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Initiation, cessation and relapse of tobacco smoking among participants in a large longitudinal cohort in rural South Africa
Get PDFPaper presented at the The Union World Conference on Lung Health, Bali, 12-16 NovemberN/
The integrated care costs of HIV and non-communicable diseases in South Africa
No full textIn sub-Saharan Africa, the syndemic of HIV and non-communicable diseases (NCDs) poses a significant challenge. To address this, leading global think tanks like the WHO advocate for integrated HIV/NCD care at primary healthcare levels. However, comparative empirical data on the costs of integrated care are limited. South Africa, with the largest HIV programme globally, was purposively selected for our comparative case study. To determine the cost of integrated HIV/NCD care from the providers? perspective at two ?ideal status? public healthcare facilities in South Africa as case studies. A multi-pronged methodology was used to collect provider cost data via retrospective documentary sources or records and a question-and-answer session with facility managers who provided key information on cost-related data. Data analysis utilised an activity-based costing (ABC) method. Despite the difference in the size of the clinics, the cost per patient in terms of ABC is similar between the two primary healthcare facilities, USD261.60 and USD226.30, respectively. The ABC method can be utilised to cost integrated care, foster health economic data availability for future research, and inform health policymakers.
Residential satisfaction with subsidised housing in South Africa: implications for innovative transformative policies in human settlements
No full textA study conducted in 2016–2017 in Gauteng province, South Africa, assessed resident satisfaction using both quantitative and qualitative tools (mixed methods). The study was conducted in the five regions of the province, namely, Ekurhuleni, Johannesburg, Sedibeng, Tshwane and West Rand. Of the 1800 households targeted for the survey, 1718 were visited. The response rate for the study was 95%; that is, 1626 households agreed to participate in the study, 1.9% (33) of these refused to complete the questionnaire and 2.9% (46 households) were “other”, which implied that the members were absent from their households during the survey, despite efforts to return and find them. The highest response rate for the survey was in West Rand (99.6%) and the lowest response rate was in the Johannesburg region (87.9%). Although the study covered different satisfaction levels, this chapter focuses on satisfaction with housing services in the province. The findings reveal that more than half of the subsidy beneficiaries were satisfied with their housing units, electricity and water supply. Satisfaction with housing services should not be confused with satisfaction with the services. Residents in different regions were dissatisfied with the infrequent water and electricity supply. The water and electricity costs were a source of complaints among the residents. This paper argues that the provision of subsidised housing to people who previously did not own any property within the province has granted them access to the city. However, infrequency of water and electricity and the costs of these utilities are a source of dissatisfaction for residents of Gauteng. The contribution of this chapter lies in identifying the elements that cause dissatisfaction and the reasons underlying resident dissatisfaction in the different housing projects and regions. Gender differences in satisfaction were also identified. The paper recommends deploying transformative innovative policies in human settlements to address the underlying causes of resident dissatisfaction in subsidised housing projects
The power of collaboration in enhancing HIV health outcomes in Limpopo
No full textCollaboration between the health sector and traditional leaders may have contributed to a higher uptake of voluntary male circumcision in Limpopo compared to other parts of the country. Such collaboration should be supported and expanded to further improve HIV prevention efforts in the province, delegates heard at a recent provincial dialogue in Limpopo. At this event, the HSRC released the regional results of its Sixth South African National HIV Prevalence, Incidence, Behaviour and Communication Survey.N/
National policy framework for women
Get PDFHSRC Policy Brief, MayThe objective of this policy brief is to assess the effectiveness of NPF-WEGE in influencing sectoral policies to
achieve women's empowerment in South Africa. The analysis suggests that various challenges have constrained the effectiveness of the NPF-WEGE. These constraints include the failure of departments to mainstream
gender in their policies and programmes. Furthermore, the failure of various departments to implement and institutionalise gender-responsive planning, budgeting, monitoring, evaluation, and auditing has resulted in gender-blind interventions and constrained women's empowerment and gender equality.N/
By popular demand: corruption, public opinion, and policy representation in South Africa
No full textSouth African society has been beleaguered by high-profile political corruption scandals since the early 2000s, bringing questions of accountability, ethical leadership, and the state of democracy into sharp focus. In this chapter, we reflect on the way these contextual developments have informed public opinion. The analysis charts the rapid rise of corruption as a critical issue of concern among South Africans, irrespective of their socio-demographic background. This has been accompanied by a diminishing sense of trust in the government and a deep-rooted scepticism of the government's anti-corruption agenda. The South African public tends to be responsive and attuned to clear policy actions that effectively represent and tackle the issues that it deems to be salient. On this basis, we argue that strong expectations have been placed on the Cyril Ramaphosa administration's 'new dawn' agenda which includes a resolute commitment to promote a developmental, capable, and ethical state. A failure to successfully forge progress in this regard is therefore likely to be met with increasing disaffection and political disillusionment which has the potential to erode the legitimacy of South African democracy and frustrate attempts at further democratic consolidation.
Lived experiences of female social work and community development students at the University of Zambia (UNZA) about online education during Covid-19 pandemic
No full textThis book chapter explores the lived experiences of female students pursuing Master of Social Work and Community Development at UNZA about online education during the COVID-19 era. The study focused on establishing the challenges faced, the factors that explain the challenges, and policy measures put in place to address the challenges as a means of improving the quality of future online education at the institution. To achieve the objectives, the study adopted a hermeneutical phenomenology qualitative approach that involved twelve (12) Social Work and Community Development students who participated in online education during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study established that the challenges faced by students can be grouped into three (3) major categories, including micro level challenges (that is, challenges at individual students and lecturers' level), meso challenges (that is, challenges at UNZA as an institution), and macro challenges (that is, challenges faced by Zambia as a nation). However, despite the grouping, it was evident that micro level challenges are attributable to meso and macro levels. This was because participants held the view that meso and macro level challenges were mainly the ones that led to micro level challenges. At each of these levels, the major challenges included poor internet connectivity, high cost of buying internet bundles, inadequate technology, poor coordination of lectures, and load-shedding, suggesting that they are interlinked and cannot be separated. To mitigate the challenges, the study calls for the need to simultaneously address challenges at all the above levels. This would involve improving access to the internet by all students and lecturers, addressing the national problem of load-shedding, and technological empowerment of both lecturers and students in online education.
Exploring researcher positionality: insights into studying doctoral students' educational experiences in South Africa
No full textThis research note presents an examination of my positionality as a doctoral student conducting a
study on the work-life integration of emerging researchers in doctoral studies. Grounded in qualitative
inquiry, the research delves into the impact of my individual identity as the researcher and my subjective
standpoint in the process of research and comprehension of the social phenomena under scrutiny.
Positionality, which encompasses personal expertise, cultural principles, power dynamics, and
preconceived notions regarding research, assumes a central role in shaping the perspectives of
researchers. By sharing personal reflections and insights, this paper aims to illuminate the complexities
and fluidity of positionality in qualitative research. Drawing on a collection of research memoirs, I
explore my positionality in studying doctoral experiences in South Africa. The paper highlights the dynamic nature of positionality, revealing shifts in the researcher's identity throughout the study and
challenging the notion of a fixed researcher identity.
Rising foodborne illnesses and food poisoning cases among children in South Africa: a focus on vulnerable communities: Spatial Insights: Edition 14
Get PDFFoodborne illnesses (FBI) and food poisoning are related but distinct health concerns. Foodborne illness is a broad term that encompasses various diseases caused by contaminated food, which may occur at any point in the food production or handling process. These illnesses can arise from environmental contaminants, such as pollutants in water, soil, or air, as well as from improper food storage or handling practices, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Food poisoning, as a subset of foodborne illness, typically involves acute gastrointestinal symptoms like nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, often due to consuming food contaminated by harmful toxins or bacteria, usually associated with more localized and short-term contamination events.N/
Transborder insecurity in the Sahel: assessing non-state actors in enabling terrorism in Mali
Get PDFThe study, on which this article is based, sought to examine the role of non-state actors in enabling terrorism and insecurity in Mali. The researchers analysed the insecurity situation in Mali within the broader challenge of insecurity and religious conflict in West Africa. The researchers contend that transhumanism as a migratory pattern, and the porosity of international boundaries along the Sahel region are enabling variables for the
insecurity and instability in the country. Although the way transhumanism is practised today might have changed, the methodological approach by which it is carried out has not. However, many argue that the root causes of terrorist acts and violent conflict in post-independence Africa are not the unmet promises to address poverty and unemployment but rather people's experiences of inequality and relative deprivation. This article attempts to
clarify some of the critical theoretical issues for which political elites need to look out as they put measures in place to address fundamental challenges the country is facing. The concept of ungoverned spaces is elaborated upon, and the researchers assert that the vast uninhabited spaces in Mali are breeding areas for terrorists with their nefarious activities. The article concludes by suggesting that the Malian government should renegotiate a
social compact with the people of Mali and start re-engineering rapprochement between the Malian people and the government.