Despite concerted efforts to nurture SMMEs through a number of methods, including LED initiatives, a high failure rate persists in South Africa. As the quest for a sustainable solution continues, this paper investigates the challenges that SMMEs face in the context of the Bushbuckridge Local Municipality (BLM). The quantitative approach was adopted for data collection. Through the use of a survey questionnaire, data were collected from a sample of fifty owners/managers who were reached through the stratified sampling technique. The study singled out lack of financial assistance, managerial skills, inaccessible global markets as the most dominant challenges to the development of SMMEs apart a from high crime rate and the fear of xenophobia. Lack of technology and insufficient government support received far lesser approval from participants as these were perceived to have less impact on SMMEs growth. This paper draws attention to the ineffectiveness of LED programmes at the grassroots level with specific reference to rural municipalities.

IJBG proposes and fosters discussion on various aspects of business and globalisation, including the physical environment and poverty. Objectives: The objectives of IJBG are to establish an effective channel of communication between policy makers, government agencies, academic and research institutions and persons concerned with the complex role of business and globalisation. The international dimension is emphasised in order to overcome cultural and national barriers and to meet the needs of accelerating technological and ecological change and changes in the global economy. Readership: IJBG provides a vehicle to help academics, researchers, policy makers, managers and entrepreneurs, working in business, to disseminate information and to learn from each other's work. Contents: IJBG publishes original empirical research, conceptual papers, and book reviews.

Concerns about their business practices have precipitated the recent wave of attacks on immigrants in South African Townships. Besides claims that they take away jobs, business opportunities, the locals accuse the immigrants of unfair and irresponsible business practices. All this speaks powerfully to the issue of social legitimacy. Against this backdrop, this paper gauged the business practices of immigrant-owned spaza shops in the hope that the adoption of responsible business practices could act as an intervention strategy for easing the tension between natives and foreign immigrants. The paper followed a quantitative research approach that made use of questionnaires to solicit data from subjects that were purposively selected. The study suggests that immigrant entrepreneurs are treating CSR programmes selectively as issues like training and education, donating to the local communities and employment of natives failed to gain a significant acknowledgement. This, further proves that the CSR ideology has been partially received by the immigrant entrepreneur in the local Townships and thus making it challenging to manage multi-dimensional stakeholder relationships, as issues around credence remain pending. Leaning on the stakeholders and legitimacy theories, this paper advances the case for adoption of CSR by informal businesses and particularly as a possible antidote to the xenophobia that is driven by unfair competitive advantage and unfair business practices by South African township entrepreneurs.

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