Abstract
Chapter 6 of the National Development Plan (NDP) accentuates on the impact of an integrated and inclusive rural economy by proposing for the creation 643 000 direct jobs and 326 000 indirect jobs in the farming and non-farming sector by 2030. Discussion within the study reveals that, the NDP was also designed to stimulate rural economic development among other important dynamic economic factors of the country. However, five years into the implementation of the NDP, remnants of inequality, unemployment and poverty are still apparent amongst the rural population. This paper indicates that the success of NDP as an entrepreneurial mechanism is being underpinned by contestations which are emanating from under-financing, lack of entrepreneurial education and research culture, negative attitudes of the people, corruption and red tape. Through a qualitative research approach, the paper observes that, for NDP to be continuously coordinated as an economic initiative, financing of rural projects such as small businesses, cooperatives and other rural development projects should be the government’s key priority. The study concludes that entrepreneurship has to be considered as a prime mover in rural economic development in South Africa since an entrepreneurial economy significantly differs from a non-entrepreneurial one, as evidenced by the economic vigour and sustainable development of its inhabitants.
Highlights
“No political democracy can survive and flourish if the mass of our people remain in poverty, without land, without tangible prospects for a better life
The paper formulated its themes from the following research questions: What is the nature of rural entrepreneurship in South Africa? Is the National Development Plan (NDP) succeeding in promoting rural economic development? What are the challenges facing NDP so far towards stimulating rural economic development? What other innovative solutions can be offered to the South African government to accelerate the implementation of NDP? Data collected from documents was analyzed qualitatively using thematic content analysis drawn from the research questions of this paper
A study conducted by the Department of Trade and Industry in (2008) concurs with the findings; it endorses that skills shortage and limited entrepreneurship capacity constrain employment growth and decelerates the National Development Plan from championing rural economic development
Summary
“No political democracy can survive and flourish if the mass of our people remain in poverty, without land, without tangible prospects for a better life. South African Government Information (2012) advises that, the government of South Africa can only be able to comprehend the objectives of the NDP by harnessing the energies of the citizens in developing an all-encompassing entrepreneurial mechanism for rural economic development. This is against the background in which fragments of the pre-1994 era have constantly been determining the life opportunities for the cosmic mainstream rural inhabitants in South Africa (Hendriks, 2013). Rural entrepreneurship is gaining momentum as a force of economic change that must be present if the NDP is to reach its target in attaining an inclusive rural economy by 2030. The significance of this paper lies in its essence to highlight the relationship between entrepreneurship and rural economic development and how the NDP, as a strategic tool, can be redirected as an entrepreneurial mechanism for accelerating rural economic development
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