Assessing the impact of support structures and initiatives to youth entrepreneurship development in a selected township in the Western Cape province of South Africa

Abstract

This study sought to determine the role of government support structures and initiatives in the development of youth entrepreneurship in Khayelitsha, in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. The data was collected by way of questionnaires, whereby 132 participants were randomly drawn from the population of 200 youth entrepreneurs who were registered on the database of a local organisation for youth entrepreneurs in Khayelitsha. According the findings, there was no evidence to show that government support structures/initiatives were contributing in the development of youth entrepreneurship in this township. Recommendations to improve the current standard of youth entrepreneurship in the research setting were made. This paper provides an insight into the role of youth entrepreneurship support structures and initiatives in Khayelitsha, particularly to stakeholders such as government structures, which seek to advance youth entrepreneurship in Khayelitsha and others townships, in Western Cape.