African Journal of Inter/Multidisciplinary Studies
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University Entrepreneurship Programmes and their Implications for Youth Development in South Africa’s Developmental Agenda: Case Studies from KwaZulu Natal
Get PDFThe South African government recognizes the significance of youth entrepreneurship amidst a backdrop of a burgeoning youth population, escalating unemployment, and evolving labour market dynamics spurred by technological advancements. Embracing this reality, the government has proactively integrated policies and legislative measures into its developmental agenda to foster youth entrepreneurship. Given that higher education institutions (HEIs) are hubs of young people, their pivotal role in nurturing entrepreneurial capacity among the youth warrants examination. This paper employed a case study approach and qualitative methodology to explore university entrepreneurship programs (UEPs) as tools in advancing youth entrepreneurship and sustainable development. Additionally, the study delved into the development policy and legislative frameworks underpinning youth development and empowerment. Focusing on two HEIs in KwaZulu Natal Province, South Africa, the research utilized inductive content analysis of strategic documents and archival materials. Key findings underscore HEIs' commitment to youth entrepreneurship evidenced by the establishment of dedicated bureaus overseeing various UEPs. The study's practical implications advocate for HEIs to enhance student awareness of UEPs, integrate design thinking into the curriculum, and broaden partnership networks to fortify UEPs' impact
Men’s Perspectives on Gender-Based Violence and the Economic Empowerment Imbalances between Men and Women in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Get PDFSouth Africa continues to grapple with one of the world's highest rates of gender-based violence (GBV). The #TotalShutdown marches marked a pivotal moment as women rallied against GBV, echoing the resounding call of "enough is enough" nationwide, and emphasising the urgency for collective action and robust leadership. In response to this call, and with KwaZulu-Natal being the leading province in the country in relation to GBV and other reported sexual offences, the provincial government under the Department of Social Development (DSD) held a men’s colloquium in 2021 to listen to the voices of the men, who are often regarded as “perpetrators” of GBV, through a dialogue session. The DSD held these dialogues in all 11 districts of Kwa-Zulu Natal, with the aim of affording men in the province an opportunity to speak about their perspectives on what they considered as causes of GBV in the province. A total of 548 men from the 11 districts attended the dialogue session. Data from the dialogue was extracted for this paper. The paper adopts an exploratory qualitative approach, utilising data collected from the dialogues to delve into men's perceptions regarding the root causes of GBV in KwaZulu-Natal. The paper examines whether a correlation exists between government gender-specific economic empowerment initiatives and male resentment or anger towards women in the region. The study reveals that the exclusion of men in the execution of women empowerment programmes in the province, leaves men feeling disenfranchised, demonised and demoralised. While the findings are confined to the KwaZulu-Natal province and thus not generalisable, they offer valuable insights that can guide efforts to enhance the inclusivity of gender-related programmes, ultimately aiding in the ongoing battle against GBV
Sisterhood in Academia - Storying our Experiences in Higher Education
Get PDFBreaking the barriers for women in higher education institutions has been on the global agenda for over a decade. Women's lived experiences in academia has notably focused on issues of inequality and systemic gendered barriers that lead to women opting out of academia. This study acknowledges that many black women academics feel caged and overlooked in their positions and argues that despite these challenges, women are resilient and need to carve out spaces to navigate their paths in the academy. Using the autoethnography inquiry approach, we reflect on how our experiences shaped our academic journey in higher education institutions. The principles of Communities of Practice (CoP) is adopted as a framework underpinning this paper. It is envisaged that this framework will help examine the challenges and opportunities black women academics experience in higher education. Our reflective discussion on the sisterhood we embraced during our academic journeys has suggested that institutions need to provide mentorship opportunities, and spaces to talk, support and be supported
The Importance of Mentorship Opportunities for Women in Academia: A Systematic Review
Get PDFThis paper aims to review the literature on the importance of mentoring in academia, specifically focusing on enhancing women's careers in academia. This study focuses on studies published between 2000-2023. Due to gender imbalance in academia, mentoring of early-career female academics has been recognised as instrumental in improving their aspirations. However, this tool is not receiving the recognition that it deserves, especially for women in academia. It further briefly discusses how mentoring is used as a resource to foster institutional change and decolonise entrenched academic promotion practices of paternalism. Radical feminist theory underpinned this study as this theoretical position helps explain the power inequalities that occur in higher education institutions (HEIs) and women’s communities and how these in turn inhibit the progress of women in academia. Furthermore, the African philosophy of Ubuntu is also used to explain how women can be supported in academia using indigenous African epistemology. A systematic review approach was used by searching for studies that focused on the importance of mentoring in academia. The findings of the review revealed numerous significant challenges that women in academia encounter. In addition, various benefits of mentoring were uncovered and discussed
Designing in the Times of AI: Co-Creation as a Strategy towards Emergent Learning Design
Get PDFThis paper explores co-creation as a strategy for emergent learning design in developing a new postgraduate diploma in blended and online learning (BOLD) at a large South African university. In this conceptual paper, grounded both in theory and critical collaborative autoethnography, we examine how co-creation functions as an epistemological, ontological, and political project in learning design. The “Designing with AI" design process illustrates the complexities and uncertainties inherent in emergent learning design. Our reflections reveal that co-creation challenges traditional notions of expertise disrupts established roles and processes, and addresses issues of social justice and equity in education. We propose a set of principles for co-creation in emergent learning design, including the affirmation of multiple knowledges, embracing entangled processes, and recognising the importance of affect and power dynamics. The paper highlights the potential of co-creation to navigate the uncertainties of rapidly evolving fields like AI in education while acknowledging the challenges and tensions inherent in this approach. We argue that co-creation when applied thoughtfully, can lead to more flexible, inclusive, and responsive learning designs. However, we also recognise that institutional contexts and individual positionalities within higher education may influence the ability to engage in such emergent practices
An Evaluation of the Factors that Impact the Sustainability of Maritime SMMES in the KwaZulu-Natal Province
Get PDFThe general state of entrepreneurship reveals that despite the efforts of the South African government to stimulate entrepreneurship through a policy framework, many SMMEs remain unsustainable. SMMEs in the country continue to experience a high failure rate of almost 70% to 80% within the first 5 years of operation. Policymaker’s have attempted to advance local economic development through various developmental models, as key economic development drivers, without success. Studies reveal that there is a misalignment in the various developmental instruments aimed at the development of the SMME sector and its reality. This study sought to explore challenges faced by SMMEs within the ocean economy in KZN province. This study was conducted with SMMEs in the ocean economy in the KZN province. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with 12 SMMEs participating in the ocean economy in the KZN province. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. The generated data from the research study showed that entrepreneurs are faced with various challenges which influence the organisation’s capacity to operate appropriately and sustainably. Understanding key challenges faced by entrepreneurs in the ocean economy in the province can help policymakers and entrepreneurs to navigate sustainable approaches to the sector’s development
The Use of Homoeopathic Nosodes: Consideration for Human Health
Get PDFHomoeopathy is a system of medicine based on the law of similars “let like be cured by like”. This means that any substance with the capacity of producing disease in its crude state has the capacity to treat a similar disease if taken in a very small dose. Homeopathic Nosodes are homoeopathic remedies sourced from diseased materials and organisms. Homoeopathic nosodes may be used to treat and prevent infectious and non-infectious diseases. The incidence of infectious diseases epidemics is now occurring more often around the world. The common public threat includes the emergence of antibiotic resistance which is increasing globally. Contributing factors of this emergence are linked to underlying biological, and environmental issues, lifestyle changes, misuse, and overprescribing of antibiotics. Despite strengthening health infrastructure, every epidemic and multi-drug resistance bacterium poses a challenge to the government, policymakers, health professionals, and the whole population. This article will review data available on homoeopathic nosodes, as well as present evidence that is available to support the use of homoeopathic nosodes in disease prevention and treatment. It also highlights several clinical trials and in vitro studies on the use of homoeopathy to target health issues that have the potential to harm public health and possibly assist in reducing healthcare costs
Innovative Entrepreneurship through Creative Outputs for Emerging Filmmakers in South Africa: A Conceptual Framework
Get PDFCreativity and innovation are fundamental traits of a creative leader in the film industry. This article explores the South African film landscape and the innovative opportunities for creative film entrepreneurs. It further explores and describes emerging film creative leadership in terms of an Entrepreneurial Conceptual Framework (creative output 2) that includes a functional relationship equation (creative output 1). The conceptual framework explores the relationship between the four key dimensions (soft skills, innovation, film project management, and iterative content generation) and the four key competencies (high-quality content, influence, education, and entertainment) and their ultimate effect on entrepreneurial creative leadership in the local filmmaking landscape. The functional relationship equation identifies four key characteristics (vision, collaboration, adaptability, and emotional intelligence) that distinguish a creative leader in the local film industry from other forms of leadership. Both the conceptual framework and the functional relationship equation set innovative and structural foundations and form creative outputs for emerging filmmakers, local independent film productions, and future academic studies
Recounting the Learning Challenges Experienced by Students from Rural Areas in South Africa in the Context of a Pandemic
Get PDFGlobally, the unprecedented onset of the COVID-19 pandemic has impelled students to transition abruptly from their traditional learning spaces to new learning conditions. To this end, universities were compelled to overhaul their existing institutional operations in conformance with the lockdown protocols enforced by the National Government. The sudden switch to an unplanned remote mode of teaching and learning becomes not only a lamentable reality for both academics but also a daunting challenge for many students. Concomitantly, this pandemic has rudely exposed a range of disparities that exist among tertiary students in South Africa. Consequently, many students of lower socioeconomic status lack the necessary resources and skills to succeed on a virtual platform of learning. Furthermore, during the lockdown period, many students were compelled to return to their rural towns and study in workspaces that were not conducive to learning, thus limiting their chances to engage optimally. This raises the question: How will students confined to their rural township homes that are not conducive to learning and do not have the efficacies to adapt to digital learning access, engage in, and successfully complete the current academic year? In fact, the digital divide widens the epistemic gap for most students from rural and vulnerable communities, diminishing their opportunities to access an inclusive and participatory education. Equally, COVID-19 forcibly sanctions that digital learning is no longer a privilege but a right to inclusive education. Consequently, this paper will highlight the vast chasms and challenges experienced by vulnerable first-year students of rural communities during the lockdown period, mostly highlighting the constraints on their epistemic access in the context of a pandemic
Digging up the Past: Re-Visiting the Potential Role Green Roofs can Play in Mitigating the Urban Heat Island (UHI) Effect: A Case Study of the Central Business District (CBD), Durban, South Africa
Get PDFAcross the world, cities and densely populated areas are striving to both uplift the quality of the environment as well as enhance their sustainability. Part of this endeavour entails the promotion of urban greening. In Durban, on the east coast of South Africa, rooftop greening practices are gaining some traction with a view to achieving the sustainable development of a greener environment for the city and surrounding areas, although on a smaller scale than many other cities. There has been little empirical research done on green roofs within a local context, especially concerning green roofs as green infrastructure in urban planning tools for creating sustainable resilient city spaces by helping them mitigate against climate change. The quantitative analysis of this research measured temperatures and the urban heat island effect (UHI) of green roofs, as well as control sites over a seven-year period. The total average temperature differences over a seven-year period during the summer months (January/February) witnessed one green roof measuring 9.2 degrees Celsius lower than the control roof. The rationale for this research was to offer support for the benefits of green roofs in mitigating against an increase in inner-city heat islands in the case of Durban’s Central Business District (CBD)