Abstract
This thesis aimed to investigate the use of e-government in a bid to improve the services of small medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) in a South African context. The City of Johannesburg (CoJ) and City of Tshwane (CoT) were used as case studies. Guided by an interpretive research paradigm, the study employed a qualitative research approach. The primary data for the study was collected through interviews with local government officials, as well as questionnaires with SMMEs. Purposive sampling was used in selecting local government officials, while convenience sampling was used to select SMMEs for the CoJ and CoT respectively. Data were analysed using both conceptual and document analysis methods. The study found that the two investigated local governments are failing to support the resolution of SMME challenges, including a lack of access to funding, poor market access, skills and capacity deficits amongst entrepreneurs, poor infrastructure, low access to technology, and excessive regulation. The study recommends, therefore, that an e-government-SMME framework be established that proposes the implementation and/or enhancement of e-government services to optimise government support to SMMEs. The strategy is premised on the view that e-government may address most challenges faced by SMMEs in South Africa under the presumption that the country has many support systems and structures that are failing to support SMMEs because of poor coordination, poor beneficiary engagement, unnecessary bureaucracy, and corruption.
Keywords: City of Johannesburg (CoJ); City of Tshwane (CoT); e-government; Gauteng Province; local economic development (LED); small-, medium- and micro-enterprises (SMMEs); South Africa.