It is estimated that 50–70% of all South African businesses are family-owned and that these businesses form the backbone of the South African economy, their qualities providing stability and resilience in the changing society of the nation. Succession is one of the biggest challenges for family business owners. Research shows that only 33% of all family businesses progress from the first to the second generation and only 16% progress to the third generation. This is because in many small and medium-sized family businesses there is no formal succession plan and no appropriate governance structures are in place. Matters may also be complicated by destructive conflicts, with more than one family member believing that he or she is best equipped to take over as leader. In most developed countries family business research is receiving the same attention as, for example, entrepreneurship, but in South Africa neither topic has yet come of age. Of the 23 registered universities and technical universities in South Africa, only one offers a full semester-based module on family business, while four of the other institutions offer around two credit modules, of which succession is a small part. It is clear from the investigation reported here that unless the topic of succession receives more attention unclear succession plans, incompetence and/or lack of preparedness of successors and family rivalries will continue to result in unsuccessful successions and business failures.
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