Women Owners of Apparel Enterprises in South Africa During COVID-19: Leveraging Livelihood Strategies

Women entrepreneurs in South Africa have been severely affected during the COVID-19 pandemic; this situation, therefore, calls into question the successful achievement of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8. The Sustainable Livelihoods Framework (SLF), the vulnerability context of COVID-19, and the asset approach were drawn upon in an analysis of the livelihoods of women entrepreneurs in terms of human, social, natural, physical, and financial assets. The purpose of the study was to provide insight into the experienced effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the vulnerability context and livelihood assets of women entrepreneurs in South Africa and the difficulties they faced during this time. Twelve women entrepreneurs operating small apparel businesses in the City of Cape Town Metropolitan Municipality of the Western Cape Province, South Africa, participated in this study. Content analysis of data-saturated personal interviews revealed that income generation had motivated the start-up of these women-owned enterprises prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. During the pandemic these enterprises experienced both positive and negative effects on the human-social, physical and economic level, a lack of support, and specific difficulties related to finances, health, product availability, and cost aspects. These entrepreneurs employed innovative strategies to access livelihood assets specific to the COVID-19 pandemic. Through the application of the SLF, the study contributes to a better understanding of those aspects that affected women entrepreneurs and how they managed their livelihoods during the pandemic. Future achievement of SDG 8 in South Africa could benefit from an understanding of the assets employed to sustain livelihoods.