Abstract
South Africa is experiencing a challenging socio-economic climate characterized by low economic growth rates,
high levels of poverty and unemployment, particularly prominent amongst South Africa’s youth. Entrepreneurship is
often seen as the solution to such problems, yet this is not reflected in the levels of entrepreneurship amongst the
youth. This paper aims to systematically review the results of various studies on youth entrepreneurial intent in
South Africa over a ten year period. The study was qualitative in nature and made use of a systematic review
approach. Data were analyzed by means of a thematic content analysis. Findings were grouped into three themes;
(1) the potential of education to unlock entrepreneurial intent, (2) Factors influencing entrepreneurial intent, (3)
lack of support influencing entrepreneurial intent. The value of the studies lies in the fact that no studies in South
Africa have reviewed the results of various studies on youth entrepreneurial intent over a period of time and
categorized the findings in a holistic manner.