Clearance Certificate No | 2023_FBMSREC_ST23This study examines the influence of mentorship on women entrepreneurs in Cape Town, South Africa, with a specific focus on personal empowerment, entrepreneurial performance, and innovation, within the contexts of systemic barriers and the policy environment. A qualitative research design was employed, combining a systematic literature review guided by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) framework. Primary data were collected through semi-structured interviews with ten women entrepreneurs who participated in a mentorship programme at RLabs. The findings reveal that women entrepreneurs across Africa face persistent structural constraints, including socio-cultural norms, limited access to skills development, weak support systems, financial exclusion, and inadequate policy frameworks. While these barriers are widely documented in the literature, empirical findings demonstrate that mentorship plays a significant role as an enabler of entrepreneurial growth, particularly in enhancing self-efficacy, business capabilities, and innovative practices. However, the effectiveness of mentorship is shown to be highly context-dependent and multifaceted, influenced by factors such as mentor-mentee fit, communication quality, frequency of engagement, duration of the programme, and relevant guidance. This study concludes that mentorship plays a multifaceted role by bridging the gap between internal transformation and external outcomes, but it’s insufficient on its own to overcome barriers such as access to finance, weak policy implementation, gender inequalities, work-life balance and limited government support. This study contributes to the literature by explaining the mechanisms through which mentorship influences entrepreneurial development, while highlighting the barriers that exist for women entrepreneurs and recommending a context-sensitive programme design for women within emerging economies.