South African National Development Plan Research Articles

The role of professionalization in the South African public service and its contribution to the UN’s SDGs, Agenda 2063, and NDP 2030

The South African National Framework towards the Professionalization of the Public Service, moots the belief that professionalizing public administration is one of the key requirements for building state capacity. An efficient and effective public service may positively impact the state’s development agenda. The United Nations’ (UN) 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs) serve as a blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all with the focus on an end to poverty, and inequality, the protection of the planet, and the assurance that global citizens enjoy health, justice and prosperity. The core question that this paper addresses is: To what extent will professionalization of the South African public sector through learning and training programs offered at the National School of Government (NSG), contribute to the UN’s SDGs specifically and Africa Agenda 2063 (Agenda 2063) and the South African National Development Plan (NDP) 2030 in general? The paper is premised on a systematic stand-alone literature review. Content analysis was used to make sense of the secondary data consulted by honing in on pre-identified search terms. The study found that while the training programs offered at the NSG are aligned with the government’s focus on professionalization of the public service, specific mention of the SDGs, the NDP and Agenda 2063, are not made. It is recommended that with much talk around the re-calibration of the public sector by way of the NSG, an opportunity exists to explicitly teach the principles, objectives and aims of the aforementioned SDGs, NDP goals and Agenda 2063 objectives, in all its training programs, or that new programs are devised by the NSG solely focused on the attainment of the SDGs.

Reimagining Inclusion in Early Childhood Care and Education: A Posthuman Perspective

Despite global and national imperatives to build an inclusive society, incidences of discrimination on the basis of numerous marginalised identity markers are widely reported. The early years are an ideal moment for children to form initial attitudes towards different groups of people. In fact, the early years are regarded as a means for social and economic transformation, according to the South African National Development Plan. This article is a segment of a study on a group of early childhood care and education teachers and teacher trainers who explored inclusion using a participatory action learning and action research design. Eight members formed an action learning set and engaged in mutual and collaborative learning to transform their learning environments to become more inclusive. Data were generated in two iterative cycles using a baseline questionnaire, reflective journals, and purposeful conversations. Underpinned by the posthumanist perspective, the findings highlight that diversity needs to be regarded as a strength to be valued, rather than as an impediment. The findings also suggest the need for collectivism in opposition to individualism, and a reconfiguration of the child's identity as posthuman. The study thus contributes to positive outcomes by identifying ways to transform early learning environments to become more inclusive. This not only leads to a more democratic and socially just learning environment but also contributes to wider positive societal change.

Exploration of Corporate Governance Challenges in Public Sector Information Systems- An Auditor General Perspective

The aim of this article is to explore the obstacles that are within the South African public sector, preventing information systems from operating as efficiently as they could. The significance of the research lies in the fact that the accomplishment of the objectives outlined in the South African national development plan 2030 and the medium-term strategy framework is dependent on the performance of the public sector. In the course of the research, annual and general reports from the website maintained by the Auditor General of South Africa from 2017 through 2021 were used. This study made use of the qualitative analysis software, Atlas.ti 7 which was employed to analyse textual data in annual reports. The investigation of the difficulties posed by corporate governance in the South African public sector were unveiled from themes emerging form the use of thematic analysis. The research uncovered issues with both the macro and the micro levels of corporate governance in the South African public sector. The macro concerns that were brought to light were difficulties in the structure of information systems, an economic downturn, changes in the leadership of the government, and a lack of credible information offered to people. Poor leadership accountability, inadequate information technology capabilities, poor project management, poor information management, inadequate and ineffective disaster recovery, regression in information technology governance, and delay in filling information technology vacancies were some of the micro-obstacles of corporate governance that affected information systems. According to the findings of the research, a transformational approach should be used to solve the issues by first gaining an awareness of how users view the role that information technologies play in the running of public bodies. In addition, instruments of corporate governance that relate to information systems in the public sector should be assessed to gauge their effectiveness in the South African environment.

Moral Values and Ethics as Antidotes for Corruption in the South African Public Service and Administration

This paper examines the relationship between morals, ethics, public administration and corruption. The argument advanced is that morals and ethics are antidotes for bureaucratic corruption in public service and administration. Currently there seems to be low ethics and morality in public service and administration in South Africa. The discussions in this paper consider the obligations under the South African National Development plan 2030, African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption, the African Charter on Values and Principles of Public Service and Administration, and the African Charter on the Values and Principles of Decentralization, Local Governance and Local Development for a corruption free and ethical public service and administration.

Challenges of Integrating GeoGebra in the Teaching of Mathematics in South African High Schools

Technology is embraced as an integral part of modern society, and hence it is also important for education to integrate various aspects of technology into teaching and learning. The South African National Development Plan (NDP) also prescribes the inclusion of quality technology to enhance the classroom experiences of both teachers and learners. GeoGebra is one of the preferred mathematics software in South African high schools. This qualitative study explores the challenges of teachers in the integration of GeoGebra in the teaching of mathematics in South African high schools. Using interpretivism as a research paradigm, we listened to and recorded the views of teachers about challenges they experienced in the integration of GeoGebra. The data was elicited from four purposively selected teachers from the Bojanala District in the North West Province of South Africa by using unstructured interviews which were transcribed, coded and categorised into relevant themes. The selected teachers signed the consent forms as part of their willingness to participate voluntarily in the study. The study supports the view that teachers are pivotal factors in the integration of GeoGebra and hence the need to understand their challenges. The key finding revealed was that South African high schools were being robbed and vandalised of ICT equipment because of security issues. Further, each school owned only one data projector which stifles efforts to strengthen teachers' knowledge and skills in implementing the integration of GeoGebra into mathematics lessons. Consequently, this loss of equipment disadvantages teachers and learners concerning the integration of GeoGebra into mathematics lessons because learners did not have computers for exploring and experimenting, and teachers are becoming demotivated due to insufficient resources and a lack of modern skills to make mathematics lessons interesting and productive.

Consolidating South Africa’s Emerging Democratic Developmental State from Below

The South African National Development Plan envisions a capable democratic developmental state as the only response to the country’s deteriorating triple challenges of unemployment, poverty and inequality. A developmental state denotes a development theory that advocates for a state-led development model to accelerate economic growth and rapid industrialisation. However, most successful developmental states were led by authoritarian regimes. The rise of democracy within emerging and developing economies invokes a different kind of developmental state model, based on democratic development and the active role of subnational governments. Despite subnational governments playing a key role in democratic development, there is limited literature on the role of subnational institutions in building and consolidating democratic developmental states. This article analyses the role and contribution of subnational institutions in strengthening South Africa’s emerging democratic developmental state through developmental local government. It argues that developmental local government is underpinned by the structural and developmental ideology of a (democratic) developmental state. The article further illustrates how critical features such as maximising social and economic development; promoting democratic development; integrating and coordinating development; and building social capital are used to consolidate South Africa’s emerging democratic developmental states from below.

Redistribution, inequality, and efficiency with credit constraints: Implications for South Africa

We develop a model that jointly determines the distribution of income and the aggregate macrodynamics. We identify multiple channels through which alternative public policies such as transfers, consumption and income taxes, and public investment will affect the inequality-efficiency trade-off. Income tax and transfers have both a direct income and an indirect substitution effect; a consumption tax has only the latter. We present extensive numerical simulations motivated by the South African National Development Plan 2030, the objective of which is to reduce soaring inequality and increase per capita GDP. Our results illustrate how the judicious combination of social grants and a consumption tax may help achieve these targets. The simulations also suggest that the sharp decline in the private-public capital ratio, coupled with a high degree of complementarity between public and private capital may help explain the persistence of market inequality in South Africa during the last two decades.

THE ECONOMIC IMPACT OF RENEWABLE AND NON-RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES ON SMALL BUSINESSES: A CASE STUDY OF SMALL BUSINESSES NEAR THE WALLACEDENE TAXI RANK

The South African National Development Plan contemplates that by 2030 the country will have an energy sector that promotes economic growth, development, social equity and environmental sustainability. This study explores the economic impact of renewable energy on the operations of small businesses located near the Wallacedene Taxi Rank. The taxi rank was built by the City of Cape Town as the first ‘green’ transport facility in South Africa. A self-administered questionnaire was used to survey a purposive sample of twenty (20) small business operators. Data analysis used descriptive statistics and content analysis. The key findings showed positive financial and operational benefits for small business operators using LPG gas stoves and solar-powered LED lights. There was evidence of positive correlation between the use of renewable energy and economic development at the micro- and macroeconomic levels. The study recommends the need for the government to proactively support the uptake, manufacturing and distribution of affordable renewable energy equipment. There is need to provide training and to upskill the labour force to gain employment in the renewable technology and related sectors.

The Relevance of the Master’s in Engineering Education at a University of Technology in South Africa

Abstract The purpose of this theoretical paper is to explain the relevance of the Master of Engineering Education (M Eng. in Education) at one university of technology in South Africa, that comprises four distinct faculties. The paper is based on relevant literature review. The M Eng in Education creates the nexus between Engineering Sciences and Education as specific fields of study and research to enhance cross-boundary knowledge, skills, pedagogy and application. This is in line with the South African National Development Plan, Vision 2030, that accentuates the need for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education in the country to address the economy, develop skills, create jobs, eradicate poverty and unemployment towards a capable developmental state. Using a social constructivist lens, the researchers draw from their experiences while working with Engineering lecturers who enrolled for the Postgraduate Diploma in Higher Education (PGDHE) programme, offered within the institution. From the interaction with the Engineers through the PGDHE programme, the researchers found that the teaching and research skills of these engineers fundamentally improved because they had to submit long essay-type assessments. The researchers conclude that the M Eng in Education will enable engineers to teach better and improve student learning within their classrooms.

The value of community outreach for a University: a synthesis of trends in higher education The case of the University of Limpopo (ELS 45).

The South African National Development Plan (SANDP) vision for 2030 highlights key recommendations for reducing the prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) by 28% by 2030. These are mirrored by the World Heart Federation, although it focuses on reducing the NCD prevalence by 25% by 2025. The targeted diseases include, among others, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, cancer and chronic respiratory diseases. The aim was to contribute to discussion on the social responsibility, public good and community development functions of a university in South Africa, as derived from the Higher Education Act 101 of 1997 (as amended). The researcher's ontology links with this notion of the existence of multiple realities that exist among universities in South Africa, and provides the basis for a social construction epistemology. Different realities exist for the University of Limpopo. The Dikgale Health and Demographic Surveillance System and the Ellisras Longitudinal Study, which both started in 1996 within the University of Limpopo, provide ample bush university outreach models on social responsibility, public good and community development. Community participation was central to the dissemination of research results. Social responsibility, public good and community development are core functions for a university, which should be treated as stand-alone roles, such as teaching, learning and research. The University of Limpopo has distinguished itself by being true to its vision of 'being a leading African university focused on the developmental needs of its communities and epitomising academic excellence and innovativeness'.

The impact of electricity prices on sectoral output in South Africa from 1994 to 2015

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of electricity prices on sectoral output in South Africa from 1994 to 2015 and also econometrically examine the impact of electricity prices on output at sectoral levels over the same period. The paper also put forth a policy proposal that brings together electricity end-users, suppliers and government regulators with the goal of conveying an effective outcome that withstands output growth without necessarily compromising social and developmental objectives.Design/methodology/approachLocal sources of data were utilised in applying panel data analysis. The paper utilised the data from South Africa Reserve Bank and Quantec South Africa. The Hausman test indicated that the fixed effect estimator is the appropriate estimator for this paper. Robust estimators (such as Driscoll Kraay (SCC), feasible generalised least of squares, least square dummy variables and seemingly unrelated regression (SUR) were employed for consistent and efficient inferences. The study also utilised the SUR regression to analyse the impact of electricity prices on output at a sectoral level.FindingsThe fixed effect estimator results of this paper indicate that electricity prices have a negative impact on sectoral output. Again, the SUR estimator shows that the sectoral output disparately responds to electricity prices change in South Africa over the period 1994–2015.Thus, six out of eight sectors significantly and negatively respond to electricity prices change in South Africa. The mining and the construction sectors seem not to be affected by electricity prices changes unlike agriculture, manufacturing, government services, transport and communication finance and trade.Research limitations/implicationsAlthough the research has attained its aims, there were some inevitable limitations. For instance, unlike the time series and cross-sectional data, the panel data were tardily assembled, since the researchers had to gather data for specific variables for each and every selected individual sector. However, this did not compromise the research findings since the panel data from both developed and developing countries are available from sources such as Easy data Quantec.Practical implicationsThe results of the study show that electricity price is a limiting factor to the sectoral production growth in South Africa. Therefore, any conservation policies regarding energy or electricity should be implemented with caution. Indeed, the government should implement policies that increase energy and electricity supply in the country. Thus, the government should set affordable prices of electricity that benefits both the power and economic sector output. In addition, the electricity regulators should set prices that do not damage output across economic sectors in South Africa. Again, the government should continue supporting the imposition of subsidies on the economic sectors that are more sensitive to electricity price. To this end, the study provides a policy proposal (in line with the South African National Development Plan and the climatic change strategies) that connects electricity producers, government electricity regulators, consumers and the society with the goal of conveying an effective outcome that withstands output growth without necessarily compromising social and developmental objectives.Social implicationsCost-reflective electricity prices may be a burden to end users but this will assist in the maintenance and expansion of the power industry to get rid of electricity supply and demand imbalances which may escalate electricity prices in future. Indeed, the electricity end users including the society should pay a price that improves generation capacity to avoid power shortages since the lack of energy (electricity) contributes to poverty and deprivation and can contribute to economic decline. In this regard, the government should work hard to reduce the public resistance towards the cost-reflective electricity prices strategy; there is a need to keep the electricity end users informed on the economic impacts of such strategies in order for them to make informed choices.Originality/valueThis paper utilised the panel data for sectoral analysis. Again, the study aimed to provide policymakers with more information on the behaviour of different sectors with regards to electricity price changes, and hence assisting regulators and policymakers in future decisions on electricity price changes in relation to output at sectoral levels. Better knowledge of the link between electricity prices and the real sector output should permit better regulatory decisions to facilitate economic efficiency. Furthermore, it helps the government to identify sectors in need of power subsidies to enhance economic development.

A postcolonial feminist critique of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development: A South African application

abstractIn September 2015, world leaders formally adopted the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, more commonly known as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SDGs are a global target-setting development agenda aimed at ending poverty, tackling climate change, and ensuring peace and prosperity for all by 2030. The SDGs have been lauded for improving on their predecessor, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), by broadening the global development agenda to include environmental, social, economic and political concerns, and for, in the process of their formulation, engaging with member states and civil society. The SDGs can further be commended for broadening the scope of targets under the goal on gender equality and women’s empowerment. Nevertheless, this article concludes that the MDGs and SDGs fall into the same traps. The article employs a postcolonial feminist theoretical framework to critique the SDGs and then applies this critique to the achievement of substantive gender equality in South Africa. The critique is guided by four factors: power, agency, neoliberal economics and indigenous knowledge, which are also applied/extended to the South African National Development Plan. The article argues that adherence to a liberal feminist and neoliberal framework impedes gender justice and a better life for women on the ground. Postcolonial feminism is held up as an alternative (and superior) lens to not only better understand how power inequalities operate and manifest in gendered ways, but also to demand and effect real change through attention to local issues of agency and voice.

Achieving the national development agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through investment in ecological infrastructure: A case study of South Africa

Ecological infrastructure (EI) refers to ecosystems that deliver services to society, functioning as a nature-based equivalent of, or complement to, built infrastructure. EI is critical for socio-economic development, supporting a suite of development imperatives at local, national and international scales. This paper presents the myriad of ways that EI supports sustainable development, using South Africa and the South African National Development Plan as a case study, linking to the Sustainable Development Goals on a global level. We show the need for EI across numerous development and sustainability issues, including food security, water provision, and poverty alleviation.A strategic and multi-sectoral approach to EI investment is essential for allocating scarce public and private resources for achieving economic and social-ecological priorities. Opportunities to unlock investment in EI, both internationally and on the national level, are identified. This includes leveraging private sector investment into landscape management and integrating the costs of managing EI into public sectors that benefit directly from ecosystem services, such as the water sector and infrastructure development. Additionally, investing in EI also aligns well with international development and climate change funds. Investment in EI from a range of innovative sources supports global and national development, while complementing other development investments.

Leadership and governance: learning outcomes and competencies required of the family physician in the district health system

The South African National Development Plan expects the family physician to be a leader of clinical governance within the district health services. The family physician must also help to strengthen the services through leadership in all his/her other roles as a clinician, consultant, capacity-builder, clinical trainer and champion of community-orientated primary care. In order to deliver on these expectations the nine training programmes must ensure that they prepare registrars appropriately for leadership and clinical governance. Currently training programmes differ considerably in what they teach and in workplace-based training and assessment. This article reports on a national process to reach consensus on what training is required for family physicians in this area. The process outlined the key conceptual principles and competencies required for leadership, clinical and corporate governance; it culminates in a new set of learning outcomes for the training of family physicians.

The South African labour market and the incubation of small businesses in South Africa

Since April 1994, the South African Government and the trade unions have been working together as a means of realising sustained economic growth and development, job creation and the alleviation of poverty among the unemployed youth. The uneasy relationship between the South African Government and the trade unions has been characterised by tensions and differences in strategy. The implementation of the South African National Development Plan depends on the presence of a smooth working relationship among all relevant stakeholders. The global nature of the South African economy has prompted economists in South Africa to call for the relaxation of labour laws as a means of attracting foreign direct investment. The objective of the study was to assess the existing conditions of labour in South Africa as well as the impact of labour-related conditions and legislation in South Africa on the South African economy.The rate at which the economy has grown since April 1994 has been significantly smaller than the rate at which jobs had to be created in order to absorb the unemployed into the economy. This paper investigates factors that affect the duration of employment and job mobility in the South African labour market by using the South African Labour Force Survey data set of 2007. The study shows that union membership and ownership of pension funds are negatively associated with job mobility. The study has found that workers (cetaris paribus) who belong to pension funds are, on average, twice as likely to stay in their jobs. The results for union members are similar. The study shows that job mobility is significantly influenced by age, race, level of skills training, level of household income and province of residence. The results show that the Province of Mpumalanga was most significantly affected by job mobility. The provinces that were least affected by job mobility were the Western Cape, Gauteng and Limpopo in decreasing order. The study provides an exploratory analysis of the labour market in South Africa, and proposes lessons for remedial actions to policy makers and planners. Feasible recommendations are made to South African policymakers and planners based on the findings of the study.

Green Economy and SMEs in South Africa: How Green are South African SMEs?

The setting up of intellectual property support platform in South Africa has been intended to stimulate the development of technology-based services, products, enterprises, and encouraging investment. This initiative is at the heart of the South African National Development Plan (NDP) of 2030. Again, green technology has become a necessity in modern society that in the absence of adequate knowledge will weigh at the expense of any economic objective of any scale to achieve. Green economy has been seen as a great opportunity to boost the global economy and South Africa sees the necessity not to delay to involve its society and already has set targets for 2020 and beyond in the transformation of the natural resource reserves at disposal. A successful South African green economy development would profit the sub-Saharan region and reciprocally, the region would be of an ultimate prospect to benefit the country assuming its position of the regional hub. With this in mind the paper intends to review how possible can an adjustment of SMMEs to green economy occur. SMMEs are the engine of the global economy and the South African economic development aim is a shift to high-value, knowledge-intensive products. The objective of the paper is a conceptual framework and it is based on secondary data collected from government reports, books, internet, archives and current journals, and online publications. DOI: 10.5901/ajis.2014.v3n6p181

The impact of victimisation on the daily activities of South Africans - A case study of the 2011 Victims of Crime Survey

During the 1990s, National Statistical Agencies (NSAs) experienced significant and rapid evolution in the collection, coordination and dissemination of statistics. In this regard, the field of crime statistics is considered as one of the statistical areas where NSAs have to increasingly play a leading role in coordinating the scope and quality of statistical collection and dissem- ination. In South Africa, safety and security has been identified as one of the strategic priorities of Government. Consequently this increases the importance of and need for more comprehensive statistics on the patterns of crime and victimisation in the country. The South African National Development Plan 2030 states that by 2030, people living in South Africa should feel safe and have no fear of crime. This paper examines the relationship between crime and victimisation statistics, and the impact it has on the daily activities of South Africans. Policies related to safety and security can only begin to improve the living conditions of ordinary citizens if they are based on evidence in this regard: comprehensive statistical databases that include information not only from administrative sources, but also from victimisation surveys. The results of the Victims of Crime Survey (VOCS) 2011 revealed that most South Africans fear becoming victims of housebreaking and robbery. Furthermore, many South Africans do not feel safe walking alone in their neighbourhood, and a significant proportion refrain from its daily activities as a result of a fear of victimisation. The paper explores how these statistics inform crime prevention policies and strategies and also establishes performance targets and indicators for the assessment of interventions and progress in relation to safety and security.