Yalezo, Bhasela.Sumo, David Bhekamandla.2025-01-152025-01-1520232023https://hdl.handle.net/10413/23557Masters Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.Entrepreneurship is vital for any local economy and the long-term sustainability of socioeconomic conditions. However, in South African townships, there is a significant gap in effectively managing and leading entrepreneurial pursuits for local townships’ sustainable economic development. This research aims to address the challenges township entrepreneurs face and to examine the impact of entrepreneurial management and leadership on township economic development and growth. To address these challenges, this research extensively engaged the opinions and findings of different scholars in literature review on the variables critical for conducive a environment for entrepreneurship development, with the purpose of analysing and measuring the effects of entrepreneurial management and leadership regarding township economic development in the eThekwini Municipality. A qualitative approach was employed to address this research problem, utilising the interpretivism paradigm. The research had anticipated to a get a population of forty but got twenty. The sample size was fifteen township entrepreneurs but interviewed twelve. The study conducted face-to-face interviews with twelve township business operators from eThekwini Municipality, selected from a larger population of twenty. The findings of this research revealed two crucial aspects. Firstly, it revealed ineffective entrepreneurial management drive because of communication and collaborative gaps identified. There is a substantial lack of knowledge among township entrepreneurs regarding available resources and business support programs for township business growth. Many participants were unaware that there are local economic development programs for SMME’s, from the eThekwini Municipality and the KZN Provincial Government, available to provide opportunities for skills transfer and collaboration with tertiary institutions, corporations, financial institutions, and regulatory authorities. This knowledge gap presents a significant barrier to accessing essential resources for business development. Secondly, the study highlighted the isolated nature of township entrepreneurs' operations. They often lack connections and collaborations with potential stakeholders, limiting their access to valuable networks, expertise, and support. This isolation further impedes their ability to grow and expand their businesses effectively. All the above-mentioned variables are crucial in township economic development for socioeconomic upliftment. To address these findings, the study recommends the establishment of dedicated business units within township enterprises. These units should actively foster partnerships and collaborations with stakeholders, such as tertiary institutions, corporations, financial institutions, and regulatory authorities. By establishing these partnerships, township entrepreneurs can bridge the knowledge gap, enhance their business operations, and achieve meaningful economic growth. This research underscores the significant challenges township entrepreneurs face in South African townships and the impact of institutional arrangements on entrepreneurial management and leadership on local economic development. The findings highlight the need for knowledge sharing, resource access, and collaborative networks, which can contribute to the sustainable socioeconomic development of South African township businesses. The conclusion drawn from this research is that the effects of entrepreneurial management and leadership show significant gap between policy initiatives and its implementation. It also shows major collaborative gaps amongst individual township business operators in terms speaking in one voice to tackle institutional barriers. There are significant barriers to economic development because of the leadership approach that is prescriptive on what needs to happen to grow township economy, without the consultation of the affected key players on the ground. This research recommends that local authorities, as implementing agents, adopt a place based economic development planning framework that involves local entrepreneurship communities to close implementation gaps. It is the infrastructure ecosystem that contains local infrastructural development constructs, synchronized in a manner that talk to one another which determines the level of required local economic outputs. The spatial approach is the ideal method that ensures a focused intention of policy initiatives that are operationalized to sustain township economic growth and development consistent with the National Development Plan.enEntrepreneurship.Local economic development.Unemployment.Township economy--eThekwini Municipality.National Youth Development Agency.Thesis