a
population “youth bulge”, an economically excluded youth impedes the economic
development plans of the country. Therefore all economic sectors in South Africa
should be assessed for the potential to increase the economic participation of the
youth to aid the delivery of the economic development goals.
The research was conducted using a qualitative research methodology as the nature
of the research problem lent itself to more descriptive and rich answers. The field of
social entrepreneurship is also relatively new and the data available for quantitative
analysis is limited.The research found that social entrepreneurship has a potential
to increase the economic participation of the youth but is failing to deliver results
mainly as a result of legislation not recognising a legal entity for social
entrepreneurial activities. The disparities in the definitions of key social
entrepreneurship terms, lack of awareness about the sector and the challenges
surrounding the sustainability of social enterprises do not render social
entrepreneurship as an economic opportunity of choice for the youth.
