Self-Reliant Indigenous Entrepreneurship: Towards Inclusive Sustainable Development

The Boswa ba Rona Development Corporation represented a positive-case deviance from the complacent and apathetic norm which is characteristic of poor rural indigenous communities in South Africa who, despite having much natural resources and potential human capital, remain mired in abject poverty. While overcoming apathy and starting an indigenous venture with over 100 shareholders who are part of the Bakwena community is itself noteworthy, what made this case special was that Boswa ba Rona was able to raise over half-a-million Rands from these shareholders, many of whom are poor.
As such, the research upon which this cumulative dissertation is based set out to illumine the emergence and capital raising process of Boswa ba Rona with the view to generalize the findings thereof to theory which may be transferrable to other similar contexts. The logic was, if Boswa ba Rona can do it, then perhaps there are some lessons to be learnt from their initiative that can help other remote or rural communities escape from the perpetual poverty trap which they are also facing.
Drawing on Popperian critical rationalist epistemology, the case study found that the formal indigenous entrepreneurship required to escape poverty such as the one discovered in the Boswa ba Rona case can only emerge when at least some members of the indigenous community possess sufficient relevant education, skills, experience and/or exposure to entrepreneurial environments.
These findings led to the conclusions that IE in remote or rural areas may start off as an informal reflection of its under-resourced entrepreneurial ecosystem; however, in order to eradicate poverty, it needs to be formalized and poised for long-term wealth creation. Furthermore, the emergence of IE is mediated by the presence of the relevant education, skills, experience, expertise and exposure to more advanced entrepreneurial ecosystems. Finally, the dissertation offers new theory regarding the role of business in eradicating poverty in post-colonial and under-resourced contexts.