摘要：During the mid-1990s the South African government formally recognised Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs) operating in the country, for the first time, through the publication of the National Small Business Act No. 102 of 1996. Through this legislation, South African SMMEs were tasked to assist with the attainment of three core socio-economic objectives, namely the reduction of unemployment, the mitigation of poverty and the equal distribution of wealth. After more than two decades it appears that South African SMMEs are not achieving the foregoing three socio-economic objectives; simultaneously being cited as having among the worst failure rates in the world. Prior research found that this dispensation is largely attributable to the non-management of economic factors which, in turn, led to the realisation of risks. To assist with the management of economic factors and related risks, a sound system of internal control should be used. Unfortunately, despite the existence of various internal control frameworks, South African SMMEs do not deploy sound systems of internal control; ultimately resulting in their demise. The objective of this study was therefore to propose an internal control framework that can assist South African SMMEs to implement adequate and effective internal control systems to, in turn, fortify their sustainability. This study was non-empirical in nature, exploratory and took on the form of a literature review. Stemming from the research conducted the Sustenance framework was developed as an artefact hypothesis for adoption by South African SMMEs and further empirical testing.
关键词：internal control; South African SMMEs; sustainability; Sustenance framework
