African Citizens Research Articles

Distributional justice and rapid green energy transitions: citizen experiences in Kenya

Abstract A global movement promotes and supports the concept of just energy transitions. Advocates endorse the combined goals of universal, affordable access to electricity, and the use of clean, renewable sources of energy. In the Global South and particularly Africa, international organizations are promoting these rapid green energy transitions with financing and encouraging private sector investment and innovation. What remains unclear is how rapid green energy transitions are experienced by citizens, especially the poor in the Global South. Are the transitions just or equitably shared across populations? Kenya is an important country for assessing this question. Kenya is expected to achieve SDG 7, ‘sustainable energy access for all’, by 2030, one of the few African countries to reach this milestone. Kenya’s achievements, however, mask significant tensions surrounding its rapid energy transition. This paper reveals a mismatch between national and global narratives about access to electricity compared to local-level citizen experiences. The paper argues that the current transition aims for but is not achieving distributional justice. While there are many valuable lessons to take from Kenya’s experience, there are also significant concerns as the poor are carrying a heavy burden of the transition. Our analysis is based on focus groups, qualitative interviews, and survey data. The paper concludes by reflecting on the lessons from this critical case about the relationship between the global promotion of just energy transitions and African citizen needs.

The State of the South African Democracy and the Context of Service Delivery to the Citizens: Contributing Ubuntu as an Anchor of Good Governance

Objective: This article depicts the state of South African democracy and the challenges that citizens have endured for the past 30 years. The state of South Africans living below the poverty line and the overabundance of public riots is concerning. The objective of the article is to highlight the state of South African democracy and the context of service delivery and socio-economic challenges that have disenchanted electorates. Theoretical Framework: Drawing from the Critical Theory, the Deprivation Theory, and Ubuntu meta-theory, coupled with a desktop research approach, this article argues that for the democratic dispensation to be less contested through public riots, decentralised governance should prioritise the socio-economic advancements of South African citizens. Method: The methodology adopted for this research is the desktop approach with the use of secondary data such as textbooks, journal articles, and reports. Result and discussion: Results of the study suggest that the realisation of a democracy that works for its people should be embedded in Ubuntu elements of good governance, where the government is accountable, transparent, guided by the rule of law, safeguards democracy, embodies efficacy and efficiency, is census-oriented, and lastly, can create sustainable economic opportunities for its citizens. Research implication: In the ongoing discussion of the state of democracy and good governance in South Africa, Ubuntu elements of governance contribute an anchor through which the South African democratic dispensation will be legitimised and consolidated. Originality/valus:Ubuntu elements of governance are believed to shape responsive, policy-oriented, and responsible political leaders who prioritise service delivery and socio-economic human rights for all South Africans. This will heal the brokenness that South Africans have expressed through public riots.

Violence on truth and migrants in South Africa – learning and unlearning for humanisation

ABSTRACT This article explores the complex interplay between migration, xenophobia, and education in South Africa. It engages with the dehumanisation and violence directed at migrants, often fuelled by attacks on truth and scapegoating. It argues that education holds a crucial role in challenging prejudice, promoting understanding, and rehumanising society. The article draws on a Freirean-inspired educational intervention designed to foster dialogue between South African citizens and African migrants, and brings these findings into conversation with relevant literature, media statements and policy. This intervention surfaced deep-seated stereotypes and myths surrounding migration, particularly the false narrative of migrants taking jobs from locals. The analysis reveals the need for critical learning and unlearning to dismantle these narratives, countering the propaganda and misinformation which fuel xenophobic violence. The article emphasises the urgent need for transformative, life-deep learning pedagogies focused on connection, care, and healing. It advocates for educational interventions that embrace both formal and informal learning across the lifespan and promoting a shared sense of humanity and more accurate understandings of migration. Finally, the article concludes by suggesting that migration pedagogy can contribute to normalising the migration narrative, empowering individuals to live dignified lives while fostering a more just and inclusive society.

An Analysis of South Africa’s Foreign Policy Priorities on Africa

This research paper explores the nexus between South Africa’s domestic and foreign policies between 2018 and 2022, using a neoclassical realist framework, and with a focus on South Africa’s foreign policy priorities on Africa. It measures the state’s performance against its pronounced foreign policy priorities towards the continent. This paper aims to examine whether the citizens of South Africa are an asset or a liability to the state’s stated foreign policy objectives. Furthermore, it examines how South Africa can improve its foreign policy such that the domestic developments in the state may positively impact the African continent. The paper uses qualitative research, with data analysis of case studies. The findings indicate that South Africa does not have a coherent foreign policy, which in turn negatively affects the African continent, and that South Africa is a long way from achieving a pan-Africanist foreign policy. The paper concludes by contemplating the importance of educating South African policymakers and citizens in strengthening and implementing the DIRCO’s mission and objectives.

Border as Reparative Geography: Shailja Patel's Eastern Africa

ABSTRACT: Can poetry be a tool to fix broken emotions—for the poet and the audience? Can performance art help returning to a distressed geography in the hope of restoring the damage that colonial violence has left behind? Shailja Patel's genre-defying collection gives an affirmative, however complex and ambivalent, answer to both of these questions. This article commits to the challenge of thinking with the formalism of performing repair across Eastern African borders. I argue that Migritude , as performance, poetry, and political manifesto, holds conflicting emotions about Eastern Africa as a cross-border region in its complex, longue durée of cycles of loss and recuperation. To draw near this geography, to love it again, Migritude embraces its affective discord with brutal sincerity, and hands it over to its audience without much damage control. Somewhere between Patel's design and the unpredictability of the outcome of her dramaturgy, a poetic act is created that momentarily heals its battered land, the geography that she has left behind and the one that she has come to reinhabit alongside fellow Eastern African citizens. By achieving this effect, Migritude 's political theatrics brings home a worldly drama, with a gesture to acknowledge the diverse and interconnected fabric of Eastern Africa and a remedy for its abused past.

South Africa’s diplomatic efforts to secure the release of its citizens kept hostage abroad

ABSTRACT One of the unintended consequences of the end of South Africa’s international isolation since 1994 and South Africans’ greater international mobility has been the increased risk and prevalence of South African citizens taken hostage by non-state actors abroad. Moreover, factors such as piracy off the East African coast, 9/11, the Arab Spring in North Africa, the collapse of the Gaddafi regime in Libya and subsequent regional insecurity have added to South Africans’ exposure to risk. Based on more than 20 South African hostage cases abroad, the contribution presents a first take on South Africa’s diplomatic efforts to secure the release of its citizens. It outlines the legal and normative foundations of South Africa’s obligations regarding its citizens kept hostage abroad, as well as the country’s policy on hostage negotiations and captors’ demands. The country’s diplomatic efforts confirm the complexities and dynamics of international hostage negotiations and the significance of intermediaries. South Africa’s diplomatic efforts have predominantly resulted in the release of its citizens and a relative decrease in South Africans taken hostage abroad. However, some South Africans were killed or passed away during their captivity whereas several other citizens remain captive abroad as diplomatic efforts continue.

The Value of Ethical Leadership in Improving Service Delivery Amongst Senior Managers

Objective: The purpose of the study is to explore the senior managers' perceptions towards ethical leadership behaviours and their significance to service delivery. The study sought to achieve the following objectives i) exploring the factors that contributed to ethical behaviours, ii) determining whether senior managers practised ethical leadership. Theoretical Framework: The current study is guided by the legal framework of South Africa. A comprehensive set of laws and policies has been put in place since the beginning of democracy in 1994 to ensure that the public sector is more accountable, financially viable, and able to provide services to all South African citizens. Method: The study adopted a qualitative research approach, and semi-structured interviews were utilised to collect data from ten (10) senior managers at a municipality in South Africa. Thematic analysis was employed to analyse the data. Results and Discussion: The findings of the study revealed that the municipal workforce did not consider ethical leadership necessary for service delivery. Research Implications: The senior managers of the organisation should be provided with regular scheduling of workshops on ethics. The executive management should make sure all employees sign a pledge as a reminder to behave in line with the ethical principles. Originality/Value: In South Africa, corruption and maladministration among leaders have been cited as significant challenges that negatively impact service delivery in local government. However, limited studies have been conducted on ethical leadership, especially in the public sector. Hence, this extends the existing literature on ethical leadership behaviours and service delivery.

Challenges and Opportunities of Universal Health Coverage in Africa: A Scoping Review.

Universal health coverage (UHC) is a global priority, with the goal of ensuring that everyone has access to high-quality healthcare without suffering financial hardship. In Africa, most governments have prioritized UHC over the last two decades. Despite this, the transition to UHC in Africa is seen to be sluggish, with certain countries facing inertia. This study sought to examine the progress of UHC-focused health reform implementation in Africa, investigating the approaches utilized, the challenges faced, and potential solutions. Using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews guidelines, we scoped the literature to map out the evidence on UHC adoption, roll out, implementation, challenges, and opportunities in the African countries. Literature searches of the Cochrane database of systematic reviews, PUBMED, EBSCO, Eldis, SCOPUS, CINHAL, TRIP, and Google Scholar were conducted in 2023. Using predefined inclusion criteria, we focused on UHC adoption, rollout, implementation, and challenges and opportunities in African countries. Primary qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methods evidence was included, as well as original analyses of secondary data. We employed thematic analysis to synthesize the evidence. We found 9633 documents published between May 2005 and December 2023, of which 167 papers were included for analysis. A significant portion of UHC implementation in Africa has focused on establishing social health protection schemes, while others have focused on strengthening primary healthcare systems, and a few have taken integrated approaches. While progress has been made in some areas, considerable obstacles still exist. Financial constraints and supply-side challenges, such as a shortage of healthcare workers, limited infrastructure, and insufficient medical supplies, remain significant barriers to UHC implementation throughout Africa. Some of the promising solutions include boosting public funding for healthcare systems, strengthening public health systems, ensuring equity and inclusion in access to healthcare services, and strengthening governance and community engagement mechanisms. Successful UHC implementation in Africa will require a multifaceted approach. This includes strengthening public health systems in addition to the health insurance schemes and exploring innovative financing mechanisms. Additionally, addressing the challenges of the informal sector, inequity in healthcare access, and ensuring political commitment and community engagement will be crucial in achieving sustainable and comprehensive healthcare coverage for all African citizens.

Wartime and Online Education: A Bibliometric Analysis

This study sheds light on the existing void regarding wartime and online education in Africa. Over three-quarters of African nations have experienced various forms of conflict over the past three decades, resulting in a significant loss of life and immense suffering for African citizens striving for education. The African continent has witnessed nearly 88% of conflict-related fatalities worldwide. The widespread destruction of schools and universities, from primary to higher education, has worsened the problem of limited technology resources. This lack of technology makes it even harder for educational institutions to function effectively. Recent insecurity poses a formidable challenge to many African higher education institutions, impeding efficient administration and management, disrupting academic calendars, claiming student lives, and damaging the critical infrastructure for teaching and learning. In addition, African higher education institutions still lag behind their counterparts on other continents in embracing digital transformation. Using the Scopus database, this study conducted a bibliometric analysis of publications from 2000 to 2024, focusing on wartime and online education. The gathered documents were meticulously analysed using visualisation tools like VOS Viewer. The findings highlight a significant research gap regarding the intersection of wartime conditions and online education in African institutions, as there are no publications on wartime and online learning from the African continent. The findings highlight that the publications are mainly from a Western perspective, which has marginalised African higher education institutions in the global knowledge production and dissemination landscape. The paper identifies promising areas for further research on improving education during African conflicts to guide future efforts.

Human Rights Violation in Africa: A Critical Assessment of Rule of Law in Nigeria

The discourse about human rights violations has been a recurrence among scholars in Africa. This is because the lives of the African citizens particularly the Nigerians are been decimated and harassed on daily basis through nefarious acts. A bid to find out the magnitude of violation of human rights in Nigeria necessitated this study. Its central focus is to critically assess how rule of law in Nigeria has addressed human rights violations among the citizens. The study further ascertained the nature and level of violation of human rights amongst the citizens of Nigeria. The paper was anchored on both historical and analytical, as facts and figures were gathered from secondary sources using the content analysis method. Judging from the theoretical underpinning of this study, the Social Contract Theory of State stipulates that the rule of law is very important to human existence as it helps to regulate citizens’ actions and make them live harmoniously with each other as without the presence of law, it will be impossible if not difficult for the citizens to get access to basic amenities of life. It was observed that the failure to strictly adhere to the principles of rule of law has resulted in human rights violations which are evident in violation of the right to life, freedom of expression among others. It was therefore concluded that the principle of rule of law if imbibed and practised irrespective of social status, religion or ethnic grouping will engender a peaceful and harmonious nation.

The Africa Bird Data packages: African citizen science bird data in R

The African Bird Atlas Project (ABAP) and the Coordinated Waterbird Counts (CWAC) are the main citizen science bird monitoring programmes in southern Africa. ABAP data are collected by volunteers that compile bird lists over a grid of geographic areas known as pentads, resulting in millions of records that are key to studying bird distribution. In contrast, CWAC collects data on waterbird abundance at a selection of wetlands twice a year, offering important data on waterbird population dynamics. ABAP and CWAC data are extensively used in research. They also provide the evidence base for conservation decisions, site management and national reporting obligations against international agreements. The respective project websites provide distribution maps, summary statistics and basic data download features. However, a more advanced use of these data for modelling and their incorporation into analytical workflows requires flexible and direct access to the databases. The Africa Bird Data R packages presented here provide an important functionality to download and process data directly into the analytical software R. Apart from accessing the databases, there are functions that help with the analysis of these data by incorporating model covariates or formatting data for R packages that are popular for the analysis of this kind of data. Our objective is to make African bird data more accessible and easier to work with in order to unlock their full potential for research, and to inform management and conservation actions.

The European Union’s Support to the Pan-African Parliament in Achieving Legislative Authority

This article investigates the significant role played by the European Union (EU) in supporting the Pan-African Parliament (PAP) as it strives to gain legislative powers in addition to the advisory role within the framework of the African Union (AU). Pan African Parliament founded in 2004, and has been designed to serve as a platform for representing the interests and voices of African citizens in the AU’s governance processes, which not only fosters democratic engagement, but inclusive decision-making across the continent as well. Despite these aspirations, PAP has remained limited to an advisory role, without the legislative authority necessary to implement or enforce policies at a continental scale.

Addressing financial mismanagement in state-owned enterprises and municipalities: An integrative review and call for action

This study critically explored the financial measures and policies that can be implemented to protect and mitigate the risks of mismanagement of the financial resources of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and municipalities. This study adopted a qualitative research approach by reviewing readily available literature such as books, journals, articles, and other published materials. A stakeholder theoretical framework was used to understand the organisational ethics, morality, and values of SOEs and municipalities and their interactions and relationships with public and private firms and South African citizens. The significant findings of the study revealed that factors such as corruption, lack of financial transparency, and inadequate governance structures contribute to the mismanagement of funds in SOEs and municipalities. The findings further highlighted the urgent need to address the mismanagement of funds in SOEs and municipalities. The study calls for urgent action to strengthen financial accountability and oversight mechanisms and implement effective measures to combat corruption. By addressing these issues, SOEs and municipalities facing these challenges can promote financial integrity, restore public trust, and ensure the efficient use of public resources. The study recommended that SOEs should be protected from economic mismanagement, embezzlement, state capture, and corruption, requiring the implementation of effective financial measures.

The Effectiveness of the African Union’s Mechanisms in Preventing and Combatting Corruption and the Commitment to Achieve Development Agendas 2030 and 2063

Annually, Africa loses more than $50 billion through illicit financial outflows, and most countries have remained over-dependence on resources supplied by development partners. Efforts to address these impediments are mainly focused on the steps that must be taken to reduce outflows and ensure development resources remain within the continent to reduce, among other things poverty and hunger, ensure good health and well-being as well as quality education, and provide clean water and sanitation to the African citizen. This paper builds on traditional anti-corruption mechanisms and explores processes that support strategic litigation. The paper finds opportunities to use both the merged and yet-to-be-operationalised African Court of Justice and Human Rights (AfCJHR) and the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights. The paper supports the requirement of making declarations under Articles 8 (3), 5 (1,d & 3), and 34 (6) of the African Court of Justice and Human Rights and the African Court on Human and Peoples Rights, respectively.

Beyond Migration Categories: Amity, Conviviality and Mutuality in South Africa

Our ethnographic fieldwork with Congolese and Zimbabwean economic migrants, asylum seekers, refugees and educational migrants reveals a complex narrative of exclusion and inclusion in South Africa. Frontier Africans – South African citizens and African transmigrants alike – initiate and maintain connections that create a vexing and entangled narrative of hard and soft borders. A deeper consideration of how South African citizens and African transmigrants subvert and transcend state-centric categorisation of citizen and migrant other, through amity, conviviality and mutuality – a process of humaning – harasses the alignment of political categorisation with analytical elucidation.

HiveLaw: Propelling the Nelson Mandela University Law Clinic into the Future: A Consideration of Technology's Integral Role in Modern Legal Service Delivery and the Consequences for Legal Education

The effective training of law students, which demystifies technology, and the creation of cost effective, fit for purpose technology solutions are crucial to democratising legal technology and levelling the playing fields between "Big Law" and the legal services available to the bulk of South African citizens. A public/private partnership between the Nelson Mandela Faculty of Law, the university's Information and Communication Technology department and a consortium of legal practitioners (including Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr and various industry players) has piloted HiveLaw, a SharePoint-based practice management solution custom designed to fit university law clinics' dual purpose of legal service delivery and practical legal education. This pilot serves as a case study firstly to investigate how legal technology can contribute to transformative teaching and learning and transformative legal practice at university law clinics, as it exposes staff and students to the benefits of digital and online activities. Secondly, the pilot illustrates how proficiency in the use of technology such as HiveLaw aids the staff and students to adapt to digital processes while improving access to justice for indigent communities. In this way staff and students make a difference in the working world by implementing their knowledge in legal practice, which is widely known for slowly adapting to digital processes, while being exposed to experiential learning and getting in touch with the demands of modern legal practice.

The Relevance of the Gospel in Post-Apartheid South Africa: A Dialogue with Albert Nolan

Albert Nolan’s book, God in South Africa: The Challenge of the Gospel (first published in 1988), provides insights for both academic and general reading, making it an interesting book to read. Almost three decades have lapsed since the book was first published. Numerous Bible reading establishments (including theological institutions, seminaries and Bible colleges) have emerged, and new theological approaches to expounding biblical themes are coming to the fore. Post-apartheid South Africa has undergone various transformative phases, which the book did not address. A democratic dispensation was obtained in 1994, with Nelson Mandela becoming the first president to be elected by the majority of South African citizens. Post-apartheid South African societies have had high expectations at the dawn of this new dispensation. These expectations emerged from two fronts: (1) The praxis of justice and delivery of services by the ruling party and (2) the role of the Church and the function of the Gospel in developing and transforming societies. This study aimed to elucidate Albert Nolan’s book in detail and blend its contents with the lived realities obtained in the new dispensation in South Africa. The focus of the investigation was to set an agenda for the Church and the teaching of the Gospel to realign towards addressing socioeconomic particularities affecting the majority of South Africans daily. The study utilised Secondary Data Analysis (SDA) as a methodological approach.

Trusting others in a divided country: The determinants of social trust in South Africa

AbstractThis study investigates three key determinants of social trust to explain South Africa's social trust deficit: income inequality, confidence in institutions, and racial diversity. Despite the country's racially heterogenous society and segregated history, racial diversity arguments overlook alternative theories on the determinants of low social trust. We instead argue that the decline in social trust in South Africa can be explained by worsening levels of income inequality and declines in institutional trust in recent decades. Using the 2019 South African Reconciliation Barometer citizen survey data, the empirical analysis confirms that South Africans' confidence in institutions and their subjective perceptions of income distribution (or income inequality) have the strongest influence on social trust levels while racial diversity has a negligible effect. This is encouraging for a country with South Africa's racial diversity and troubled history. Instead, efforts to address South Africa's social trust deficit should focus on increasing citizens' confidence in institutions and addressing the high levels of income inequality. However, given the dire state of institutional confidence and income inequality in the country, it remains unlikely that these conditions will improve in the short term.

Patient-centered care measures through the eyes of South African Radiographers and patients: A survey approach

Patient-centered care measures through the eyes of South African Radiographers and patients: A survey approach

Gynaecological cancer-related deaths in a tertiary hospital: A four-year retrospective review.

The aim of this study is to describe the profile, causes of death, and associated complications among women who died with a diagnosis of gynecological cancer during a four-year period in a gynae oncology unit in a tertiary hospital. The study is based on a retrospective review of clinical records of patients. There were 368 gynecological cancer admissions during the study period and 51 gynecological cancer-related deaths (13.8%); however, only 48 (13%) of the 51 files were available for analysis. The mean age of the women who died was 52.7 years (SD ±16.92). Most of the women who died were South African citizens (41, 85%), black (44, 91.7%) and unemployed (37, 77.1%). The most common comorbidities were hypertension and HIV which occurred at similar frequencies (20, 41.7%), followed by diabetes mellitus (7, 14,6%). The three most common cancers were cervical (18, 37.5%), ovarian (13, 27.1%), and endometrial (12, 25,0%). All women who died (48, 100%) had some form of cancer-related complications on admission to the hospital. The most common complication at presentation was obstructive uropathy (16, 31.3%) followed by ascites (11, 21.6%) and pleural effusion (8, 15.8%). Just less than half of the patients (22, 45.8%) received palliative treatment due to advanced-stage disease, and the remainder, (20, 41.6%) and (5, 10.4%) surgical and radiation therapy, respectively. The surgical procedure performed was staging laparotomy for ovarian and endometrial cancer (19, 95%) and radical hysterectomy and lymph node dissection for operatable cervical cancer (01, 5%). Forty-nine complications were recorded among the 20 women who underwent surgical treatment. The most common complications were sepsis and hemorrhage followed by organ injury.