Strengthening cooperatives development in South Africa : a case study of the Limpopo and Gauteng Provinces

Abstract: One of the great challenges facing the South African economy is to increase the number and variety of viable and sustainable economic enterprises, it is central to government’s economic policy that it promotes the development of emerging economic enterprises and diversifies the ownership, size and geographic location of those enterprises .Cooperative development is one of the interventions that the South African government can use, it can also uplift indigenous people who were neglected or excluded by the apartheid system to play a role in the economic development of the nation. Cooperatives have being receiving the support from government, but there is very little success. The study used qualitative research methods, data was gathered from 200 cooperative that were situated in Limpopo and Gauteng province, through focused group interview, one on one interviews and observations. Secondary data was gathered through an extensive literature review. The research recommends that responsible authorities need to engage in Continuous trainings, workshops and seminars for communities, cooperative members and government officials and also employ cooperative managers in order for them to strengthen cooperatives and also develop them successfully