ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the national approaches to sustainable enterprise in South Africa. It includes key information about the priority issues, trends, and government policies as well as best-practice case studies of sustainable enterprise in South Africa. Research on sustainable enterprise in South Africa is limited. Initiatives such as The Africa Investing for Impact Barometer Bertha Centre seek to explore the activities of impact investors, while books such as Behind the Green Veil and various published articles reflect cases of broader sustainability appeal. While various initiatives in South Africa meet some of the criteria for sustainable enterprise, fewer meet the criterion of scalability. The seeds of truly sustainable enterprise are easier to find in social enterprises that are exploring a hybrid model between traditional for-profit and non-profit organizations. While both companies and investors have responded dutifully to a host of compliance or "apply or explain" CSR provisions, their practical action has in many instances lacked imagination and meaningful application.
