Economic development is seen as the best means of accomplishing the goal of
eradicating extreme poverty, and at the heart of this development are for-profit
companies, especially multinational corporations. The specific problem examined in this
study was whether levels of poverty in South Africa had been significantly impacted by
the activities of multinational corporations and the level of entrepreneurship in its 9
provinces. To build upon empirical research on the sources of poverty alleviation and the
impact of large global enterprises, the purpose of this study was to examine the impact of
entrepreneurship and multinational corporation presence on the change in poverty levels
in the 9 provinces of South Africa. The theoretical framework of the study was based on
the theories of economic development and market-based solutions to poverty alleviation
that are created through entrepreneurship and the engagement of multinational firms. This
quantitative longitudinal study used mixed method linear regression and trend analysis to
assess the impact of multinational corporation presence, and the number of new
businesses started in the regions of South Africa between 2002 and 2015 on poverty. A
significant inverse relationship between poverty and entrepreneurship was identified. As
new business registrations increased, poverty declined.