Review of business licensing laws of Southern Africa.

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References

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References

Botswana

Alexander E., et al., Informal Sector Businesses in Four Botswana Communities, Ministry of Local Government and Lands, Gaborone, 1983.

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South Africa

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Moore, G. and Davie, E., Laws Affecting Small Business: Licensing, Friedrich-Naumann-Stiftung 1997.

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Zambia

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SEPAC Publications

A Regional Network Approach to Fostering Small Business Promotion in SADC Countries. Proceedings of the Third SEPAC Conference	1997
SME Policies and Policy Formulation in SADC Countries. Papers Presented to the Workshop of the SEPAC Working Group "Policy Issues"	1998
Chambers of Commerce and Industry as Small Business Service Providers - Opportunities and Challenges. Papers Presented to the Workshop of the SEPAC Working Group "Entrepreneurship Development and Training"	1999
Appropriate Technology for Small and Medium Enterprises in SADC Countries. Papers Presented to the Workshop of the SEPAC Working Group "Information, Technology and Technology Transfer"	1999
Review of Business Laws in Southern Africa. Report prepared for the SEPAC Working Group „Policy Issues"	1999

Copies can be ordered from Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, Botswana Office

[page-number of print ed.: cover backside

Review of Business Licensing Laws of Southern Africa

The significance of licensing regulations is often overlooked in the literature on SMME development. This is surprising because the seven country reports summarised in this book suggest that licensing and related issues have the potential to be highly controversial.

In Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe, licensing regulations were regarded as oppressive and discriminatory to SMMEs until they were largely removed in the early 1990s. In Botswana, where some 70-75 % of the country’s micro and small businesses are currently operating unlawfully from residential plots, an independent SMME Task Force has recently recommended that licensing and zoning laws should be radically reformed. In Tanzania, the licensing system is associated with bureaucratic inefficiency and corruption: approximately 70% of SMMEs currently operate in disregard of the licensing rules. In Zambia, the enforcement of licensing laws by local authorities against street traders has become highly politicised and the cause of conflict between central and local government.

This book reviews the policy issues associated with licensing, zoning and deregulation in seven countries of Southern Africa. Mauritius is the only country in which licensing laws appear to have generated little debate, perhaps because licensing policy in Mauritius is dictated by the need to make optimum use of land and other resources on a small island.

ISBN 99912-916-7-9