Advancing Economic Participation Through Student Entrepreneurship in Higher Education in Select South African Universities

Abstract

This chapter interrogates the concept of student entrepreneurship as one of the pathways towards uprooting economic marginalization and social exclusion. Young people as both youth or students are confronted by poverty, unemployment, and inequality. The finding from this chapter is that with student active participation, adequate support by universities and other stakeholders, emerging student entrepreneurs could beat the scourge of poverty, hunger, and unemployment experienced by student youth at universities and beyond. The enterprises established by students at higher education institutions such as Durban University of Technology, Mangosuthu University of Technology, and University of KwaZulu-Natal have demonstrated the potential of not only securing livelihood for student entrepreneurs, but also provided employment for other economically marginalized students. Since this chapter is qualitative, case study method and interviews with key student entrepreneurs and officials from the student entrepreneurship support units were used to solicit relevant information.