Tenderpreneurship governance in South Africa: Entrepreneurship ambidexterity vis-a-vis public order corruption ecosystems?

This article contends that the governance of public tenderpreneurship in South Africa fails to foster entrepreneurship ecosystems characterised by dynamic micro-foundation capabilities, which are essential for enabling business ambidexterity in state tender-based enterprises. The article posits that political, bureaucratic, and public bribery corruption develop within a public order that is fundamentally opposed to, and incompatible with, the fostering of entrepreneurial ambidexterity. Thus, its theoretical contribution lies in the evolution of dynamic capabilities within the frameworks of entrepreneurship ecosystems, micro-foundations, and the conceptions of public order corruption from the perspectives of republicanism and liberalism. The desktop literature analysis identifies 47 dynamic micro-foundation capabilities across strategic operations, marketing, innovation, and information systems governance domains that facilitate the incubation of entrepreneurship ecosystems. Furthermore, it formulates one question for each governance domain of entrepreneurship ecosystems as a summative normative assessment of South Africa's tenderpreneurship preferential treatment governance. The article concludes that South Africa's governance of state tenderpreneurship promotes a public order characterised by the rapid emergence of tender-based entrepreneurs and businesses, alongside corruption ecosystems that lack processes orientated towards entrepreneurship, such as sensing, seizing, and transformation, as well as dynamic capabilities necessary for fulfilling service level contractual obligations, reconfiguration, and renewal. Tenderpreneurship governance is problematic due to hidden agendas that undermine democratic transformation, lacking transparency in the exercise of public power and disregarding citizens' claims to equality as legitimate rights-holders. The article recommends the following: the establishment of mandatory requirements for public accountability in the exercise of entrusted public power; the promotion of authentic citizenship and public order where all citizens are political equals and legitimate rights-holders; the prohibition of covert preferential treatment in state tenderpreneurship governance; and the implementation of a rigorous meritocracy-based state procurement governance system.