Exploring the Interventions of Social Entrepreneurship in Building Sustainable Communities in Polokwane Local Municipality: Challenges and Opportunities

Abstract

The paper aims to explore how social entrepreneurship may build sustainable communities. Most communities under the Polokwane Local Municipality continue to endure social and economic challenges just like any other communities in South Africa. Even though the Polokwane’s Economic Growth and Development Plan (2030) attempts to fast-track service delivery and reduce poverty, there are still social and economic conundrums that need urgent intervention. The plan makes no mention of social entrepreneurship and how social entrepreneurs may contribute towards building sustainable communities. This is what triggered the jotting down of this paper. For that reason, the paper argues that the intervention and recognition of social entrepreneurs by the municipality may play a fundamental role in building sustainable communities. Social entrepreneurs are known to address social and economic predicaments using business models to foster greater social and economic transformation. Social entrepreneurs tend to take the social responsibility in different communities and such a contribution is not recognized and documented by the Polokwane’ Economic Growth and Development Plan. Most importantly, the exploration of social entrepreneurship highlights the dual mission of social entrepreneurs as the beacon and paragons of economic transformation in the communities. This paper used a quantitative method and collected data through questionnaires. Data was analyzed through SPSS. It finds that social entrepreneurs play a fundamental role in their communities by offering employment opportunities and addressing social challenges through their dual mission, despite their challenges. This paper contributes to the ongoing policy and practical discourse on how social entrepreneurship may build sustainable communities in the context of Polokwane Local Municipality.