Reinforcing the Role of ICT in Enhancing Teaching and Learning Post-COVID-19 in Tertiary Institutions in South Africa

The use of Information Communication Technology (ICT) in higher education is becoming more and more prevalent with the over-proliferation of technological development we find ourselves in. The educational landscape in South African tertiary institutions has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in increased use of ICT. In turn, this has transformed these institutions' teaching, learning, and research. Central to this transformation has been challenges facing both teachers and administrators, including the need for a great demonstration of the value of ICT through improved output on teaching, learning and research. This paper examines the use of ICT in enhancing teaching and learning in South African tertiary institutions during and post COVID-19. Using an extensive secondary review approach, the report observes that ICT has been widely embraced in tertiary institutions during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. However, a minority of students and lecturers still lack the technological expertise to utilise modern technologies. In addition, limited funding in some rural universities hinders the purchasing of modern ICT equipment to support teaching and learning in tertiary institutions. The paper recommends increasing the value of ICT usage in the teaching and learning process post-COVID-19. Regular workshops and in-service training of both teaching staff, students and administrators in pedagogical issues and administration should be increased

Black Economic Empowerment in South Africa: Challenges and Prospects

Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to assess if the Black Economic Empowerment act has brought new economic horizons for the historically disadvantaged South Africans, or it has contributed to further impoverishmentof the lower classes in communities. The paper based its argument on an extensive literature review which envisaged that, despite many years of its implementation, BEE has caused the emergence of classes resulting fromfraud and corruption, fronting, difficulties in registering status, political interference, and poor accountability strategies. The paper interrogates the implementation strategies of BEE in the local government context to assess whether historical imbalances have been addressed or not. The paper concludes that the government needs to revisit BEE as an economic empowerment policy to see whether it has benefited the black majority or not. The paper reiterates further that, BEE as a black economic emancipation blueprint requires proper implementation and alignment with other economic policies such as the National Development Plan to accelerate economic opportunities for the black majority. The paper recommends the government of South Africa through local municipalities to exercise monitoring and evaluation in the BEE procurement systems are prerequisites in safeguarding the manipulation and corrupt tendencies arising from the awarding of tenders in the local government.Key words: Black Economic Empowerment, South Africa, Challenges, Prospect

The Prospects of the ICT Policy Framework for Rural Entrepreneurs: an analysis of the Relationship between ICT and Entrepreneurial Development

Entrepreneurs hold the keys to rapid technological development by offering the means to creating employment opportunities even in remote rural areas. Small entrepreneurs do not only provide livelihood for themselves, but they also create employment thereby easing up socio-economic tensions in an atmosphere where so many are deprived. This article introduces the concept of entrepreneurship and how it propagates development and advances human living conditions. The underlying assumption is that Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has a causal effect on human livelihoods of rural entrepreneurs. Thus, a sturdy relationship exists between ICT and entrepreneurial development for rural entrepreneurial economic growth. In the same manner the Government of Zimbabwe commenced on a comprehensive policy framework in order to harness the power of ICT. Through a documentary review analysis, the paper envisages how ICT can sustain rural entrepreneurial development in Zimbabwe at a time where it is suffering from harsh socio-economic and political turmoil. The paper observes that lack of financial services, corruption, political interference, poor planning and the desire to maintain status quo have been discouraging rural entrepreneurship to harness the benefits of ICT. The paper recommends that the government should implement policies that promote the development of ICT in rural entrepreneurship and the provision of training and development for entrepreneurs to bridge the knowledge gap on the use of ICT to enhance the livelihoods of entrepreneurs

National Development Plan as an Entrepreneurial Mechanism for Rural Economic Development in South Africa

Chapter 6 of the National Development Plan (NDP) accentuates on the impact of an integrated and inclusive rural economy by proposing for the creation 643 000 direct jobs and 326 000 indirect jobs in the farming and non-farming sector by 2030. Discussion within the study reveals that, the NDP was also designed to stimulate rural economic development among other important dynamic economic factors of the country. However, five years into the implementation of the NDP, remnants of inequality, unemployment and poverty are still apparent amongst the rural population. This paper indicates that the success of NDP as an entrepreneurial mechanism is being underpinned by contestations which are emanating from under-financing, lack of entrepreneurial education and research culture, negative attitudes of the people, corruption and red tape. Through a qualitative research approach, the paper observes that, for NDP to be continuously coordinated as an economic initiative, financing of rural projects such as small businesses, cooperatives and other rural development projects should be the government’s key priority. The study concludes that entrepreneurship has to be considered as a prime mover in rural economic development in South Africa since an entrepreneurial economy significantly differs from a non-entrepreneurial one, as evidenced by the economic vigour and sustainable development of its inhabitants

Resilient rural women’s livelihoods for poverty alleviation and economic empowerment in semi-arid regions of Zimbabwe

The purpose of this article was to examine the implementation of rural women’s livelihoods towards economic empowerment of women in Chivi District of Zimbabwe. A drought-ridden and semi-arid district because of climate change, Chivi District receives very low annual rainfall which impacts negatively on agriculture as the main rural women’s livelihood among others such as craftwork, pottery, gardening and poultry projects. Using a case study approach that triangulates interviews, focus groups and documents, the article found out that women faced numerous challenges. The findings of the study revealed that in their quest to reduce poverty and economically empower themselves, women encountered the lack of access to competitive markets, micro-insure rural women’s livelihoods, lack of access to credit facilities, lack of entrepreneurial education and training, effects of climate change, limited use of technology to stimulate rural women’s livelihoods. The article concludes that to achieve economic empowerment through resilient rural women’s livelihoods, access to competitive markets and entrepreneurial education supported by adequate funding is fundamental

Inclusive participation in information and communication technologies (ICTs) processes for smart services in the city of Johannesburg

Governments everywhere must focus on rethinking service delivery as inclusive involvement in Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) procedures for smart services has become unavoidable. Metropolitan municipalities in South Africa have joined the technology revolution that embraces smart services delivery through various ICTs and advances the idea of e-governance using the Stakeholder Inclusive Approach. To comprehend how the City of Johannesburg (CoJ) encourages inclusion in smart services, the researchers use an explorative qualitative design that works well with the inclusive stakeholder approach, which supports a collaborative process in ICT adoption. The study discovered through qualitative thematic analysis that inclusiveness is a comprehensive process that considers the demands of different stakeholders in the adoption and implementation of ICT. One issue that leads to ICT efficiencies in the CoJ is data fragmentation from numerous municipal agencies. Inclusionary participation has been widespread in virtual Integrated Development Planning (IDP) forums and other cutting-edge services provided by the CoJ. There have been some exceptional examples of free wifi supply. The study's conclusion reiterates the importance of comprehensive inclusion in ICT adoption and implementation as it links communities with the municipality and stresses the need for city officials to commit to upskilling programmes to improve the delivery of public goods and services delivery

Promoting Youth Empowerment through Business Mentorship in South Africa

One of the setbacks in youth entrepreneurship is the unavailability of proper business knowledge and mentorship. In rural municipalities of South Africa, the absence of youth mentorship has widened the inequality gap and triggered deep youth poverty. This article reinforces the importance of youth mentoring in crucial business aspects such as writing business plans for entrepreneurial success. This study is premised on a positivist paradigm that uses a quantitative research design. The researchers administered twenty questionnaires to youth entrepreneurs in Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality (BCMM) in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa to examine whether mentoring the writing of business plans plays an essential role in their entrepreneurial ventures. The results for this article reveal that most youth entrepreneurs do not receive mentoring to boost their entrepreneurial ventures, even though mentoring has been identified as necessary.  The report recommends that youth entrepreneurs be mentored to promote their businesses, which will create youth economic development and employment creation in BCMM

Food security and nutrition governance post-Covid-19 in Africa

The article examines the food security and nutrition governance of South Africa, Nigeria and Zimbabwe post-COVID-19 in Africa. Drawn from a qualitative approach that utilises a case study design of multiple cases, this study compared the food security and nutrition governance interventions adopted by the three countries post-COVID-19. Using the Post Development Theory of Food Security, the key findings from the study indicate that, among the three countries, food security was threatened by COVID-19 as the supply chain of all the countries was abruptly disrupted owing to partial and total lockdowns. Reconfiguring the food security landscape to achieve nutrition governance requires the three countries to revisit their agricultural policies in the case of Zimbabwe, where farmers need extensive state support to revitalise grain produce. South Africa also recommends supporting agriculture and subsidies to smallholder farmers, which is fundamental for promoting food security and nutrition governance in many poor rural provinces. Nigeria also needs to improve regarding stakeholder support as agriculture was affected by the lockdown, and farmers' productivity declined. Therefore, the assessment of all three cases led researchers to conclude that state and stakeholder investment is fundamental in agriculture mainly, which is the backbone for promoting food security and food nutrition and safety policies are fundamental for ensuring nutrition governance among citizens. The creation of employment and provision of machinery to smallholder farming can mitigate food insecurity at the household level

Management of records at Statistics South Africa : challenges and prospects

In South Africa, government departments are under legislative obligations to adopt a systematic and organised approach to the management of records. This is because sound records management is fundamental for good governance and effective and efficient administration of government units. This article analyses records management trends at Statistics South Africa (StatsSA). Qualitative desktop research was used with key legislative and policy sources, StatsSA documents and international literature. The study revealed that numerous challenges existed in the organisation’s records management. These challenges include: creation of the record retention and disposal authority granted by the Archivist; stakeholder relations and engagement; compliance with the National Archives and Records Services of South Africa (NARSSA) Act No. 43 of 1996 as the primary legislation for records and archives management in South Africa; and digitalization and transformation. The article recommends that the resource centre be digitalized by adopting the Millennium and Sierra Integrated Library Systems software for records management, skills development archiving and enhanced stakeholder relations. An effective and efficient records and archives management system promotes good governance, accountability, and transparency.http://idv.sagepub.comhj2021School of Public Management and Administration (SPMA