PRESS RELEASE: Social Enterprises may be SA’s only option
Social enterprises are developed mainly to alleviate an issue that arises in the social or economic environment.
South Africa like any other country has its own socio-economic issues which need tactical applications to solve these issues like unemployment and poverty. According to DR. Susan Steinman, Director of CSESE, “Unemployment in South Africa (SA) lies at around 24.9% while more than 50% of the population leaves under the poverty line.
The country’s real growth rate (GDP) is 2.9% meaning that sustaining the 49-million plus population has and will become increasingly complicated, should the country not embrace social enterprise business models”.
“CSESE’s vision connects with the new ‘growth path’ envisaged by government, which must provide bold, imaginative and effective strategies to create millions of jobs South Africa needs. It must also lay out a dynamic vision for how SA can collectively achieve a more developed, democratic, cohesive and equitable economy and society over the medium term, in the context of sustained growth. The strategy sets out critical markers for employment creation and growth and identifies where viable changes in the structure and character of production can generate a more inclusive and greener economy over the medium to long run. To that end, it combines macroeconomic and microeconomic interventions”, says Steinman.
“Many social enterprises are attracted into public service delivery because they see a need to inject innovative approaches and fresh thinking into traditional ways of conducting business in this area. There are a wide variety of opportunities in the delivery of public services, where social enterprises should work in partnership with government. As well as opportunities in the commercial world, social enterprises are increasingly seeking to diversify income streams, with some deciding to operate solely or partly within the public sector. Working with the government to deliver public services can provide a consistency of social involvement and benefit”, says Steinman.
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About CSESE
The Centre for Social Entrepreneurship and Social Economy (CSESE) is a centre for promoting social entrepreneurship and the social economy in South Africa and on the African continent. It falls within the University of Johannesburg's (UJ) Faculty of Management.
The CSESE aims to use social entrepreneurship and social enterprise development as a catalyst towards sustainable development. To achieve this end, the CSESE is approaching the challenge through research, programmes and knowledge-building. This includes the Social Enterprise World Forum, which will assist in building capacity in this sector within South Africa and Africa.
Should you be interested in interviewing Dr Steinman, please contact me on ednahnzombe@yahoo.co.uk or 079 137 7112.
Writer: Ednah N Nzombe
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