Abstract
The objective of this study is to explore the causes of small businesses failure
within the Johannesburg construction industry, a metropolitan municipality in the
Gauteng province of South Africa. The data for the study was collected through a
structured questionnaire survey distributed to a sample of 30 owners of small and
medium construction companies in Gauteng. The research respondents were
construction professionals who work in SMEs. The survey results shown that the
major causes of small business failure can be divided into two aspects- which are
external and internal. The internal factor revealed from the study include- lack of
financial managerial ability and general administration of the business. The study
findings revealed the urgent areas that small construction businesses need to be
supported in order for them to be sustainable which in order guarantee job security
for construction professionals who are employed in these companies; thus
contributing to the macroeconomic indicators of the economy.