TIMSS SA Newsletter: South African Public Relationship with Science Survey special samples 9(3). May:1

The SAPRS sample consisted of 701 interviews conducted in the Eastern Cape province. We included an additional sample of 233 randomly selected interviews within Cofimvaba. The inclusion of this special sample aimed to gain insight into whether the science activities at the Albertina Nontsikelelo Sisulu Science Centre influenced knowledge, attitudes and engagement in relation to science and technology in the surrounding area.N/

South African public relationship with science: 2022 survey results

The first South African Public Relationship with Science (SAPRS) Survey, which is also the first of its kind, marks a turning point in the history of our science engagement programme. The report’s release coincides with the 30th anniversary of democracy in our nation, and the 2022 SAPRS takes us back to the early days, when the programme to raise public awareness of science started under the auspices of the 1996 White Paper on Science and Technology.

The role of the National Gender Machinery (NGM) in strengthening gender mainstreaming in South Africa

HSRC Policy Brief, MarchKey messages in this policy brief: 1. There is a need to revise, skill and strengthen the National Gender Machinery (NGM) to facilitate gender mainstreaming. 2. A clear mandate and consensus are needed on the structure of a revived NGM that is suitable for effective functioning. 3. To effectively implement the machinery, allocating sufficient human and financial resources is essential.N/

Thomas Sankara

This book presents a comprehensive timeline along a unique perspective on his life, his voice and his legacy. The book offers a view on Shankara in the context of major events in the history of the continent and region, a selection of Shakara's speeches, broadcasts, interviews and an almost poetic tribute to the flawed through heroic period of Sharkara's revolution. The latter is done through the story of the recent uprising against Compaore - with haunting lessons for the world

Constitutional justice project: assessment of the impact of decisions of the constitutional court and the supreme court of appeal on the transformation of society: final report

Commissioned by the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development, JulyThe Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 provides both the framework and foundation for the transformation of law, state and society within an African and global context. Government has initiated the transformation of the justice system, including the establishment of the Office of the Chief Justice, to further enhance the independence of the Judiciary and give further effect to the separation of powers doctrine in the Constitution. In this project an in-depth legal analysis of the jurisprudence of the apex courts was complemented with a strong empirical component that sought to investigate the broader impact of these court decisions on South African society, as well as the extent to which South Africa's highest courts are accessible

Field operations

This chapter explains the principles of field activities. It also provides practical insights on survey activities in the field, including planning, presurvey visits and field operations, and the importance of local government and community involvement.

Myth and reality in South Africa's history: a conflicted past

History matters. Some wish to bury it; others to use it selectively for their own purposes. But in the case of any nation it must be confronted honestly. Just as the Freedom Charter proclaims that South Africa belongs to all who live in it, so does its history. And the country was liberated by its people, not one specific group. Myth and Reality in South Africa’s History is a collection of eighty newspaper opinion pieces and feature articles published over a span of thirty years. Their purpose was to examine significant past lives, movements and events, and interpret their contemporary significance for a general readership. Emphasis was placed on individuals and organisations that had tended to be neglected by post-liberation discourse, which was prone to exaggerate the role of certain movements.N/

Diagnostic accuracy of point-of-care VISITECT CD4 Advanced Disease compared to Alere Pima CD4, performed at point-of-care within the advanced HIV disease care package

Paper presented at the 25th International AIDS Conference, Germany, 22-26 JulyPeople with advanced HIV disease (AHD) (CD4 5 years) have high mortality. CD4 testing is needed to implement the AHD care package. VISITECT® CD4 Advanced Disease (VISITECT; AccuBio Limited, UK) is a semiquantitative test showing a CD4 result of ≤200 cells/μL or >200 cells/μL. VISITECT had a 95% (95%CI 92-97%) sensitivity and 85% (95%CI 83-86%) specificity when tested on venous blood in laboratory conditions. We assessed VISITECT’s diagnostic accuracy compared to Alere PIMA CD4 (PIMA, Abbott, US), during pragmatic implementation at point-of care, within the AHD care package. We are conducting a prospective, multi-centre community-based active tuberculosis case-finding trial (TB TRIAGE+ TRIAL, NCT05526885). In South Africa we are testing a subset of PWH with PIMA (reference test, gives exact CD4 count) and VISITECT (index test, requires visual comparison of test line to 200-reference line). Nurses performing clinical evaluations and TB triage tests, also perform the two CD4 tests on the same venous blood sample, and if PIMA indicates a CD4≤200cells/μL, urine tuberculosis lipoarabinomannan and cryptococcal antigen testing.N/

Aligning Artificial Intelligence with human challenges and values

Following the broad claims about the socioeconomic impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) that emerged in the media during 2023, this chapter examines such claims. Further, the chapter recognizes and examines the dangers associated with AI. The claimed redistributive powers of AI need to be understood in light of significant possible risks related to job losses and increasing inequality. Through a structured debate between the chapter’s authors, who weigh these risks and benefits, the authors seek to find common ground between these perspectives and identify how AI advancement could be aligned with human values. Potentially, there are benefits in the education, healthcare, justice, governance and other sectors.

Highlights of the Public Relationship with Science 2022 Survey results: Cofimvaba town in the Eastern Cape Province

Commissioned by the Department of Science, Technology and InnovationThis report presents the descriptive statistics for the 33 measures fielded in the survey, benchmarking the statistics for the Cofimvaba area against the EC province. These measures provide the baseline information for the levels of S&T knowledge, attitudes and engagements in the Cofimvaba area and the province.N/