Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has persistently threatened the survival of rural livelihoods everywhere in South Africa. This may have adverse effects on the implementation of policies and strategies that support rural small medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs). Rural-based local institutions and their policies play major roles in sustaining rural SMMEs and livelihoods during disasters and yet there is little research to provide future directions.Aim: This article aims to contribute to an understanding of the impact of the implementation of present and past SMME policies in sustaining rural livelihoods during disasters in South African rural municipalities.Setting: This research focussed on institutions and their policies in the Jozini Local Municipality and Matatiele Local Municipality. These rural-based local municipalities in South Africa were chosen as relevant case studies for this study because of their experiences with frequent fire and drought crises or disasters.Methods: The study employed a qualitative research methodology. In line with the interpretative paradigm, a social network analysis, together with one-on-one interviews, were chosen as research instruments for the collection of data from two rural municipalities. NVivo 12 was used for data analysis.Results: The findings of the study revealed that, while policy and legal frameworks are in place to support SMMEs, in reality, very little support (during disasters) trickles through to rural-based SMMEs.Conclusion: The conclusions drawn from this study revealed that, in the absence of provincial and nationally based institutions to ensure the implementation of their policies, rural SMMEs established alternative processes to sustain their SMMEs during disasters.

Background: The South African job creation challenges have been well documented by different scholars. The knowledge gap is what the transformational role of rural stakeholders is in securing sustainable livelihoods through small, medium-sized and micro-enterprises (SMMEs). This study is an attempt to fill that gap.Aim: The study is aimed to contribute to an understanding of the capacity of rural-based stakeholders in the transformation of rural economies to sustainable livelihoods and SMMEs in South African municipalities.Setting: This study focused on the capacity of rural-based stakeholders in the transformation and sustainability of South African SMMEs in the municipalities of Jozini Local Municipality (JLM) and Matatiele Local Municipality (MLM).Methods: A qualitative, inductive, interpretative approach was used to achieve the research objectives. Data were collected from 34 purposive (social network analysis group) interviews and 35 snowballing (semi-structured one-on-one) interviews with selected participants from the two rural municipalities. Data were analysed using Nvivo 12.Results: The findings of the study reveal that the rural-based stakeholders are not capacitated to transform and sustain, on their own, livelihoods and SMMEs, without well-coordinated external support from national, provincial and district stakeholders.Conclusion: It is, therefore, concluded that such a lack of capacity and poor coordination between the relevant stakeholders impact negatively on the transformation sought to assist securing a sustainable livelihood by means of SMMEs. The original contribution to knowledge (also summarised as a framework) in this study lies in the process that rural-based stakeholders follow in creating sustainability in rural SMMEs and livelihoods.

Orientation: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and its subsequent variants, has exposed the ill-preparedness of Small, Medium and Micro enterprises (SMMEs) to grow and sustain themselves and, by extension, livelihoods after the pandemic induced socio-economic crises around the world.Research purpose: This study aimed to contribute to an understanding of the impact of social and institutional networks in sustaining South African rural SMMEs during the crisis in rural municipalities.Motivation for the study: Previous studies on the sustainability of South Africa’s SMMEs have identified challenges and opportunities for urban-based SMMEs without clarifying the roles of rural-based social and institutional networks. This study was an attempt to fill that gap.Research design, approach and methods: This qualitative research design used an interpretative research paradigm to achieve the research objectives. Data were collected from 34 purposively (social network analysis group interviews) and 35 snowballing (semi-structured one-on-one interviews) selected participants from two rural municipalities. Data were analysed using NVivo 12 software.Main findings: The findings of the study revealed that, in the absence of provincial and nationally based institutions, rural SMME supportive groups established alternative local social and institutional networks to sustain their SMMEs in the post-socio-economic crisis period.Practical/managerial implications: It is therefore recommended that all the institutions must work together to transform rural SMMEs from their unsustainable state to sustainability (post socio-economic crisis).Contribution/value-add: By drawing on the critical elements of the sustainable livelihoods framework and institutional theory, this study proposed a conceptual model for sustaining rural SMMEs during crisis.