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An examination of the frigidity of the district municipalities towards the needs of society: A synthesis of service delivery framework in Limpopo Province
No full textRecently, development has taken center stage as it encapsulates an intrinsic aspect of human life. Development is a fundamental requirement for improving the material conditions of communities that contend with abject poverty across all spheres of their lives. It is conversely justifiable that understanding development within the context of service delivery is indispensable and could be considered the backbone towards socioeconomic and political upliftment of the masses. This social science research study examines the frigidity of the district municipalities towards improving the needs of society. This study seeks to closely unpack the challenges that negatively impact ordinary citizens'
livelihoods to access the services as their fundamental and constitutional rights. The frigidity of district municipalities to render services violates the citizens' fundamental human rights and undermines constitutional supremacy. The primary focus of this study is on disentangling the issues which have a negative bearing on development initiatives to be undertaken by the district municipalities. This study further navigates the social ills through a lens that would, in turn, reveal and expose the key stumbling blocks which deter infrastructure and socio-economic development by district municipalities. This qualitative study embraces a phenomenological approach to fulfill the descriptive observation of the
phenomenon under investigation. Data was collected through phenomenological observations and focus groups among the respondents. This study postulates the essential recommendations that would inform policy shift and policy reform as fundamental approaches to development that respond squarely to service delivery.University of South Afric
The role of financial inclusion in moderating the incidence of entrepreneurship on energy poverty in Ghana
No full textThis paper assesses the role of financial inclusion in moderating the incidence of entrepreneurship on energy poverty in Ghana. The assessment is made by using pooled data and two stage least squares. The exposition builds from the 7th (GLSS7) and 6th (GLSS6) rounds focusing on the Ghana Living Standards Survey (GSS, 2014, 2019) that is collected by the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) from ten principal regions in the country. The findings show that entrepreneurship has an unconditional positive incidence on energy poverty while the interactive incidence between entrepreneurship and financial inclusion on energy poverty is negative. The corresponding financial inclusion policy thresholds that should be exceeded in order for financial inclusion to effectively moderate entrepreneurship for negative outcomes in energy poverty: (i) are between 0.154 and 0.280 index for the full sample; (ii) is between 0.187 index for the rural sub-sample; (iii) are between 0.200 and 0.333 index for the male sample. (iv) Thresholds are not computed for the rural and female sub-samples because at least one estimated coefficient that is needed for the computation of such thresholds is not significant. Policy implications are discussed. This study has complemented the existing literature by assessing how financial inclusion can be employed to influence the nexus between entrepreneurship and poverty in Ghana.Economic
Towards a human capabilities ontology in enterprise Architecture
No full textThis thesis aims at understanding and formalising human capabilities in enterprise architecture (EA). It begins by justifying why it is important for EA research and practice to consider human capabilities, and then proceeds to construct a computational ontology that defines human capability concepts and relationships in the EA domain. The research is motivated by the need to mainstream humans and their capability concerns into EA research and practice by creating mechanisms that would allow EA to function in an environment where the demand for equity, justice, sustainability, and progressive ideals is high.
This research is in response to a call for more research from a holistic perspective of EA
that takes into account shifting economic, environmental, and human conditions. Based on
Amartya Sen’s human capabilities approach (HCA), which asserts that the true value of any
developmental initiative lies in its potential and outcome to promote human capabilities, this
research seeks to answer questions like what roles do or could human capabilities play in EA, what human capabilities should EA practices account for, and whether or not a human
capabilities ontology can support EA practice.
Within a design science research (DSR) approach, literature review, thematic analysis,
framework synthesis, and ontology modelling are deployed to create the ontology artefact. A panel of experts from banking and finance, as well as higher education, were engaged to validate the ontology. The surveyed experts agreed that the ontology adequately reflects key human capability concepts and relationships pertinent to EA. They also acknowledged that the concepts are valid for a diverse user group.
In addition to contributing to the paucity of literature at the interface of EA and human
capabilities, this research promotes human capabilities-conscious EA practices. Both theoretical and practical applications of EA and the HCA stand to benefit from the ontology. By supporting a shared understanding of human capabilities in the EA domain, the ontology might enable enterprises and their stakeholders to develop a common vision for a sustainable future.D. Phil. (Information Systems)College of Engineering, Science and Technolog
The effect of inequality on poverty and severity of poverty in SSA: the role of financial development institutions
Get PDFThe present study investigates the incidence of financial institutions' dynamics of depth and access in the effect of income inequality on poverty and the severity of poverty in 42 Sub-Saharan African countries from 1980 to 2019. The Gini index is used to measure income inequality while poverty is measured as the poverty headcount ratio, and the severity of poverty is generated as the squared of the poverty gap index. An interactive quantile regression approach is used as an empirical strategy. Income inequality unconditionally increases poverty dynamics while the financial institutions' depth and access mitigate the adverse effects of income inequality on poverty dynamics. Financial institutions’ policy thresholds or minimum financial institutions levels needed to completely dampen the adverse effects of income inequality on poverty dynamics are provided. The findings are contingent on existing levels of poverty, poverty measurement and proxies for financial institutions. Policy implications are discussed.Economic
Implementation of e-health interoperability in developing country contexts : the case of Zimbabwe
No full textThe provision of information technology-enabled healthcare services (e-health) has been adopted by numerous public and private facilities in both developing nations and advanced nations. However, one of the obstacles to the adoption of health information systems has been cited as their lack of interoperability resulting in their reduced effectiveness. In view of this, the study sought to explore the interoperability of health information systems employed in the country and then propose a framework to direct the process of implementing e-health interoperability. The study’s methodology was qualitative and a case study was undertaken. Semi-structured interviews were employed to gather data from e-health stakeholders in state-owned institutions and private enterprises. Document review was also conducted to substantiate findings from interviews. Data was analysed using thematic analysis and NVivo 12 software. The study’s findings revealed that several health information systems were implemented and their interoperability was low. Technological, terminology, organizational as well as regulatory and legal barriers were identified as hindrances to interoperability. The enablers for implementing e-health interoperability also revealed by this study include: development of re-usable software components, train the trainer approach to transfer of skills and regional conformance testing. The consequences of lack of interoperability among health information systems reported by this study include: burden on the worker, wastage of resources and high cost. The study also proposed a dual framework to guide the implementation of e-health interoperability. The study’s recommendations include the development of an e-health policy, an e-health strategy and the upgrade of ICT and telecommunication infrastructure to facilitate health information exchange.D. Phil. (Information Systems)School of Computin
Students’ experiences of academic student support systems in open distance e-learning environment
No full textText in English with summaries in Zulu and Southern SothoStudent support is central to enhancing academic performance, student success rate, and satisfaction in open, online and blended-learning environments. Students in distance education need continuous support during their studies, to cope with academic demands and achieve their learning goals. Hence, a range of student support systems is provided in ODeL contexts to facilitate online pedagogical practices. However, the support systems might not meet the needs and expectations of diverse students in ODeL contexts. The study's main objective was to examine students' experiences with academic support. The impetus of this study was driven by the need to find best practices and approaches for supporting students in ODeL environments. To achieve the objectives of this study, the study employed a qualitative research approach with a case study research design. Data was collected through semi-structured and focus group interviews as well as from relevant documents. The participants of the study were selected by employing a purposive sampling technique. Inductive thematic data analysis was adopted following Braun and Clark's work. The findings of the study revealed that students were facing challenges with the support provided and felt that it was not meeting their needs for successful learning. The challenges included a lack of digital resources to facilitate learning, a lack of communication between academics and students, underutilised services at the regional centres due to students’ socio-economic backgrounds, assessment strategies and practices that were not responsive to the needs and expectations, particularly for students in ODeL context. It is proposed that the current student support be improved to address the highlighted challenges faced by the students as well as to transform, enhance and inform student support practices in ODeL environments.Ukwesekwa kwabafundi kuyinsika yokuthuthukisa izinga lokusebenza komfundi ezifundweni zezinga lemfundo eliphezulu, izinga lokuphumelela komfundi, nokwaneliseka ezimeni zokufunda ezivulekile, ezisebenzisa ulayini/iposi, nezixubile. Abafundi abafunda ngeposi badinga ukwesekwa okuqhubekayo ngesikhathi sokufunda izifundo zabo zemfundo ephakeme, ukuze babhekane nezidingo zemfundo ephakeme futhi bafeze imigomo yabo. Ngakho-ke, izinhlobonhlobo zezinhlelo zokusekelwa kwabafundi zihleliwe futhi zikhona ngaphansi kwesimo se-ODeL ukuze kwenze lula izindlela zokufukufundisa ngolayini/ngeposi kwalowo ofundisayo kanye nokufunda komfundi. Kodwa-ke, izindlela (systems) zokweseka zingase zingahlangabezani nezidingo kanye nokulindelwe ngabafundi abahlukahlukene ngaphansi kwesimo se-ODeL. Inhloso enkulu yocwaningo kwakuwukuhlola amava abafundi ngokusekelwa ezifundweni zemfundo ephakeme. Umfutho walolu cwaningo ugqugquzelwe isidingo sokuthola izindlela ezingcono ezijwayelekile namacebo okweseka abafundi ezindaweni ngaphansi kwesimo se-ODeL. Ukufeza izinhloso zalolu cwaningo, ucwaningo lusebenzise icebo locwaningo elingungqo-shishilizi olunendaba engumklamo wocwaningo. Idatha yaqoqwa ngezingxoxiswano namaqembu akhiwe ngokuhleleka okungaphelele kanye namaqembu okwakugxilwe kuwo ngqo kanye nasemibhalweni efanele. Ababebamb’iqhaza ocwaningweni babekhethwe ngokusebenzisa inqubo enenhloso yokuthatha isampula. Ukuhlaziywa kwedatha (inductive thematic) (okuyinqubo yokubhala ngekhodi idatha ngaphandle kokuzama ukuyifaka ohlakeni lwamakhodi olukhona ngaphambili) kwamukelwa ngokulandela umsebenzi kaBraun noClark. Okutholwe kulolu cwaningo kuveze ukuthi abafundi babhekene nezinselelo ngoxhaso abalunikezwayo futhi babona sengathi aluhlangabezani nezidingo zabo ukuze bafunde ngempumelelo. Izinselelo zazihlanganisa ukuntuleka kwezinsiza zedijithali zokufundisa, ukuntuleka kokuxhumana phakathi kwezifundiswa nabafundi, izinsiza ezingase zisetshenziswe kahle ezikhungweni zesifunda ngenxa yezizinda zezenhlalo-mnotho zabafundi, amasu okuhlola kanye nezinqubo ebezingaphenduli izidingo nokulindelekile, ikakhulukazi ngakubafundi besimo se-ODeL. Kuphakanyiswa ukuthi ukwesekwa kwabafundi kwamanje kuthuthukiswe ukuze kubhekwane nezinselele ezigqanyisiwe abafundi ababhekene nazo kanye nokuguqula, ukuthuthukisa nokwazisa izinqubo zokwesekwa kwabafundi ezindaweni ze-ODeL.Tsehetso ea baithuti e bohlokoa ho ntlafatseng ts'ebetso ea thuto, sekhahla sa katleho ea baithuti, le khotsofalo maemong a thuto e fihlellehang ho bohle ka tshebediso ea inthanet. Baithuti ba mokhoa oona oa thuto ba hloka tsehetso e tla ba thusa ho atleha nakong ea lithuto tsa bona, ho sebetsana le litlhoko tsa thuto le ho fihlela sepheo sa bona sa ho ithuta. Kahoo, ho fanoa ka mefuta e mengata ea litsamaiso tsa tsehetso ea baithuti maemong a ODeL ho tsamaisa mekhoa ea thuto ea inthaneteng. Leha ho le joalo, litsamaiso tsa tsehetso li kanna tsa se fihlelle litlhoko le litebello tsa baithuti ba fapaneng maemong a ODeL. Sepheo se seholo sa thuto e ne e le ho hlahloba maikutlo a baithuti ka eo ba e fumanang lithutong tsa bona. Lipatlisiso tsena li susumelitsoe ke tlhoko ea ho fumana mekhoa le meralo e metle bakeng sa ho tsehetsa baithuti ba tikolohong ea ODeL. Ho fihlela maikemisetso a phuputso ena, phuputso e ile ya sebedisa mokgwa wa patlisiso o hlahlobang boleng ba se fuputsoang ka botebo. Lintlha li ile tsa bokelloa ka lipuisano tse hlophisitsoeng le tse tsepamisitsoeng tsa lihlopha hammoho le litokomaneng tse amehang. Ba ileng ba nka karolo phuputsong ena, ba khethiloe ka ho sebelisa thekeniki ea ho hloaea karoloana e eitseng ho baithuti ba khethetsoeng hoba karolo ea patlisiso.
Tlhahlobo ea lintlha tse fumanoeng malebana le maikutlo a baithuti e ile ea etsoa ka ho latela mosebetsi oa Braun le Clarke. Liphuputso li senotse hore baithuti ba tobane le liphephetso ka tsehetso e fanoeng mme ba ikutloa hore ha e fihlelle litlhoko tsa bona bakeng sa ho atleha ho ithuta. Liphephetso li ne li kenyeletsa khaello ea lisebelisoa tsa thekenoloji ho thusa ho ithuta, khaello ea puisano lipakeng tsa matichere le baithuti, lits'ebeletso tse sa sebelisoeng hantle litsing tsa tikoloho ka lebaka la likhaello tsa lichelete tse setisang baithuti ho finyella litsing tsa thuto, maano a tlhahlobo le litloaelo tse neng li sa arabele litlhoko, litebello, haholo-holo tsa baithuti ba ithutang ka bongoe maemong a ODeL. Ho sisintswe hore tshehetso ya ha jwale ya baithuti e ntlafatswe ho sebetsana le diphephetso tse totobalitsoeng tseo baithuti ba tobaneng le tsona hammoho le ho fetola, ho matlafatsa le ho thusa meralo ea tshehetso ya baithuti libakeng tsa ODeL.Ph. D. (Education Management)College of Educatio
Perceptions of Leadership and Culture in Private and Public Organisations: ASectoral Comparison Over FiveYears and 12 Independent Studies
No full textLeadership is regarded as essential in life, in society and in organisations. It is for this reason that this article studies leadership, in particular employees’ perceptions of leadership, with regard to social exchange and institutional (behavioural) isomorphism theories, acknowledging the contextual differences between the private and the public sectors. The purpose of the article is to compare the perceptions of employees from organisations in the private and the public sector based on 12 independent cross-sectional studies (conducted over five years). Eight leadership styles were examined, namely, authentic, empowering, ethical, servant, transformational, transactional, and ubuntu or Afrocentric leadership, and leader–member exchange. One of the studies included a measurement of organisational culture, to be brought in relation with leadership. The results of this study indicate that the employees in the private sector have a significantly better perception of leadership compared to those in the public sector (except for transactional leadership). It was further found that the two sectors differ significantly with regard to the perceived cultures, and that the cultural types are related to the perception of leadership. Recommendations are not only made in general, but also with regard to improving the perception of leadership (which has an impact on employee behaviour, attitudes and organisational performance) in the public sector, based on the findings of this study.Graduate School of Business Leadershi
Influencing factors of Knowledge sharing amongst academics in Western Cape’s Universities and HEIs, South Africa
No full textHigher education institutions (HEIs) create, disseminate, share, and exchange knowledge through relationships among people, processes, and technologies. Knowledge sharing (KS) in academia enables people within institutions to develop practices that allow them to collect and share what they know. Higher education institutions are knowledge-intensive centres. This often leads to actions that compete to improve services and outcomes. Despite these opportunities, knowledge sharing has implications because it exposes the knowledge sharer and recipient to several vulnerabilities and risks, which influence the knowledge-sharing process. This study investigates factors that influence knowledge-sharing intentions amongst academics in SA institutions of higher learning.
The research used an online questionnaire-based survey to collect knowledge-sharing intentions data from personnel at three universities and one TVET (Technical and Vocational Education and Training) college located in the Western Cape Province, South Africa. Data analysis was performed using SPSS (Statistical Packages for Social Sciences) and the findings of this study revealed that academics' KS intentions are positively influenced by organisational culture, organisational structure, self-efficacy, and technology literacy. This study has reinforced the understanding of the factors that influence KS amongst academics in South African HEIs.School of Computin
Natural language processing (NLP) for the decolonisation of low resourced african languages
Get PDFElectrical and Mining Engineerin
Primary school English teachers' experiences of implementing curriculum recovery plan during covid-19 in Warmbath circuit
Get PDFAbstract in English, Sepedi and IsiZuluThe right to education is an important human right but the 2020 Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has made an impact on how we live, teach, and how learners learn. Teachers experienced different challenges due to lockdown restrictions and they had to repeat the same lesson for different groups as not all learners could come to school. This research study aimed to explore primary school English teachers’ experiences of implementing curriculum recovery plan during the coronavirus (COVID-19). The study employed an interpretivism paradigm to analyse how teachers implemented the curriculum recovery plan through thematic analysis. The study further employed a qualitative research approach where a semi-structured interviews schedule with open and close-ended questions were conducted. Non-probability sampling and purposeful sampling were employed for this study to select participants. Document analysis was also used to gather information from intermediate English teachers in primary schools. The researcher interviewed 10 teachers to identify their experiences based on the implementation of the curriculum recovery plan during COVID-19. The study documented the best strategies that teachers can adopt when implementing the curriculum recovery plan to fill in the existing gaps in the teaching strategies in the literature. The use of visual aids when teaching English positively contributed to their successful implementation of the curriculum recovery plan during the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19). The research identified challenges that hindered the implementation of curriculum recovery plans in respective schools, such as not having enough time and rotational methods. There is a need for teachers to be allocated enough time to implement the curriculum recovery plan and be provided with the opportunity to attend ICT courses and workshops. Thus, suggests that teachers can opt to use ICT teaching aids during their teaching and learning process.Tokelo ya thuto ke tokelo ye bohlokwa ya motho, eupsa leuba la Coronavirus (COVID 19) la 2020 le hueditse ka moo re phelago, re rutago, le ka moo barutwana ba ithutago. Barutisi ba itemogetse ditlhohlo tsa go fapana ka lebaka la dikiletso tsa mesepelo gomme ba ile ba swanela ke go boeletsa thutwana ya go swana ya dihlopha tsa go fapana, ka ge e se barutwana ka moka bao ba bego ba kgona go tla sekolong. Thuto ye ya dinyakisiso e ikemiseditse go utolla maitemogelo a barutisi ba Seisemane ba sekolo sa praemari a go phethagatsa maano a go mpshafatsa lenaneothuto nakong ya leuba le. Mohlala wa hlathollo o dirisisitswe go sekaseka, ka tshekatsheko ya thematiki, ka moo barutisi ba phethagaditsego leano la mpshafatso ya lenaneothuto. Mokgwa wa dinyakisiso wa boleng o dirisitswe, ka lenaneo la go botsisa dipotsiso leo le beakantswego go ya ka tlhako leo le nago le dipotsiso tsa botlalo le tseo e sego tsa botlalo. Mohlala wo o kgonagalogo le mohlala wa mohola e somisitswe go kgetha bakgathatema. Go kgatha tema go tshekatsheko ya tokumente go hwetsa tshedimoso ka moo barutisi ba beakanyago dithutwana tsa bona le go phethagatsa leano la mpshafatso ya lenaneothuto. Banyakisisi ba botsisise barutisi ba 10 dipotsiso go kgonthisa maitemogelo a bona a phethagatso ya leano la mpshafatso ya lenaneothuto nakong ya COVID-19. Dinyakisiso di lemogile mekgwa ye mekaone go feta ka moka yeo barutisi ba ka e somisago ge ba phethagatsa leano la mpshafatso ya lenaneothuto, go tswalela masoba ao a lego gona mo mekgweng ya go ruta yeo e utollotswego go dingwalwa. Go lemogilwe gore tshomiso ya dithusathuto ge go rutwa Seisemane go kgathile tema gabotse go phethagatso ya katlego ya leano la mpshafatso ya lenaneothuto nakong ya leuba la coronavirus (COVID-19). Dinyakisiso di utollotse ditlhohlo tseo di ditetsego phethagatso ya maano a mpshafatso ya lenaneothuto dikolong tsa go fapana, go swana le go se be le nako ye e lekanego, le mekgwa ya go sielana go tla sekolong. Go na le nyakego ya gore barutisi ba fiwe nako ye e lekanego go phethagatsa leano la mpshafatso ya lenaneothuto le go fiwa sebaka sa go tsenela dithutwana tsa ICT le ditlhahlo gore ba be le kgetho ya go somisa dithusathuto tsa ICT nakong ya tshepetso ya go ruta le go ithuta.Ilungelo lemfundo liyilungelo lomuntu elibalulekile, kodwa ubhubhane luka-2020 lwe-Coronavirus (i-COVID-19) lube nomthelela endleleni esiphila ngayo, esifundisa ngayo, nendlela abafundi abafunda ngayo. Othisha bahlangabezane nezinselelo ezahlukene ngenxa yemikhawulo yokungaphumi ezindlini kwaphinda kwadingeka ukuba baphindaphinde asebekufundisile kumaqoqoqo abafundi ahlukene, njengoba abafundi babengakwazi ukuza bonke esikoleni. Lolu cwaningo luhlose ukuhlola lokho abahlangabezane nakho othisha besiNgisi esikoleni samabanga aphansi ekuqaliseni ukusebenza kohlelo lokuhlenga ikharikhulamu ngesikhathi kunalolu bhubhane. Lapha kusetshenziswe ucwaningo lokuqonda iqophelo, ngokuthi kuhlaziywe isihloko, ukuthi
othisha baluqalise kanjani ukusebenza uhlelo lokuhlenga ikharikhulamu. Lolu cwaningo lusebenzise uhlelo lokuhlola iqophelo, kwasetshenziswa inhlolovo evulelekile equkethe imibuzo enezimpendulo okhetha kuzo. Ababambiqhaza bakhethwe ngokuthi kuthathwe amasampula alokho okuhlosiwe nokukhethwa kohlobo oluthile lwabantu. Kuphinde kwahlaziywa imibhalo ethile ukuze kuqoqwe imininingwane yokuthi othisha bazihlela kanjani izifundo zabo futhi baluqalise kanjani uhlelo lokuhlenga ikharikhulamu. Umcwaningi uxoxisane nothisha abayi-10 ukuze athole ulwazi lwabo mayelana nokuqaliswa kohlelo lokuhlenga ikharikhulamu ngesikhathi se-COVID-19. Ucwaningo luqhamuke namasu angcono kakhulu othisha abangawasebenzisa ukuqalisa uhlelo lokuhlenga ikharikhulamu, ukuze bavale izikhala ezikhona ngokwamasu okufundisa abalulwe ezincwadini. Kutholakale ukuthi kunomthelela omuhle kakhulu ukusetshenziswa kwezinsiza zevishwali lapho kufundiswa isiNgisi ngenhloso yokwenza kahle ekuqaliseni ukusebenza kohlelo lokuhlenga ikharikhulamu ngesikhathi sobhubhane i-coronavirus (i-COVID-19). Lolu cwaningo luhlonze izinselelo eziphazamisa ukuqaliswa kwezinhlelo zokuhlenga ikharikhulamu ezikoleni ezehlukene, njengokungabi nesikhathi esanele, kanjalo nezindlela zokusebenza ngokushintshana. Kunesidingo sokuthi othisha banikezwe isikhathi esanele sokuqalisa ukusebenza kohlelo lokuhlenga ikharikhulamu kanye nokuthi bahlinzekwe ngethuba lokufundiswa nokucobelelwa ngolwazi lwe-ICT ukuze bakwazi ukuzikhethela uma befisa ukusebenzisa izinsiza zokufundisa ze-ICT.M. Ed. (Curriculum Studies)Curriculum and Instructional Studie