This study aims to identify both the causes and costs that are associated with poor quality on South African manufacturing SMMEs. Secondly, it seek to find the reason(s) for not implementing quality practices in SMMEs. This study adopted both qualitative and quantitative approach, whereby 90 SMMEs were given questionnaires to fill out. Interviews, probing questions and observations were conducted as well. This study discovered that most of the furniture manufacturing SMMEs do not have a quality departments. Furthermore, it discovered that some of them do not even implement not even a single quality practice because they are not known to them and to some it is too complex to use and train. This study recommends that government should intervene and offer quality workshops and trainings to SMMEs so that they may improve their quality. As this study solely focused on manufacturing SMMEs, a replication study should be done on other industries.