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This study scrutinises drivers of trade performance in the SADC region amid the full implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).  Where the short and long-run impact, through the Autoregressive Distributive Lag (ARDL) and forecasts through IRF of external debt, debt service cost, GDP per capita, Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), and Terms of Trade (TOT) on the trade balance is interrogated. In the long run, external debt, debt service costs, and GDP per capita negatively influenced the trade balance. TOT was found to be an insignificant predictor. This implies that these variables were among the significant drivers of trade balance while the impact of terms of trade is negligible in the region. FDI positively impacts regional trade balance, which informs us that it acts as a stimulus for trade in the area. Short-run results revealed that external debt and GDP per capita affected trade balance positively, while debt service costs, FDI and TOT were found to have a negative impact. IRF results showed that shocks from external debt and per capita GDP pose a positive instant impact, while shocks from FDI and TOT were proven to worsen the trade balance in the region. The region needs an FDI stimulus.  

Play-based learning is a pedagogical approach that emphasises the use of play in promoting multiple areas of children’s development and learning. Free and guided play are two types of play-based learning that guide early learning. The children acquire concepts, skills, and attitudes that lay the foundation for lifelong learning through play pedagogies. Exposing learners to a rich vocabulary through reading, story-telling, and social interaction is key in play-based learning. This research aimed to explore the impact of play-based learning on the development of children in mobile Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) centres. Social constructivism theory was used to understand the impact of play-passed learning on children’s development in ECE. Using convenience sampling, the research followed an interpretive qualitative case study, and eight (8) practitioners were selected to participate. Data sources included practitioners’ interviews and the centres’ observations. Using the thematic approach, the findings revealed that the practitioners in rural areas had an insufficient understanding of teaching using play pedagogies. This had a negative impact on standard provisions for play pedagogies suited for young children, where appropriate suggestions are offered to the practitioners on the planning, implementation, and support of play practices within early learning. Furthermore, there is a shift in the early learning curricula incorporating advanced academic skills, a beneficial tool to aid children’s learning and development.

This paper explores stakeholder engagement in the strategic management process for service delivery in government. The main objective is to determine the factors influencing insufficient stakeholder engagement of strategic management processes for service delivery by a government department. The four moments of translation concept of Actor Network Theory (ANT) was utilised as a theoretical framework to understand and explain the interplay between the initiator of the network of service delivery and other actors in the network in aligning diverse interests to achieve service delivery goals. The assumption was that the phenomenon was ontologically subjective and that it was appropriate, epistemologically, to adopt an interpretive paradigm as the leading research philosophy, using a mixed approach of qualitative and quantitative elements wherein quantitative data was used to test the reliability of the qualitative data. Using the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) as a case study, a sample of 26 participants included 11 managers of WCED and 15 Khayelitsha Education Forum (KEF) members representing the community, school governing bodies and school principals and educators of 64 schools around Khayelitsha township. The study revealed that stakeholder engagement could address non-service delivery during service delivery strategy formulation and implementation. The findings suggest that a network of aligned interests should be established for continuous engagement in implementing strategic plans and service delivery in line with the mandate of Government departments and entities. The results imply intense arrangements and relationship building between government departments and citizens are needed to improve stakeholder relationships and alignment of service delivery expectations to reduce service delivery challenges.

This article analyses factors that inhibit the quality of learning and teaching in one of the provinces of South Africa. The interpretive approach was used together with face-to-face interviews to collect data from five secondary schools. Two participants were interviewed in each school in the OR Tambo Coastal District in the Eastern Cape. Findings revealed that owing to large numbers of learners in the classroom, teachers’ workload is increased. Consequently, it is difficult for teachers to give feedback and provide learners with individual attention. Many under-resourced schools, such as rural schools, still face unacceptably high learner-teacher ratios and large classes in their schools. Teachers had problems in establishing discipline in their classrooms and dealing with the increasing noise level which made it difficult for learners to hear the teacher. It is recommended that School Governing Bodies should hire SGB-paid teachers. The Department of Basic Education should assist the schools with more classrooms. The Department of Education should also provide schools with resources such textbooks, big screens, overhead projectors and microphones in order for teachers to be effective.

The study aimed to explore and describe the experiences of inmates living with HIV/AIDS regarding ARV adherence in correctional services in Limpopo Province. A qualitative, exploratory, descriptive and contextual approach with a constructive paradigm was employed to gain insight into the experiences of inmates living with HIV and AIDS. Non-contact telephone interviews through transparent windows were conducted with the inmates living with HIV/AIDS (n=20) from May 2021 until September 2021 in the correctional service facilities in Limpopo Province. Telephone interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim from Tshivenda, Sotho, and Tsonga into English. Data were analyzed using eight steps according to Tech’s method of qualitative analysis to determine themes and subthemes. The results indicate the burden of taking multiple medication regimens, fear of stigma and break of confidentiality, shortage of nursing staff and high workload, professional nurses ‘insufficient’ adherence counseling and health-related information and education, inmates transitioning between correctional and police station facilities, insufficient provision of meals and meals unrelated to treatment times, and inconsistent criteria for provision of a special diet as factors contributing to medication adherence for detained inmates living with HIV/AIDS in the correctional service environment. The study concluded that optimal adherence to ARV treatment for inmates living with HIV/AIDS during incarceration is crucial to achieving viral suppression and improving medication outcomes for inmates in correctional service facilities.

South Africa is in a competitive global economy, with enterprises, industries, and service sectors demanding world-class academic, technical, and professional skills and competence. To meet these expectations, the secondary school education system must deliver high-quality learning experiences that connect all secondary school students to the real world by building a strong foundation of academic, technical, and work-related skills. This study’s aim is to explore the corporate world's involvement in the advancement of secondary school learners in moulding learners to be assets for a future workforce. In this study, we borrowed the theory of Bourdieu’s (1995) Social Theory to analyse data and to answer our question: To what degree does the corporate world involvement in secondary school benefit learners? We choose the constructivist paradigm in order to use qualitative methodologies to investigate the reality of the participants. Semi-structured interviews and photovoice were employed to collect data for this study. The population sample comprised of two secondary schools from which the researchers sought to acquire learner perspectives’ and to draw conclusions about how much the corporate sector has been able to contribute to the secondary schools to benefit learners. The study discovered that corporate world businesses get involved in various ways such as offering bursaries to learners, motivational workshops, sports kits, and so forth. This type of involvement by the corporate world usually results in improved teaching and learning, workplace experience, and chances for future employability.

This study aims to understand how learner-on-educator violence affects teacher efficacy in schools, particularly in light of recent outbreaks of teacher killings in schools. The study sample was two schools, and the participants were two Life orientation teachers, two chairpersons of the school’s safety and security committee, and security guards. Data were gathered through semi-structured interviews and observation journals. The study's findings indicated that teachers experienced varied levels of violence, ranging from loss of instructional time; to personal, physical, psychological, and teacher killings. Furthermore, the study found that learner-on-educator violence has become unmanageable.

The African National Congress (ANC)-led government established a Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP) policy in 1994, which included the introduction of State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs), with the goal of driving the economy and contributing to service delivery. SOEs are companies that are profit making, yet governments own them. As a result, SOEs are owned by the residents who elect their government and pay taxes to keep them functioning. These citizens are stakeholders in these enterprises through the government's administration. It can be argued that corruption, maladministration, and inadequate leadership accountability are the causes of the devaluation of state-owned enterprises. The 4th and 5th administration were thought to be corrupt, but the corruption appears to be immersed in the current 6th administration, with the SOEs being privatized. Corruption and similar corporate governance violations in state-owned Entities are becoming more common (SOEs). The purpose of this paper is to examine the position of State-Owned Entities and observe instances of incompetence, corruption and political interference in the operation of SOEs throughout the 4th, 5th and current 6th administration. Furthermore, this paper is a conceptual paper and it has relied heavily on secondary data and existing literatures for analysis and interpretation. The paper recommends that SOEs should be transparent to the public or stakeholders on its affairs, and the ANC to stop interfering in the administration and operation of SOEs.

The study examined the factors influencing motor vehicle purchase intention during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Theory of Planned Behaviour, the Social Judgement Theory, and the Self-Congruency Theory were employed for the study. A quantitative research approach was applied, and data was collected using a questionnaire that 223 respondents completed and selected through convenience sampling. A structural equation model was used to test the proposed conceptual model of the study. The empirical results revealed that perceived value, perceived reliability, and brand awareness of the vehicle, together with the manufacturer’s and/or seller’s website quality, positively impact the consumer’s attitude, which subsequently affects their purchase intentions. The study has both practical and theoretical implications. The findings from the study could assist motor vehicle marketers in developing marketing strategies during a pandemic and provide policymakers with guidelines for the marketing of motor vehicles during a pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic caused teachers and learners to be removed from their school communities, negatively impacting school culture, and limiting teacher professional development (PD). Online PD programmes emerged to meet these needs. This study investigated how schools implemented teacher PD and mechanisms for teaching and learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. It was necessary to understand the complex interplay between school culture and teacher PD, and Wenger's social learning theory was used to prescribe the empirical prescription. This study examined the influence of school culture on Mathematics and Science teacher development during the COVID-19 pandemic. A qualitative approach was used to compare three independent schools in the same Educational Trust in Gauteng. The empirical findings of this study revealed that the COVID-19 pandemic had a significant influence on the school culture, consequently giving rise to explicit professional learning communities (PLCs), which in turn influenced the teachers’ pedagogical repertoires for curriculum delivery during a pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of schools transforming their practices and adapting their school cultures. Results showed that school culture is not static, and individuals had to reflect collectively to develop ideas to transform learning. Schools need to learn from the pandemic, adjust their values, and use their newfound insights and beliefs to work towards a new learning culture. Future research must evaluate unfolding PLC practices, strategies, and implementations during a crisis.

Over the last decade, developing countries have been promoting public-private partnerships (PPPs) as an alternative approach to developing infrastructure and services. This is done by utilising the efficiency and innovation of the private sector and enabling access to private-sector finance through public-private partnerships (PPP). Importantly, PPPs ensure more value for money than traditional financing options and highway and transportation infrastructure revenue sources. The study is qualitative, relied on the extensive review of written documents. In light of this, the study explores the utility and efficacy of PPPs in road tolling initiatives and highway infrastructure investment in Zimbabwe. Emphasis was placed on the PPP arrangement between the Zimbabwe National Roads Administration (ZINARA) and a South African company- Group Five, which saw road tolls being erected and operationalised to fund Zimbabwean highway infrastructure. The paper established that despite this PPP arrangement being a success, as seen by the faster completion of the trunk roads, lower project lifecycle costs, better risk allocation, faster implementation of public works and services, improved service quality and additional revenue streams a myriad of operational and administrative challenges equally dogged it. To this effect, the paper, therefore, recommends some strategies to strengthen and enhance the adoption, operationalization, and management of PPPs for road tolling and highway infrastructure investments in developing countries.

The professional development of managers poses fundamental challenges that higher education is facing in these fast-changing times. These challenges include a lack of induction into managerial roles and responsibilities, conflicting roles and responsibilities and a lack of general skills pertaining to managerial positions. Experiencing these challenges necessitates the need for sustainable development programmes and practices within higher education institutions. To address this need, the purpose of this exploratory research was to develop a professional development needs analysis instrument as a reliable and valid instrument to determine the professional development needs of junior and mid-level academic managers. A gap analysis was conducted, involving 156 junior and mid-level academic managers at a university in South Africa. The construct validity of the instrument was determined through exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis. To determine the reliability of the instrument, Cronbach alpha coefficients were calculated. The outcome of both the factor analysis and the Cronbach alpha coefficients indicated that the questionnaire was a valid and reliable measuring instrument that could be employed in future research to determine the professional development needs of academic managers. The implementation of the professional development needs analysis instrument may contribute to sustainable management activities at universities for junior and mid-level academic managers.

The debate on whether stock prices follow a random walk continues, becoming the foundation of modern portfolio theory. Supporters of the random walk theory still believe that modeling stock prices is a wasteful exercise. However, evidence from momentum pricing strategy and price reversals suggests otherwise. This study aimed to empirically explore the random walk theory in five international stock markets before and during the Covid-19 pandemic from June 30, 2017, to June 30, 2019, and January 1, 2020, to December 31, 2021. A multivariate runs test and a generalised distribution function was applied to investigate the theory. The results revealed no significant difference between the observed S-statistics runs and the expected ones, concluding that it is not common to observe random walks in financial markets consistently. Hence price changes in financial markets are significantly affected not only based on new information and investors’ expectations but also by irrationalities that exist among market participants. These irrationalities can be modeled using a generalised distribution function to produce price patterns.

Gender disparity is a significant issue that is clearly present in South African municipalities. Municipalities play an important role in providing services to individuals based on their needs and expectations because they are the level of government closest to the people. Gender inequality poses a barrier within municipalities due to discrimination, a lack of gender mainstreaming, a lack of gender policies, and a lack of women's empowerment, limiting women's capacity to contribute to civic life and municipal duties that guide the nation's growth. Inequality between the sexes makes it more difficult for women to support themselves, creating socioeconomic problems in their communities and additional issues for the government to address to ensure effective, efficient, economical, fair, and inclusive governance. This article aims to highlight areas of concern that the government could address through policies by focusing on gender disparities in South African local government from a policy standpoint. Using a qualitative desktop analysis, the article collects information under various themes. The goal is to advise local governments on ensuring gender equality in all decision-making structures and procedures. It is impossible to overstate the importance of involving local governments in the fight against gender inequality. As a result, a gap in research on gender equality in municipal government must be filled. This article seeks to contribute to this direction by examining several aspects of gender inequality at the local government level in South Africa.

Training and development have emerged as important construct within entrepreneurial literature over the past two decades. This study proves how training and development can effectively advance fish farming productivity in Odogbolu Metropolis. The impact of fishermen's educational level on fish profitability was examined. The influence of feed quality on fish performance was also demonstrated. The assessment of fish weight/size as a determinant of fish marketability in the study area was also researched. The study's objectives were underscored through the lens of constructivism and human capital theories. A purposive sampling technique was adopted to determine one hundred and twenty-one sample sizes. A quantitative approach was employed, and three hypotheses were presented and tested by applying regression techniques using SPSS software. The study found a significant association between fish farmers' educational level and profitability. Feed quality showed a significant association with fish performance, and a significant association was also found between fish weight/size and fish marketability. The study proves that fish farmers should educate themselves through training and development programs on quality fish production regarding fish weight/size, fish performance, and fish marketability. Government and stakeholders must proactively encourage adult education among fish farmers to expose them to the benefits of fish farming activities in the study area.

This paper uses desktop review to critique Ndlovu (2014)’s analysis of South Africa’s ‘exceptionalism’ and ‘xenophobia’ based on the articulations of the minister of Sports Fikile Mbalula at the Cape Town stadium in September 2014. Critical analysis underpinned on interpretivism was used to argue that Ndlovu chose an irrelevant case to frame his problem. This resulted in the biased analysis as published. Ndlovu (2014) is ignorant on the influence of sports rivalrism on human behaviour – especially as it has been historical between Nigeria and South Africa. Ndlovu’s (2014) description of Black South Africans affirms Euro-American hostility and attitude on Blackness which to this tradition denotes ‘danger’ – a sentiment sponsored by the swart gevaar philosophy of the apartheid regime in South Africa. The idea of the swart gevaar philosophy was to assassinate Blackness and Black people’s character. It is concluded that Ndlovu (2014) is pontifical – wanting to model immigrant nationals as victims of Black South Africans while positioning white and immigrant nationals as the civilised humans who happened to share social space with the barbarous Black South Africans. This is an antagonistic approach of wanting to solve what could be a real challenge in society however ending with the unintended consequence of broadening existing social polarisation.

The attitude that employees have towards their job is well believed to have an influence on their performance. This study investigated the influence of job satisfaction on employees’ performance. Herzberg’s two-factor hygiene and motivation theory was used to explain employees' motivation for best performance. A cross-sectional survey design in the form of a structured questionnaire was used to randomly sample one hundred (100) employees of the University of Zululand, South Africa. Descriptive and correlation analysis were used to analyze the collected data. The findings indicate that job satisfaction does not influence employees’ performance. The study concludes that UNIZULU employees enjoy their roles despite the unsatisfactory benefits attached. In spite of the unsatisfactory level of benefits, they perform their duties effortlessly. This research contributes to research-based knowledge that will assist universities’ management in identifying the factors that will enhance employees’ performance.

Clean, sufficient water is becoming increasingly scarce worldwide, particularly in African metropolitan areas. Today's urban water systems face several challenges, including, among other things, migration from rural to urban areas, climate change, natural disasters, and a lack of institutional capacity, expertise, and financial and human resources. As a result, governments across Africa are struggling to meet constitutional requirements to provide clean and sufficient water and sanitation. This article aims to investigate the value of public-private partnerships (PPPs) in improving Africa's urban water infrastructure. The research in this article was qualitative. Data were gathered through a literature review, and conceptual analysis was used. The findings show that a variety of factors are at work.

Over the last decade, both inflation and societal pressures have increased. The COVID-19 outbreak exacerbated these problems, resulting in a decrease in people's earning ability and contributing to an increase in the unemployment rate in developing countries. Equally tricky for businesses is satisfying price-sensitive customers in the face of unpredictability. Thus, price- and value-obsessed customers are often less committed to a company since they seek fabulous discounts. Therefore, this study examined perceptions of customer satisfaction and brand loyalty amongst millennials in South Africa during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data from respondents were gathered using a descriptive quantitative research methodology, and a simple random sampling procedure was employed to select 142 respondents. Additionally, the research's driving principle was positivism. A self-administered questionnaire was given to the participants to complete. This study's findings suggest a strong and positive relationship between brand loyalty and customer satisfaction. The survey results were thus crucial for learning about the factors that affected customers, such as their shopping preferences and whether or not they would remain loyal to the brand. The results also show that the COVID-19 pandemic has, in some way or other, altered millennials' shopping habits. This research might be helpful to the management of the company in developing comprehensive and in-depth data about a target market so that they can plan and execute the most successful strategies.

The needs of the customers residing in townships are generally met by informal retailers operating spaza and tuck shops. These retailers sell personal and household products such as cooking oil, sugar, maize flour, snacks, soap, paraffin, candles, matches, disinfectants, cigarettes, and prepaid airtime for mobile phones. However, several factors determine the success and marketing of these products to townships by retailers. Therefore, this study sought to analyse the factors determining the marketing of products to townships amongst Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) within the retail sector. Thus, a literature review was conducted to collect information to identify factors determining the marketing of products to townships amongst SMEs within the retail sector using several databases. The year 2012 signaled the commencement of an organised search for publications that were pertinent to the topic. The researcher searched for journals published on township retail and marketing using buzzwords relevant to the current study. The findings of this study show that the following are marketing factors: product quality, product price, customer satisfaction, customer loyalty, and customer service. Non-marketing factors encompass competition, the transport system, road infrastructure, security, licensing and regulatory requirements, and business location. Therefore, retailers are asked to pay particular attention to these factors because they are crucial to marketing and achieving a competitive advantage.