POLICE BODY-WORN CAMERAS: A FOURTH INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION DEMAND FOR SOUTH AFRICA?

Incidents of police brutality are increasing around the world. South Africa faces its own excessive use of force by police as exemplified by the case(s) of Khosa v Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, as well as that of Nathaniel Julies. Countries such as the United Kingdom (UK) and the United States of America (US) have seen positive results from leveraging advancements in technology to provide detailed, first-hand accounts of what happens during a police encounter. In light of the fourth industrial revolution, which brings with it advancements in data processing and storage, the purpose of this article is to investigate what value such advancements in technology might hold for the South African criminal justice system. Possible barriers to its implementation will also be investigated. The article further analyses the effects of body-worn cameras in the UK and US jurisdictions on improved police-citizen encounters and overall quality of policing. Body-worn cameras have been found to have value in improving police-citizen encounters. However, its adoption may be slow because of budgetary constraints related to Information Technology (IT) infrastructure. &nbsp

The perspectives of beginner principals on their new roles in school leadership and management: A South African case study

In the study reported on here we aimed to explore how beginner principals perceived their roles as new appointees. School principals are expected to demonstrate proficiency when performing leadership and management roles in schools. Based on the fact that no certificate for principalship exists, newly appointed principals rely on their teaching experience to fulfil the responsibilities of the position. Gronn’s theory advocating leadership as a career was used as a lens to analyse the data. In this qualitative study we used interviews and document verification to understand how new appointees perceived their new roles as school leaders and managers. The findings imply that beginner principals regard themselves as ill-prepared to lead and manage schools in their early years of appointment. Their perceptions were that they lacked leadership and management experience in the areas of curriculum, human resources, school finance, stakeholder relations and interpretation of legislation. Beginner principals viewed these as challenges for their leadership and management expertise. From the study we concluded that teachers needed to be exposed to leadership and management responsibilities and that newly appointed principals needed to be trained before they assumed their new positions. Keywords: aspiring principal; beginner principal; principal; principalship; school leadership; school managemen

An assessment of factors influencing collaboration and impacts on organisational performance : a review

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Benefits of emotional intelligence to construction industry: a case of Gauteng region, South Africa

Abstract: Emotional intelligence (EI) is concerned with personal and behavioural attributes that enable individuals or organisations to performup to an acceptable standard. Construction industry is composed of stakeholders of individuals and organisations working towards a common purpose of providing value for clients' money.This study is designed to evaluate the benefit of EI to the performance of construction projects. Using survey approach, primary data was collected by the use of a well-structured questionnaire. Adopting convenience sampling method, copies of questionnaire were distributed to construction project managers (CPM), architects, quantity surveyors (QS), construction managers (CM), facility managers (FM) and engineers in the South African construction industry and the retrieved copies were analysed. From the findings, it can be concluded that EI does not only hold the key to overall improvement of the project, but will also improve communication among construction clients and the entire team members;this will result in improved relationships among construction professionals and other stakeholders for the achievement of better performance of construction projects. It is therefore necessary for professionals and other stakeholders in the construction industry to improve on their intelligence quota by taking intelligence test at various time. Materials such as books, articles andso on on EI shouldalso be consultedfor individual improvement

Assessing the use of multispectra remote sensing in mapping the spatio-temporal variations of soil erosion in Sekhukhune District, South Africa

Thesis (M.Sc. (Geography)) --University of Limpopo, 2018Soil erosion, which is a critical component of land degradation, is one of the serious global environmental problems often threatening food security, water resources, and biodiversity. A comprehensive assessment and analysis of remote sensing applications in the spatial soil erosion mapping and monitoring over time and space is therefore, important for providing effective management and rehabilitation approaches at local, national and regional scales. The overall aim of the study was to assess the use of multispectral remote sensing sensors in mapping and monitoring the spatio-temporal variations in levels of soil erosion in the former homelands of Sekhukhune district, South Africa. Firstly, the effectiveness of the new and freely available moderate-resolution multispectral remote sensing data (Landsat 8 Operation Land Imager: OLI and Sentinel-2 Multi-Spectral Instrument: MSI) derived spectral bands, vegetation indices, and a combination of spectral bands and vegetation indices in mapping the spatio-temporal variation of soil erosion in the former homelands of Sekhukhune District, South Africa is compared. The study further determines the most optimal individual sensor variables that can accurately map soil erosion. The results showed that the integration of spectral bands and spectral vegetation indices yielded high soil erosion overall classification accuracies for both sensors. Sentinel-2 data produced an OA of 83, 81% whereas Landsat 8 has an OA of 82.86%. The study further established that Sentinel-2 MSI bands located in the NIR (0.785-0.900 μm), red edge (0.698-0.785μm) and SWIR (1.565-2.280 μm) regions were the most optimal for discriminating degraded soils from other land cover types. For Landsat 8 OLI, only the SWIR (1.560-2.300 μm), NIR (0.845-0.885 μm) region were selected as the best regions. Of the eighteen spectral vegetation indices computed, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and Soil Adjusted Vegetation Index (SAVI) and Global Environmental Monitoring Index (GEMI) were selected as the most suitable for detecting and mapping soil erosion. Secondly, the study assessed soil erosion in the former homelands of Sekhukhune, South Africa by applying a time-series analysis (2002 and 2017), to track changes of areas affected by varying degrees of erosion. Specifically, the study assessed and mapped changes of eroded areas (wet and dry season), using multi-date Landsat products 8 OLI and 7 Enhanced Thematic Mapper (ETM+)). Additionally, the study used extracted eroded areas and overlay analysis was performed together with geology, slope and the Topographic Wetness Index (TWI) of the area under study to assess whether and to what extent the observed erosional trends can be explained. ii Time series analysis indicated that the dry season of 2002, experienced 16.61 % (224733 ha) of erosion whereas in 2017 19.71% was observed. A similar trend was also observed in the wet season. This work also indicates that the dominant geology type Lebowa granite: and Rustenburg layered its lithology strata experienced more erosional disturbances than other geological types. Slopes between 2-5% (Nearly level) experienced more erosion and vice-versa. On the hand, the relationship between TWI and eroded areas showed that much erosion occurred between 3 and 6 TWI values in all the seasons for the two different years, however, the dry season of 2002 had a slightly higher relationship and vice-versa. We, therefore, recommend use and integration of freely and readily available new and free generation broadband sensors, such as Landsat data and environmental variables if soil erosion has to be well documented for purposes of effective soil rehabilitation and conservation. Keywords: Food security Global changes, Land degradation, Land-based ecosystems, Land management practices, Satellite data, Soil conservation, Sustainable Development; Topographic Wetness Index; Time series analysis

Internal Auditors and Service Delivery in South African Local Government : a Limpopo Province Perspective

Of late, when engaging with any form of media in South Africa, one is guaranteed to come across a story relating to service delivery protests in at least one, if not many parts of the country. Citizens throughout the country have resorted to protesting as a way of voicing their dissatisfaction and anger at the lack of service delivery by local government. Local government is the sphere geographically situated nearest to the communities it serves, consisting of municipalities. During the protests communities mainly complain about the lack of basic services such as water, electricity, housing delivery, unemployment and sanitation. Various studies relating to service delivery have focused on the causes of the protests, analysed reams of statistics and have even suggested various “solutions” to these country-wide problems. Some authors see the protests as evidence of deficient or absent internal controls and governance principles, or a lack of will to apply those controls that are in place. These protests are occurring despite the South African Government having brought into effect legislation such as the Municipal Finance Management Act (56/2003), to strengthen the governance landscape of local government. A key component of this legislation is that it prescribes the mandatory employment of internal auditors and performance/audit committees to reinforce the governance system. Various studies have investigated either the lack of service delivery or the functioning of internal audit in the public sector. However, none of the researchers appears to have comprehensively studied whether internal auditors can assist management in local government to achieve their service delivery targets and thereby minimise the occurrence of service delivery protests. The objective of this study therefore, is to determine whether the performance of internal auditors' roles and responsibilities can reduce or minimise service delivery protests in municipalities. In order to achieve this, the study will amongst other aspects of the objective, identify the roles internal auditors are expected to fulfil in local government, as recorded in various statutes prescribed and the International Professional Practices Framework (Institute of Internal Auditors, (2016) (the “Standards”). The study will further determine the extent to which these roles are being performed; as well as to identify obstacles (if any) encountered by internal auditors when carrying out their roles. Most importantly the study will also determine whether internal audit can assist management to address challenges which often leads to inadequate service delivery. Through a review of the published literature the study determines the statutory and prescribed roles and responsibilities of the internal audit units in local government as presented by the Institute of Internal Auditors’ “Standards” and various items of South African legislation and regulations. The literature review also investigates the contribution made by a lack of controls to management’s failure to achieve their service delivery objectives. A sample of ten municipalities was selected for the study, and semi-structured interviews were conducted with key personnel at each municipality’s internal audit unit. Data collected during these interviews was analysed and findings were noted. It emerged from the study that internal audit does have a role to play in assisting management to achieve their objective of providing services to their respective communities; and that they are already playing this role.Dissertation (MPhil)--University of Pretoria, 2017.AuditingMComUnrestricte

Understanding the spatial distribution of eroded areas in the former rural homelands of South Africa: Comparative evidence from two new non-commercial multispectral sensors

In this study, we determine the most suitable multispectral sensor that can accurately detect and map eroded areas from other land cover types in Sekhukhune rural district, Limpopo Province, South Africa. Specifically, the study tested the ability of multi-date (wet and dry season) Landsat 8 OLI and Sentinel-2 MSI images in detecting and mapping eroded areas. The implementation was done, using a robust non-parametric classification ensemble: Discriminant Analysis (DA). Three sets of analysis were applied (Analysis 1: Spectral bands as independent dataset; Analysis 2: Spectral vegetation indices as independent and Analysis 3: Combined spectral bands and spectral vegetation indices). Overall classification accuracies ranging between 80% to 81.90% for MSI and 75.71%–80.95% for OLI were derived for the wet and dry season, respectively. The integration of spectral bands and spectral vegetation indices showed that Sentinel-2 (OA = 83, 81%), slightly performed better than Landsat 8, with 82, 86%. The use of bands and vegetation indices as independent dataset resulted in slightly weaker results for both sensors. Sentinel-2 MSI bands located in the NIR (0.785–0.900 μm), red edge (0.698–0.785 μm) and SWIR (1.565–2.280 μm) regions were selected as the most optimal for discriminating degraded soils from other land cover types. However, for Landsat 8OLI, only the SWIR (1.560–2.300 μm), NIR (0.845–0.885 μm) region were selected as the best regions. Of the eighteen spectral vegetation indices computed, NDVI and SAVI and SAVI and Global Environmental Monitoring Index (GEMI) were ranked selected as the most suitable for detecting and mapping soil erosion. Additionally, SRTM DEM derived information illustrates that for both sensors eroded areas occur on sites that are 600 m and 900 m of altitude with similar trends observed in both dry and wet season maps. Findings of this work emphasize the importance of free and readily available new generation sensors in continuous landscape-scale soil erosion monitoring. Besides, such information can help to identify hotspots and potentially vulnerable areas, as well as aid in developing possible control and mitigation measures

Diagnostic radiography students’ neonatal mobile X-ray imaging infection prevention and control practices

Introduction: Neonates represent a unique population with complex medical needs. Diagnostic medical imaging is crucial for diagnosing and treating their conditions, often utilising mobile imaging equip- ment. A key aspect of providing mobile X-ray imaging for neonates is infection prevention and control (IPC). This study investigated the IPC practices of diagnostic radiography students conducting mobile X-ray imaging in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). Method: This quantitative descriptive cross-sectional study employed purposive sampling and used an online questionnaire to collect data from diagnostic radiography students at a higher education institution in Gauteng, South Africa. The data was analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Results: The survey had a response rate of 51.1% (n = 141, N = 276), primarily from the second-year cohort (44.7%). Most participants (n = 132; 93.6%) had access to dedicated NICU and IPC policies, but only 63.1% (n = 89) were familiar with the IPC protocols. The major- ity of participants (n = 134; 95%) recognised the importance of lim- iting cross-contamination in the NICU. Participants rated their IPC practices as average (n = 60; 49.6%) and high (n = 64; 45.4%). More reported cleaning the mobile X-ray machine (n = 89; 63%) and wash- ing hands (n = 114; 81%) before examinations rather than after, with image receptors (n = 106; 75%) mostly cleaned after the examination. Conclusion: The IPC practices of diagnostic radiography students during mobile X-ray imaging in the NICU were inconsistent. Most students understood the importance of IPC; however, inconsistencies in cleaning mobile X-ray machines, image receptors and radiographic markers were reported. It is necessary to explore the reasons for these divergent IPC practices to develop strategies to enhance IPC practice compliance

Pinpointing areas of increased soil erosion risk following land cover change in the Lake Manyara catchment, Tanzania

publisher: Elsevier articletitle: Pinpointing areas of increased soil erosion risk following land cover change in the Lake Manyara catchment, Tanzania journaltitle: International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation articlelink: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jag.2018.05.008 content_type: article copyright: © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved