The Influence of Social Media on the Transparency and Accountability of the South African Public Sector

There is a growing debate on the potential role of social media in improving government transparency and accountability and, ultimately, policy-making. This article analyses the contribution of social media, specifically Twitter, in increasing government transparency and accountability in South Africa by transferring information between the government and the public. To achieve this aim, we conducted an in-depth analysis of Twitter content, focusing on a curated selection of randomly selected top hashtags that became prominent in the South African context. These hashtags represent notable trends such as #FeesMustFall, #ZumaMustFall, #NotInMyName, #AmINext, and the #ThaboBester saga. By examining the discourses surrounding these hashtags, we aimed to uncover insights into how social media interactions intersected with government actions and reactions. Our results indicate that these hashtags served as potent catalysts for public engagement, driving discussions that critiqued government decisions and compelled timely reactions from the government

The influence of social media on transparency and accountability of the South African public sector

DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT : The data that support the findings of this study are available on request from the corresponding author. The data are not publicly available due to privacy or ethical restrictions.There is a growing debate on the potential role of social media in improving government transparency and accountability and, ultimately, policy-making. This article analyses the contribution of social media, specifically Twitter, in increasing government transparency and accountability in South Africa by transferring information between the government and the public. To achieve this aim, we conducted an in-depth analysis of Twitter content, focusing on a curated selection of randomly selected top hashtags that became prominent in the South African context. These hashtags represent notable trends such as #FeesMustFall, #ZumaMustFall, #NotInMyName, #AmINext, and the #ThaboBester saga. By examining the discourses surrounding these hashtags, we aimed to uncover insights into how social media interactions intersected with government actions and reactions. Our results indicate that these hashtags served as potent catalysts for public engagement, driving discussions that critiqued government decisions and compelled timely reactions from the government.https://redfame.com/journal/index.php/smchj2024School of Health Systems and Public Health (SHSPH)SDG-16:Peace,justice and strong institution

Adoption of analogous key roles for stakeholders to improve South Africa’s progress towards the implementation of the sustainable development goals

The purpose of this article is to analyse South Africa’s progress on the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) since the adoption of the goals in 2015 and to propose a way forward. The article is based on a desktop study of authoritative sources to conceptualise and contextualise the progress towards the implementation of the SDGs. Unobtrusive research techniques are applied in terms of a documentary and conceptual analysis. The findings suggest that concerning progress of SDGs, South Africa is largely off track on almost all of the 17 SGDs. Out of the 17 SDGs, based on the goal trends, only two SDGs are on track or maintaining SDG achievement, six are stagnating, seven are moderately improving and two have trend information missing. Moreover, of the 17 goals, six are still experiencing major challenges, eight have encountered significant challenges and there are two where challenges remain. The country has made progress through its commitment to realising the goals by implementing various policies, financing the goals, aligning the National Development Plan (NDP) to the SDGs and involving multiple stakeholders.http://www.assadpam.netam2022School of Public Management and Administration (SPMA

The link between career outcomes expectancy and career decision-making self-efficacy of STEM students in a South African university

The Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT), one of the highly researched career theories, suggested that outcomes expectance and self-efficacy are crucial factors in the career selection process. The result of career outcomes expectancy (COE) and career decision-making self-efficacy (CDSE) may be pivotal in an individual’s shunning or being more inspired in their career behaviour. Both factors together are important in career decision-making. The aim of this study was to investigate the association among COE and CDSE of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) students at a South African university. The article is based on a quantitative study conducted among a sample of 322 STEM students, of which 203 responses were received. The career outcomes expectancy scale (COES) and career decision self-efficacy scale (CDSES) were used in the collection of data. Data were analysed with the IBM SPSS version 26 software and descriptive statistics, Pearson’s correlation, linear regression and multivariate analytical tools were engaged. Findings show that age and race significantly associated with CDSE. Additionally, COE was found to have a statistically significant relationship with CDSE and that CDSE positively predicted COE. The environment of upbringing was also found to be influential in participants’ CDSE and COE. In line with extant literature, the discussion of the findings is made to proffer recommendations that have implications for practice, policy and further studies.https://journals.ufs.ac.za/index.php/pie/indexpm2022School of Public Management and Administration (SPMA

Quandaries of contract cheating in South African higher education institutions : the way forward

This research aimed to examine the quandaries of contract cheating faced by higher education institutions (HEIs) in South Africa. Based on a desktop study utilizing unobtrusive research methods such as documentary analysis and conceptual analysis of authoritative sources to conceptualise and provide context to contract cheating, the data drew secondary data from published journal articles. Findings demonstrated that the key quandaries of contract cheating are attributed to limited awareness of the concept, the undetectable nature of the action, the lack of law (lacuna) from the national point of view, gaps in existing institutional policies on misconduct, ambiguity in the conceptualisation, and expansion in the availability of this practice as evident in the increase use of custom essay websites, essay mills and file-sharing sites across the globe. To address these challenges, South African HEIs need to acknowledge that contract cheating is a problem which exists in institutions. Therefore, South African HEIs must revisit institutional policies on intellectual integrity and include a delineation of contract cheating, making a clear distinction between plagiarism and collusion. Additionally, South African HEIs must raise awareness of contract cheating amongst their students, invest in software that detects authenticity, such as Authorship Investigate, AI-Emma or Ouriginal, and design student-support-intervention marketing strategies to deter students from turning to contract cheating websites.https://www.journals.ac.za/index.php/sajhe/indexam2024School of Public Management and Administration (SPMA)Non

Planning and organising challenges in the management of universal primary education : experiences in Uganda

Existing literature asserts that there are continuing challenges towards the implementation of Universal Primary Education (UPE) in Uganda which include: inadequate capacity for effective accountability of financial resources; inadequate basic infrastructure; inadequate community support; limited communication amongst stakeholders; poor school management and poor teacher management. This article will examine the challenges within the management framework encountered during the implementation of the Universal Primary Education in order to assist via better comprehension of the nature of the Universal Primary Education policy in Uganda. Specific focus will be placed on the planning and organising challenges which hinder the successful management of Universal Primary Education in Uganda, and suitable solutions to the planning and organising challenges will be proposed in an effort to enhance the successful implementation of the Universal Primary Education in Uganda. The results generated from this article could contribute to the knowledge of the educators on the planning and organising functions and also forecast policy outcomes and probability for policy makers on the implementation of UPE. This in turn could contribute to the realisation of the second Millennium Development Goal by 2015

The police and citizens as co-producers of crime prevention in Johannesburg

DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT : Data is unavailable due to privacy/ethical restrictions.The city of Johannesburg is the largest metropolitan municipality out of eight in South Africa. It is notorious for its high levels of crime, with a crime index of 80.72 and a safety index of 19.28. This article examines crime prevention co-production in the Johannesburg metropolitan area. The purpose of the study was to analyse how co-production of crime prevention is organised in Johannesburg and to understand the effectiveness of the practice there. Collaborations between the regular producers (police) and citizens were assessed to fully determine the potential of crime prevention co-production. This led to qualitative interviews with 20 police officers from 10 police stations in the Johannesburg metropolitan area. A citizen survey was conducted with a selected sample from the population (n = 400) residing in the neighbourhoods covered by the police stations investigated. The findings indicate that police officers have devised practices and programmes to co-produce crime prevention. These include the sharing of pamphlets and crime prevention education and awareness during school visitations, the use of Zello technology, community police forums, and information sharing at the youth desk and in WhatsApp groups. Nevertheless, these practices do not seem to be popular among the citizens. There is a contradiction in the perception of successful crime prevention co-production between citizens and the police. This is mainly due to citizens’ lack of trust in the police. The study acknowledged the importance of the work carried out by the police in crime prevention co-production but also observed the citizens’ lack of trust in the police as a potential threat to crime prevention co-production. Trust is crucial in managing information sharing on crime prevention. Front line professionals, such as the police, will not be able to meet future crime challenges if there is a trust deficit. Hence, it is important to restore trust in the work carried out by the police. Professionals in public administration could learn about the importance of trust in their crucial role of implementing policies, government programmes, and service delivery.The National Research Foundation (NRF).https://www.mdpi.com/journal/admsciSchool of Public Management and Administration (SPMA

Agile governance for the ‘new normal’: Is Africa ready?

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, many governments opted to use agile methodologies to tackle various challenges. Policymakers did not follow the normal protocol of policymaking and governance; instead, they adopted a more agile policymaking process that deploys agile approaches such as policy labs, policy prototyping, policy stimulus and digital-ready policies.  In addition, health scientists were primarily responsible for most of the policies adopted during the pandemic.  This was a major change in the policy arena. All these changes gave birth to what is currently known as "agile governance". Although not new, this form of governance has taken the world by storm, especially during the pandemic. While other regions across the world have routed for agile governance, it is not clear where Africa stands in this debate. This paper, therefore, assesses Africa's readiness for the so-called "agile governance” as the new normal. Drawing from a qualitative desktop research based on an extensive literature review and a content analysis. The study findings reveal that the future and adoption of agile governance in Africa appear bleak. Unless some changes are implemented, Africa may continue to trail behind Europe and other world regions. This is because there are still many deterrents, such as a lack of efficient leadership, the bureaucracy dilemma, the skills gap, and the legislative challenge that the continent must deal with before even thinking of becoming agile. To remedy these challenges, we conclude that African governments adapt to change by employing flexible action plans like adopting a flexible blueprint to guide agile governance strategies; innovation; streamlining bureaucracies; reskilling current public servants, and creating agile mindsets

Factors influencing the usage of e-procurement in the South African Navy

This research examines the factors influencing the utilisation of e-procurement in the Department of Defence, with a specific focus on the South African Navy. Although e-procurement was introduced to streamline the purchasing and supply function, reduce costs, and simplify the process, procurement managers in government still face challenges such as corruption, noncompliance, overspending, and wasteful expenditure. To gather data, the study employed a qualitative research approach, conducting interviews with 17 procurement members from the SA Navy. The findings show that e-procurement system inefficiencies, unreliable power supply due to load shedding, issues with the Central Supplier Database, partial automation of e-procurement processes, capacity and system integration challenges, and a lack of technical knowledge about the system were the main factors affecting the use of e-procurement in the South African Navy. To address these challenges, the paper recommends investing in infrastructure, improving supplier verification processes, adopting standardised documents, enhancing human resource capacity, improving system integration, and strengthening legislation on supplier data protection.https://malque.pub/ojs/index.php/msj/indexhj2024School of Public Management and Administration (SPMA)Non

Contribution of the informal sector towards sustainable livelihoods : evidence from Khayelitsha Township, Cape Town

PURPOSE : This study aims to investigates the contribution of the informal sector towards secure livelihoods. Using a case study design, the study focusses on Mandela park, situated in Khayelitsha Township, Cape Town, in the Western Cape province of South Africa. Khayelitsha is predominantly an old township established by the apartheid government using unjust segregation laws to foster spatial planning that isolated people of colour in areas with insufficient infrastructure and informal economic activities. Therefore, informal trading became a survival strategy in Khayelitsha, attracting an increasing number of informal traders in public spaces within the township in pursuit of livelihoods. Informal activities are generally conducted to generate income and secure sustainable livelihoods. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH : This study uses a qualitative research design, incorporating structured interviews instrumental in data collection and in-depth thematic analysis. FINDINGS : The study findings reveal that the informal sector positively contributes to the sustainable livelihoods of those involved in the informal sector and the relatives of those through income generation, family support, wealth creation, source of employment, business incubation and innovation and creativity. ORIGINALITY/VALUE : The study concludes that given the increasing unemployment rate in South Africa, caused by the stagnant economic growth rate, policymakers should rethink their policies on the informal economy, acknowledge the sector's relevance and support the sector.https://www.emerald.com/insight/publication/issn/0144-333Xhj2024School of Public Management and Administration (SPMA)SDG-01:No povert