A case for definition: Key features guiding the conception of social enterprise in South Africa

Abstract

In recent years, there has been a meteoric rise in the number of social enterprises entering the non-profit sector landscape in South Africa. Anecdotal evidence points towards a growing realisation of the significant contribution of social enterprises to socio-economic development in the country. Despite social enterprises' rise to prominence and importance within the non-profit sector in South Africa, there is no legal form for social enterprise and as such no clarity of the definition of social enterprise in the country. Using qualitative data from a multiple case study research project, this paper explores the various meanings of what practitioners and experts within the social enterprise space in South Africa conceive social enterprises to be.