Evaluating Factors Contributing to Misalignment of the South African National Cybeersecurity Policy Framework

This paper evaluates factors contributing to misalignment of the South African National Cybersecurity Framework (SA-NCPF) and suggest better ways to align the national policy framework to national, regional and global cyberlaws. The SA-NCPF is designed to mitigate, address and provide the regulatory guidelines relating to escalating cybercrimes, however, the complexity and interplays of factors contributing to misalignment make it difficult to achieve and measure alignment of national cyberlaws. The SA-NCPF recognises the complexities, inconsistencies, fragmentation and poor coordination of e-legislation, thus, it is imperative to recommend the removal of hindrances. By reviewing various literature, we were able to discuss and integrate a number of theoretical works that explain inconsistencies/misalignments in law. We synthesised literature to produce an integrated theoretical framework, which is a major innovation of this study. The integrated theoretical framework provides a broader perspective of the influencing factors and their interplay resulting in complex relationships which are difficult to understand. The researchers used the integrative theoretical framework and the configuration approach to develop a conceptual model. This model guides the measurement of the extent of alignment of the influencing factors and the identification of that combinations of these factors that yields an effective Cybersecurity Policy Framework. The conceptual model will be validated in a later study

Investigating the Misalignment in the Existing E-Legislation of South Africa

South Africa has recently enacted several e-legislation in order to address the escalating e-crime, the rise in electronic abuse and also the indifferences of the past. However, research shows that many organisations including public institutions do not understand these laws and thus, fail to comply with them. One major contributor to this are the inconsistencies found in the legislation. The National Development Plan and the Mid-term Strategic Framework recognise the complexity of laws, and thus endorse improvements in the removal of unnecessary obstacles and consistencies. Hence, the objectives of the present study are to examine the existing e-legislation in South Africa; identify areas of misalignment and investigate the factors that contribute to the misalignment. Ultimately researchers aim to develop a framework that can be used to guide the alignment e-legislation in South Africa. Extensive literature review was conducted to understand alignment of legislation. Firstly, all the e-legislation that was passed between the years 2000 and 2013 was retrieved and obtained from Sabinet database. This legislation was studied extensively and inconsistencies were identified. A conceptual framework which indicates contributing factors to misalignment and impact of misalignment to non-compliance, was developed and proposed to guide alignment of e-legislation. Based on the conceptual framework a questionnaire with open ended question was developed and tested in the Parliament of South Africa, since this institution champions the development and implementation of national laws such as the e- legislation. A total number of 50 respondents participated in the survey wherein the focus groups were people who are involved in the process of making/drafting laws, specifically ICT Laws. The influence of the factors on misalignment was measured and both qualitative and quantitative analysis confirmed these influences. The study reveals that lack of good industry standards has the greatest influence to the misalignment of e-legislation in South Africa. For instance lack of benchmarking, standardised procedures contribute the most to the misalignment of e-legislation, and that misalignment results into non-compliance. Therefore, in order to address these issues, South Africa must emphasize on benchmarking with good industry standards, and this can be achieved through harmonisation of e-legislation in the region and globally. It is also a major concern that some aspects of earlier e-legislation have not been repealed. Qualitative data also raises some issues relating to lack of ICT skills by legislators, political influences, lack of public participation, etc. Capacity/skills development issues e.g. legislative drafting and ICT technical skills for legislators must be addressed. Moreover, public involvement as a constitutional mandate must be strengthened in South Africa to ensure citizens are engaged and actively participate in the law-making process

E-Governance as an Alternative Antecedent to a Lean Public Sector : Theory and Evidence

The ever growing size of the public sector has been a contention in theory and practice. In parallel, the public sector use of Information Communication Technologies (ICTs), otherwise known as Electronic Government has had a transformative potential. Inspired by these competing interests, this paper set out to study the relationship between investments in e-Government and the size of public sector. Informed by Banks-Weingast model of bureaucratic discretion drawn upon political science, the research estimated the linkage. Using a balanced panel data of Kenya’s key ministries for a 10 year period (2004-2014), e-Government expenditure, consumer price indices (CPI) and gross domestic product (GDP), the study found that 1 per cent increase in the intensity of investment in e-Government infrastructure leads to 0.295 per cent reduction in the size of the public sector, and this forms the main contribution in the paper. In theory, the study presents a robust model that enables the viewing of the interrelationship from a newer vantage point using a perspective foreign to information systems discipline. In practice, the integrative thinking reveals that while investments in e-Government may control government’s recurrent costs, it does counter bureaucrats’ self-interestedness, an ideology which appears to thrive in a world of information asymmetry. Thus, the paper demonstrates that e-Government is a technological determinant of the size of a bureaucracy and may act as an alternative consideration to achieve a leaner public sector

Predictors of Successful Adoption of Technology Supported Learning in Universities in Uganda: A Students’ Perspective

This study identified the predictors of successful adoption of technology supported learning (TSL) among students in universities. Presumably, the perspective of the students in understanding this study is crucial because students are key users of TSL systems and are faced with challenges in the adoption of such systems in learning institutions. We argue in the present study that predictors can be identified using Gestalts approach given the complex interactions between the organizational and individual factors. The extent of interaction between the factors was accomplished using the clustering algorithm. Data was collected from 184 students from Makerere and Gulu universities. Six clusters emerged out of the findings of which Cluster 4 students adopted TSL the most. These students indicated that successful adoption of TSL is best achieved when there is coherence between financial support and when they are in their second year of study

Challenges of CoBIT 5 IT Governance Framework Migration

As information technology (IT) persists as an integral means for achieving success in organisational business processes, IT Governance (ITG) continues to be a top priority too. Current reports show that enterprises continue to suffer financial losses as a result of poor ITG practices. To better govern IT resources, many have tried to address this problem by migrating to the highly recommended IT governance frameworks such as CoBIT 5, unfortunately with little success. This study seeks to explore the barriers to successful migration to CoBIT 5 and identify the key factors that influence effective migration. A survey was conducted and data collected from 84 professionals with sound IT Governance knowledge and experience in the financial services and telecoms industry. The quantitative data was analyzed using statistical methods. Findings suggested that there are four distinct aspects that need to be reconciled; it is only then that before organisations should embark on the migration to CoBIT 5. Results obtained augmented existing literature and also revealed new factors noticeably absent from the ITG literature. The findings provided useful input towards the development of a model to guide migration to CoBIT 5 ITG framework

The Influence of Socioeconomic Factors to the Use of Mobile Phones in the Agricultural Sector of Tanzania

This study determined the influence of socioeconomic factors to the adoption of mobile phones in the farming community of Tanzania. Currently, a series of well-established models (such as the TAM, UTAUT and the Social Capital Model) provide inadequate consideration toward socioeconomic factors, by ignoring them, or putting them under the same cluster, regardless of their differences in impacting the technology use. Methodologically, a survey strategy was adopted, with a sample of 116 respondents. The study involved farmers along the Pangani River Basin, found in Kilimanjaro and Tanga Regions of Tanzania. Data was analyzed using advanced quantitative methods such as the ANOVA, Multiple Regression and Chi-Square models. The following results were observed: the user experience and the peer influence determined the perception of farmers on benefits of mobile phones in agriculture; the perceived benefits, peer influence and the purchasing power determined the intention to use the mobile phones in agriculture; and the intention to use mobile phones determined the rate of use. The mobile use demands showed insignificant relationships with both the intention and the rate of use

The Response of Social Crime Prevention Police to Cyberbullying Perpetrated by Youth in Rural Areas of South Africa

Recently, South Africa has seen a surge in violence, cyberbullying by learners against peers, and online malicious acts against teachers. In response, the South African Department of Basic Education invited the social crime prevention police to intervene. This study reports on the developmental issues contributing to cyberbullying and the police response to this violence in rural schools. An extensive literature review was conducted, and a conceptual framework was developed to guide the study and development of a mobile application. This framework was tested using data collected from focus groups, 8 police officers, 9 teachers, 52 grade-10 learners, and 27 grade-12 learners. The data were analyzed using thematic and quantitative techniques. The findings reveal some developmental issues. For instance, teachers are often targeted by learners online because they fail to take prompt action when learners report cyberbullying incidents. This finding is consistent with the developmental theory which predicts that lack of support would create a permissive context for cyberbullying. In addition, the popularity of cyberbullying has a stronger influence on older, rather than younger, adolescents. Older adolescents are more concerned about gaining popularity than being socially accepted. Recommendations are made which can be useful to schools, learners, and the police force in their fight against cyberbullying

Mobile Bullying Among Rural South African Students: Examining the Applicability of Existing Theories

Mobile bullying, which is one form of cyberbullying, is escalating in schools in South Africa. Research can contribute to better understanding of the nature of this aggression, and provide guidance in determining appropriate interventions and administration of justice. However, studies into cyberbullying tend to focus mainly on the urban environment. Rural South Africa involves a large percentage of mobile phone users and experiences in relatively different cultural and social-economic conditions. Lack of research on rural mobile bullying calls into question the applicability of existing theories of crime and cyberbullying to the rural context and their effectiveness in guiding legal and policy interventions. The present study investigated mobile bullying among high school rural students, the influencing factors, the applicability of earlier theories, and legal and policy implications. A survey of 3500 students found that mobile bullies are intensive users of chat rooms, Facebook and Twitter. Certain forms of bullying increase with age, which is not consistent with earlier claims. Bullying by teasing increased up to 14 years, dropped at 15 but rose again from 16 to 18 years for a different group of students. Bullies mainly came from unstable residential areas and lack of self-control predicts mobile bullying the most. We found support for the applicability of the Life-course, Self-control, and Social disorganization theories. Legal and policy implications are discussed

Investigating the extent to which mobile phones reduce knowledge transfer barriers in student project teams

Group learning plays a key role in the transfer of knowledge. In institutions of learning, it enhances students’ understanding, critical thinking, integration of knowledge and knowledge sharing. However, the transfer of knowledge in group projects is often impeded by factors such as time and budget constraints, individual and social barriers, and a lack of motivation. Institutions of learning are increasingly adopting information and communication technologies (e.g. mobile technologies) to provide solutions to the challenges facing them. Whilst the integration of the mobile context and technologies in learning environment has been encouraged over the years, and indeed many students today can use mobile phones, the effectiveness of these technologies in reducing impediments to knowledge transfer in group learning has not been investigated. This study investigated the extent to which mobile phones reduce the barriers to knowledge transfer in project groups. The impediments examined include the nature of knowledge, social barriers, lack of time and lack of motivation. Quantitative and qualitative approaches were used to collect and analyse the data. The sample consisted of 85 students engaged in group projects in the departments of Information Systems, Civil Engineering, Computer Science and Construction Engineering. The results show that mobile phones reduce all four knowledge transfer barriers investigated in the project groups. We found no significant difference in the nature of knowledge shared by teams with weak and strong ties. This suggests that teams with weak social ties who normally experience difficulty sharing complex (tacit) knowledge can easily do so with the aid of mobile facilities. In addition, frequent users of mobile phones were motivated to share explicit knowledge with their peers whilst those who often work with tacit knowledge could convert it to explicit form and share it with others. Mobile features like short messaging service and multimedia messaging service (SMS & MMS or what some people refer to as ‘texting’), and email were mainly used to share knowledge and were perceived to reduce knowledge transfer time more than voice facilities. Our findings indicate that most students do not utilise the affordances of mobile phones for tacit knowledge transfer. Sharing of tacit knowledge needs to be encouraged since it allows individuals to achieve personal goals and may lead to effective management of oneself, other people and tasks. In addition, students do not appear to recognise the role of mobile phones in enhancing knowledge transfer. More awareness of this role needs to be created in institutions of learning in order to improve group learning and student performance

Uganda's experience in Ebola virus disease outbreak preparedness, 2018-2019.

BACKGROUND: Since the declaration of the 10th Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreak in DRC on 1st Aug 2018, several neighboring countries have been developing and implementing preparedness efforts to prevent EVD cross-border transmission to enable timely detection, investigation, and response in the event of a confirmed EVD outbreak in the country. We describe Uganda's experience in EVD preparedness. RESULTS: On 4 August 2018, the Uganda Ministry of Health (MoH) activated the Public Health Emergency Operations Centre (PHEOC) and the National Task Force (NTF) for public health emergencies to plan, guide, and coordinate EVD preparedness in the country. The NTF selected an Incident Management Team (IMT), constituting a National Rapid Response Team (NRRT) that supported activation of the District Task Forces (DTFs) and District Rapid Response Teams (DRRTs) that jointly assessed levels of preparedness in 30 designated high-risk districts representing category 1 (20 districts) and category 2 (10 districts). The MoH, with technical guidance from the World Health Organisation (WHO), led EVD preparedness activities and worked together with other ministries and partner organisations to enhance community-based surveillance systems, develop and disseminate risk communication messages, engage communities, reinforce EVD screening and infection prevention measures at Points of Entry (PoEs) and in high-risk health facilities, construct and equip EVD isolation and treatment units, and establish coordination and procurement mechanisms. CONCLUSION: As of 31 May 2019, there was no confirmed case of EVD as Uganda has continued to make significant and verifiable progress in EVD preparedness. There is a need to sustain these efforts, not only in EVD preparedness but also across the entire spectrum of a multi-hazard framework. These efforts strengthen country capacity and compel the country to avail resources for preparedness and management of incidents at the source while effectively cutting costs of using a "fire-fighting" approach during public health emergencies