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/

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/

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/

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/

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.

Pathways to achieving South Africa’s R&D intensity target

This chapter examines different pathways to achieve South Africa’s R&D intensity target. It presents an optimistic outlook where research and experimental development (R&D) activity in the business sector is stimulated after significant government support and funding, and a pessimistic outlook where this fails to materialise, leading to continued government dominance in R&D performance while business sector investment declines.

Coercive competition: geostrategic rivalry in Africa

The geostrategic rivalry between the West and the East is taking centre stage in global affairs, with Africa becoming an alluring battleground. Averting overt conflict, global powers are using economic, political and military statecraft to pursue strategic and security interests on the African continent. The strategic competition between global powers in Africa has significant diplomatic, military and ideological dimensions, with technological and economic dimensions dominating. Unless Africa intercedes to secure a détente among the global powers, the rivalry of these powers will be detrimental to the continent. This article examines how Africa can mitigate the negative effects of coercive competition on the continent, and how the continent may benefit from its increased allure to global powers. The central thesis is that African governments should develop a coherent strategy for dealing with global powers so as not to exacerbate their geostrategic rivalry. Instead, African governments should launch calibrated cooperation on matters of mutual interest for the common good.

Human settlements

When the Covid-19 epidemic occurred in South Africa in 2020, human settlements became a site for the prevention and control of the epidemic. The Covid-19 pandemic occurred in a context where housing typologies ranged from formal brick structures, through informal settlements and traditional dwellings, to no shelter at all for those who slept rough on the streets. In the continuum of the quality of living spaces, the street homeless were the most vulnerable, as they had no abode of their own and slept wherever they found space at the end of each day. Using the space syntax theory, this chapter examines the effect of Covid-19 on human settlements with a view to deconstructing the measures that inhabitants of the spaces took to deal with the effects of the pandemic. The chapter draws on thirty five key informant interviews conducted with stakeholders in human settlements between 2020 and 2022. The findings suggest that the government utilised public health interventions to prevent and control Covid-19. Civil society organisations (CSOs) and the private sector also intervened in the built environment and beyond to ensure that vulnerable groups, regardless of their living arrangements, also survived the Covid-19 pandemic. The contribution of this chapter lies in deconstructing the interventions to deal with Covid-19 in human settlements. The recommendations look beyond the pandemic to draw lessons for future health emergencies and disasters.