Sector In South Africa Research Articles

Colorectal cancer liver metastases : management and five-year survival in a South African patient cohort

Background Approximately 25% of patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) will be diagnosed with CRC liver metastases (CRCLM) during the course of their disease. No data regarding CRCLM presentation, management and survival outcomes has been published from either the private or public health care sectors in South Africa. This study aimed to address this deficit, reporting on a private sector cohort. Methods A retrospective review of a private health care funder's database from 1 January 2008 to 31 December 2015 was performed. ICD-10 diagnosis codes were used to identify CRC and CRCLM. Procedure codes assigned to hospital admissions were used to identify the type of surgical treatment. Chemotherapy was identified by the WHO Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical classification system of medicines. Treatment patterns were assessed and five-year overall survival (OS) was calculated. Survival was estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method, and Cox proportional-hazards regression was used for between group survival comparisons. Results Six hundred and one (601) of 3 412 patients presenting with CRC (17.6%) were diagnosed with CRCLM at presentation or during the follow-up period. Sixty patients with CRCLM (10.0%) underwent resection of the primary CRC and liver resection for metastases, 281 (46.8%) underwent CRC resection only, 180 (30%) received chemotherapy only, and 47 (7.8%) received no treatment. Five-year OS for these groups were 57.3%, 15.6%, 9.8% and 0% respectively. Conclusion Five-year OS of the various CRCLM treatment pathways in a South African private sector population compares to results published in international series. However, a smaller proportion of patients with CRCLM underwent liver resection, compared to international studies.

Worker inclusion in equipment development processes in the modernizing minerals sector in South Africa

SYNOPSIS Worker participation in equipment development can result in improved user acceptance and product quality. This paper focuses on worker engagement in equipment development processes in the South African minerals sector. Qualitative data was gathered during interviews with original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and industry experts. A lack of inclusion in equipment design from workers from all organizational levels in mines was reported. Meanwhile, the historical context and workplace culture of the mining industry (including leadership, trust, training, performance, and remuneration factors) were evident barriers to the implementation of new technology. Worker engagement processes should include securing management commitment, creating multidisciplinary teams, effective facilitation, shared understanding of needs, training and development, and iterative design. Human-centred design approaches and independent platforms for engagement on equipment design requirements are recommended. Keywords: ergonomics; human-centred design; modernization; original equipment manufacturers.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions and its Driving Forces in the Transport Sector of South Africa

Greenhouse Gas Emissions and its Driving Forces in the Transport Sector of South Africa

Cybersecurity Policy and the Legislative Context of the Water and Wastewater Sector in South Africa

The water and wastewater sector is an important lifeline upon which other economic sectors depend. Securing the sector’s critical infrastructure is therefore important for any country’s economy. Like many other nations, South Africa has an overarching national cybersecurity strategy aimed at addressing cyber terrorism, cybercriminal activities, cyber vandalism, and cyber sabotage. The aim of this study is to contextualise the water and wastewater sector’s cybersecurity responsibilities within the national cybersecurity legislative and policy environment. This is achieved by conducting a detailed analysis of the international, national and sector cybersecurity stakeholders; legislation and policies; and challenges pertaining to the protection of the water and wastewater sector. The study found some concerning challenges and improvement gaps regarding the complex manner in which the national government is implementing the cybersecurity strategy. The study also found that, along with the National Cybersecurity Policy Framework (the national cybersecurity strategy of South Africa), the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act, Critical Infrastructure Protection Act, and other supporting legislation and policies make provision for the water and wastewater sector’s computer security incidents response team to be established without the need to propose any new laws or amend existing ones. This is conducive for the immediate development of the sector-specific cybersecurity governance framework and resilience strategy to protect the water and wastewater assets.

Strengthening public sector records management through the Information Regulator in South Africa

The Information Regulator in South Africa is charged with the responsibility to regulate access to information. The implementation of the access to information legislation is heavily dependent on proper records management in the public sector; however, there is consensus among researchers that records are poorly managed in the public sector. The purpose of the study is to describe how records management in the public sector in South Africa can be strengthened through the Information Regulator. This qualitative study utilised document analysis and literature review for data collection. The study was limited to one mandate of the Information Regulator, which is the Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA). The PAIA was analysed to contextualise the correlation between the Act and records management in the public sector. The study found that the successful implementation of specific sections of the PAIA is dependent on proper records management. While it is acknowledged that the Information Regulator is making inroads into records management space, the study recommends that extra effort needs to be made to strengthen collaboration with the National Archives and Records Service of South Africa, which is charged with a statutory regulatory role for records management in public bodies. A framework was developed to outline the role that the Information Regulator can play to strengthen records management service in the public sector.

Eco-Labels in the Tourism Sector in South Africa: Benefits and Barriers

The considerable increase in tourism activities over the years equates to notable economic and social benefits. Patent as one of the most emergent sectors of the global economy, the degree and prospect of tourism growth, however, raises concerns on its negative environmental and social impacts. Conserving these environments is of utmost importance as damage to environmental quality can eventually destroy the tourism industry. The launch of eco-labels to environmentally vulnerable tourism organizations and destinations is presently being implemented in many countries in an effort to protect the natural and socio-cultural resources of a destination. A number of eco-labels exist within the tourism industry in South Africa. These eco-labels are anticipated to have a profound effect on the contribution towards sustainable tourism within the country as these are considered to be highly compatible with sustainable tourism initiatives. This study provides an overview of eco-labels in South Africa and examines the benefits and barriers associated with eco-label certification. A quantitative research approach was used, and the data was collected utilizing an online questionnaire. A census sampling approach was used to target 104 tourism businesses in South Africa that have eco-label certification. The key eco-labels targeted in the study were the Blue Flag, Fair Trade in Tourism, Heritage Environmental Management Company, and GreenLine - certified by Heritage. The study revealed that tourism businesses in South Africa do experience several benefits through eco-label certification. However, businesses also encounter many barriers with eco-label certification in terms of high costs associated with being certified, the lack of general public awareness regarding eco-labels and the absence of government support. Consequently, cost reduction, promotion of public awareness as well as government support are the main areas of improvement suggested by tourism establishments with regards to eco-labels.

Managed healthcare: Treatment protocols and fiduciary duties of funders

Managed healthcare has become the cornerstone of health service delivery in the private sector in South Africa and the world over. As a result, managed care organizations and medical aid schemes have had to draw up recommended treatment protocols in accordance with the rules and regulations of the Council for Medical Schemes (CMS). T he protocols are rigid, do not always consider each case on its own merit and do not always benefit the members of the respective schemes . The purpose of the protocols is to determine which treatment options constitute essential medical care, costeffective treatment and which ones do not. The article examines the fiduciary duties of the medical aids and the existing relationship between the managed healthcare company and the members in a trustee-beneficiary duty of loyalty.

Leadership of change in South Africa public sector turnarounds

PurposeOrganisational decline has far-reaching, negative emotional and financial consequences for staff and customers, generating academic and practitioner interest in turnaround change processes. Despite numerous studies to identify the stages during turnarounds, the findings have been inconclusive. The purpose of this paper is to address the gap by defining these stages, or episodes. The characteristics of leaders affect the outcome of organisational change towards turnarounds. This paper focusses, therefore, on the leadership requirements during specific episodes, from the initial crisis to the full recovery phases.Design/methodology/approachA total of 11 semi-structured interviews were conducted with executives from the public sector in South Africa who went through or were going through turnaround change processes and 3 with experts consulting to these organisations.FindingsContrary to current literature in organisational change, this study found that, in these turnaround situations, leadership in the form of either an individual CEO or director general was preferable to shared leadership or leadership distributed throughout the organisation. This study found four critical episodes that occurred during all the public service turnarounds explored, and established that key leadership requirements differ across these episodes. The study shows how these requirements relate to the current literature on transactional, transformational and authentic leadership.Practical implicationsThe findings on the leadership requirements ultimately inform the selection and development of leaders tasked with high-risk turnaround change processes.Originality/valueFour episodes with corresponding leadership requirements were established in the particular context of public sector turnaround change processes.

Compassion Fatigue among Nurses: The Cost of Having a Relationship with HIV-Positive Patients

In the public healthcare sector in South Africa, nurses treat a large number of patients who are infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) on an outpatient basis. Many patients consult the nurses only when they experience symptoms due to the delayed onset of antiretroviral (ARV) treatment. The large number of patients and often poor outcome of treatment could result in compassion fatigue in the nurses. The aim of the current study was to describe the cost of having a relationship with HIV-positive patients on nurses who work in outpatient ARV clinics. A qualitative, single, embedded case study design was used, and six registered nurses (RNs) and one enrolled nurse (EN) were individually interviewed. The data analysis revealed two themes, namely: (1) the risk of developing compassion fatigue; and (2) the manifestation of compassion fatigue. The themes were discussed with reference to the extant literature. Many research reports have focused on compassion fatigue in nurses in hospital-based settings, but few on the manifestation of compassion fatigue in nurses who work in outpatient settings. The authors concluded that nurses who take care of HIV-positive patients on an outpatient basis are at risk of developing and do manifest compassion fatigue, and it is thus recommended that programmes be instituted to support them.

Education and economic growth in South Africa: an empirical investigation

PurposeThis paper examines the dynamic causal relationship between education and economic growth in South Africa using annual time-series data from 1986 to 2017. The study attempts to answer one critical question: Does education, which is one of the priority sectors in South Africa, drive economic growth?Design/methodology/approachThe study uses the ARDL bounds testing approach and ECM-based Granger causality model to examine this linkage. The study also uses three proxies to measure the level of education. In addition, the study uses two variables: investment and labour, as intermittent variables between the various proxies of education and economic growth, thereby creating a system of multivariate Granger-causality models.FindingsThe study finds that the causal relationship between education and economic growth in South Africa is dependent on the variable used to measure the level of education. In addition, the causality tends to change over time. Overall, the study finds the causal flow from economic growth to education to supersede the causal flow from education to economic growth.Originality/valueUnlike some previous studies, the current study uses three proxies of education in South Africa and two intermittent variables in a multivariate setting. To our knowledge, this may be the first study of its kind to examine in detail the dynamic causal relationship between education and economic growth in South Africa – using the ARDL bounds testing approach and a multivariate Granger causality model.

Analysis of the Impact of COVID-19 on the Food and Beverages Manufacturing Sector

The globe has been subjected to an unprecedented health challenge in the form of COVID-19, indiscriminately impacting the global economy, global supply chains, and nations. The resolution of this unprecedented challenge does not seem to be in the short-term horizon but rather something the globe has to live with. Initial data provides for some insights on responses, precautions, and sustainability protocols and processes. The Food and Beverages Manufacturing sector in South Africa (SA) and globally is an expeditious respondent to the COVID-19 challenge. Food is essential for human existence, but the food value chain is subjected to significant COVID-19 risks. The Food and Beverage Sector Education and Training Authority is responsible for skills development in the Food and Beverages (FoodBev) Manufacturing Sector in South Africa and seeks to quantify Foodbev sustainability. This research paper reviews global literature, performs a high-level knowledge classification, with the aim of expedited awareness, knowledge sharing, and most importantly, quantification of an expedited response, within the FoodBev Manufacturing sector in SA. The research is contextualized via a SA sector-based instrument deployment and data analysis. The paper provides insights into COVID-19 impact, adaptations, and responses in the SA Food and Beverages Manufacturing sector.

The Informal Sector and Economic Growth of South Africa and Nigeria: A Comparative Systematic Review

The informal sector is an integral part of several sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries and plays a key role in the economic growth of these countries. This article used a comparative systematic review to explore the factors that act as drivers to informality in South Africa (SA) and Nigeria, the challenges that impede the growth dynamics of the informal sector, the dominant subsectors, and policy initiatives targeting informal sector providers. A systematic search of Google Scholar, Scopus, ResearchGate was performed together with secondary data collated from grey literature. Using Boolean string search protocols facilitated the elucidation of research questions (RQs) raised in this study. An inclusion and exclusion criteria became necessary for rigour, comprehensiveness and limitation of publication bias. The data collated from thirty-one (31) primary studies (17 for SA and 14 for Nigeria) revealed that unemployment, income disparity among citizens, excessive tax burdens, excessive bureaucratic hurdles from government, inflationary tendencies, poor corruption control, GDP per capita, and lack of social protection survival tendencies all act as drivers to the informal sector in SA and Nigeria. Several challenges are given for both economies and policy incentives that might help sustain and improve the informal sector in these two countries.

Challenges facing emerging aquaculture entrepreneurs in South Africa and possible solutions

Despite aquaculture being hailed as the fastest growing farming sector in the world, South African aquaculture is still lagging behind. This article aims to highlight challenges (mostly beyond their control) that South Africa’s emerging aquaculture entrepreneurs have to endure in order to find a breakthrough into the industry. Availability of necessary resources such as land, water, infrastructure,financial support and access to markets, as well as crime are among challenges faced by these entrepreneurs on a daily basis. Limited human resources in capacity building, skills and aquaculture expertise also hinders the development and expansion of aquaculture in South Africa. Complex legislation governing aquaculture further limits the development of this sector to prospective investors. Fish and machinery theft in fish farms has an adverse effect, which had resulted in many enterprises closing down in recent years. South Africa is not a traditional fish-eating nation and this phenomenon has seen many emerging entrepreneurs struggling to locally commercialize their produce. It is well known that fish consumption provides human nutrition with essential nutrients necessary for normal body function. Thus,aquaculture has the potential to contribute to food and nutrition security and alleviate poverty in rural communities. However, plenty of initiatives need to be developed by government and the private sector to develop a sustainable aquaculture industry. These initiatives should involve the establishment of an aquaculture friendly legislation that would support emerging aquaculture entrepreneurs. Several financial institutions view aquaculture as a high-risk business,and as a consequence,decline financial support or loan requests from emerging farmers.Focused research as a strategic initiative to develop aquaculture species that would be first priority for local markets is encouraged. This article explores the challenges facing emerging entrepreneurs and suggests possible solutions that might assist in the development of the aquaculture sector in South Africa. We postulate that constructive and regular engagements between the government and private sector is a key to a sustainable and prosperous aquaculture sector in South Africa.

A retrospective study (2007-2015) on brucellosis seropositivity in livestock in South Africa.

In South Africa, brucellosis testing and record‐keeping are done by several laboratories, thus it is difficult to access any organized data to assess the status of the disease. This study evaluated the seropositivity for brucellosis using Rose Bengal test and complement fixation test in suspect cattle, sheep, goats and pigs sera submitted to Bacterial Serology Laboratory, Agricultural Research Council‐Onderstepoort Veterinary Research (ARC‐OVR) from nine provinces in the country during the period 2007–2015. This retrospective data analysis was conducted to estimate the occurrence of brucellosis in the country from the submitted samples, identify variables that affected seropositivity for brucellosis, investigate existing gaps in data recording and make recommendations on important variables to facilitate better data capture and inferences on brucellosis. Nine years of data were collated and analysed to detect association (seropositivity over time regarding animal species and location). Of the 764,276 animals tested, the distribution of samples was 90.50% (691,539/764,276), 5.19% (39,672/764,276), 3.92% (29,967/764,276) and 0.41% (3,098/764,276) for cattle, sheep, goats and pigs, respectively. The seropositivity for brucellosis by animal species was 6.31% (43,666/691,539, 95% CI: 6.26–6.37), 2.09% (828/39,672, 95% CI: 1.95–2.23), 0.63% (189/29,967, 95% CI: 0.55–0.73) and 0.13% (4/3,098, 95% CI: 0.05–0.33) in cattle, sheep, goats and pigs respectively. The data available did not capture information on the age, sex, breed and other host risk factors that would have been related to seropositivity for brucellosis. The data provide an understanding of the disease occurrence and confirm that brucellosis is enzootic in South Africa. Improved and standardized data collection can be used to pro‐actively drive, monitor, change or formulate policies to mitigate the challenges brought about by brucellosis in the livestock sector in South Africa.

When rain clouds gather: Digital curation of South African public records in the cloud

Background: Many scholars lament of poor infrastructure for the management and preservation of digital records in the public sector in South Africa. For example, in South Africa, the national archives repository and its subsidiary provincial archives do not have infrastructure to ingest digital records into archival custody. As a result, digital records are left to the creating agencies to manage and preserve. The problem is compounded by the fact that very few public sector organisations in South Africa have procured systems to manage digital records. Objective: This study investigated whether government departments in South Africa entrust their records to cloud storage. The study asked the questions: How are digital records managed and stored in these organisations? Do government departments entrust their records to the cloud as an alternative storage? Method: Qualitative data were collected through interviews with purposively chosen chief information officers, records managers and IT managers from public entities that implemented e-government services, as well as officials from the National Archives and Services of South Africa, which is charged with the statutory regulatory role of records management in governmental bodies and the State Information Technology Agency, a public sector Information Communication Technology (ICT) company established in 1999 to consolidate and coordinate the state’s information technology resources. Results: The key findings suggest that although public servants informally and unconsciously save some records in the cloud, government departments in South Africa are sceptical to entrust their records in the cloud because of a number of reasons such as lack of trust in the cloud storage, jurisdiction, legal implications, privacy and security risks related to Minimum Information Security Standards, as well as lack of policy and legislative framework, specifically regarding cloud storage. Conclusion: Because of lack of infrastructure for management and preservation of digital records, for the purpose of increased storage and access, this study recommends that government departments should cautiously consider exploring the possibility of storing their records in a trusted digital repository cloud as an interim solution whilst observing legal obligations. As cloud storage is not very prevalent amongst government departments in South Africa, given the present challenges in managing digital records, it would be advantageous to have cloud storage tested rigorously before embarking on the exercise.

Social Media Policies Within the Financial Sector in South Africa

The main purpose of this article is to explore the social media policies of financial institutions in South Africa. Owing to the advances in technology, businesses are exposed to many opportunities but also risks in social media platforms. For the study, a thematic framework was considered to analyze social media policies, which included risk and relationship building, brand image and reputation, stakeholders and communities, disciplinary action and compliance as well as professional and personal guidelines. A qualitative document analysis of social media policies of select South African Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) listed financial institutions was then conducted. For the data analysis, a thematic document analysis using a consensual qualitative research process was applied. The results showed that all the financial institutions appreciated the value and opportunities provided by social media and ensured strict compliance to their social media policies. However, there were some financial institutions that did not focus on relationship building, did not mention brand image and reputation, did not include all stakeholders, and did not suggest personal guidelines in their social media policies.

Domestic Work and the Gig Economy in South Africa: Old wine in new bottles?

Based on innovative, mixed-methods research, this article examines the entry of on-demand platform models into the domestic work sector in South Africa. This sector has long been characterised by high levels of informality, precarity, and exploitation, though recent regulatory advances have provided labour and social protections to some domestic workers. We locate the rise of the on-demand economy within the longer-term trajectory of domestic work in South Africa, identifying the ‘traditional’ sector as a key site of undervalued labour. On-demand domestic work platforms create much-needed economic opportunities in a context of pervasive un(der)-employment, opportunities that come with some incremental improvements over traditional working arrangements. Yet we contend that platform models maintain the patterns of everyday abuse found elsewhere in the domestic work sector. These models are premised on an ability to navigate regulatory contexts to provide clients with readily available, flexible labour without longer-term commitment, therefore sidestepping employer obligations to provide labour rights and protections. As a result, on-demand companies reinforce the undervalued and largely unprotected labour of marginalised women domestic workers.

Balancing care and work roles among women working in the informal sector in South Africa

Despite the prevalence of the informal sector in many developing countries, the care challenges of workers in this sector remain largely unexplored. This article contributes to closing this research gap by exploring the work–family fit of women working in the informal sector in South Africa using data from a nationally representative survey. The results reveal that like their formal sector counterparts, women working in the informal sector have poor work–family fit and hence require similar support and attention. The article highlights the underlying factors and concludes by underscoring the need for context-specific policies and further research.

The role of feminisms in building a transformation framework for institutions of higher learning in South Africa

ABSTRACT The dawn of democracy in 1994 ushered in a period of radical change in the higher education sector of South Africa. This rupture represented an opportunity to avoid the replication of patriarchally informed, racially charged, neoliberal practices. More than twenty years later under the banner of Fees Must Fall, students, workers, and academics challenged the exclusionary, racist, exploitative and sexist nature of Higher Learning Institutions that have persisted since this transition from apartheid. In this paper, we reiterate a tested argument in (South) African feminist scholarship by proposing that to fulfil this goal towards transformation and change in and across HLIs, a critical starting point is to use feminist theories to deconstruct parochial, patriarchal ideologies. We review some of the key arguments that various feminists have put forth in relation to meaningfully transforming institutional cultures and pedagogies, ranging from anti-apartheid feminisms to more contemporary, intersectional feminisms and further argue that the neoliberalisation of HLIs, manifested in the capturing of private markets within the education sector, and practices of output-based productivity measurements that create bedrocks of racially charged epistemic exclusions, echo hierarchical patriarchal elements that are remnants of colonialism and apartheid.

An Analysis of Challenges obstructing Growth of SMEs in the South African Tourism Sector: A theoretical evaluation

The study empirically sought to analyse challenges inhibiting the growth of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) within the tourism sector in South Africa. The study employed qualitative research design following the in depth interviews in order to gather data form tourism SME owners and managers in South Africa, who formed the sample population for the study. A sample of 20 respondents was drawn using purposive sampling approach. The participants who were selected were tourism SME owners and managers of guesthouses, lodges and bed and breakfast houses, shuttle transport, art and craft curio shops and agricultural sector. The researchers has provided a perspective on the role of tourism SMEs in South Africa. The study identified the hindering challenges for tourism SMEs development and growth as lack of access to funding, inadequate or unavailable government funding, lack of entrepreneurial and management skills to operate their businesses, lack of networking connections, poor location of SME operations and stiff competition for well-established SMEs. The recommendations were made that alternative funding strategies should be used, SME owners and managers should be trained, the SMEs should join network groups and share ideas, and they should also invest in marketing and communication technologies for their products to be known to the market. Keywords: Small and Medium Enterprises, tourism, economic growth, inclusive growth DOI: 10.7176/EJBM/12-22-06 Publication date: August 31 st 2020