Explore publications.

This study presents a thematic literature review aimed at understanding the systemic barriers that Black African women face when accessing bank loans in South Africa, as well as the critical role that the humanities can play in addressing these issues. In the context of the persistent economic instability facing South Africa, the small business sector has become a vital source of income and resilience for Black women. Despite this, their economic potential remains constrained by limited access to bank loans. Guided by an intersectionality framework, the study discusses the systemic barriers that contribute to the financial hardships and exclusion of Black African women. It further explores how gender-sensitive and humanities-informed approaches can contribute to more inclusive financial services. This includes emphasizing the need for culturally sensitive financial products, bias awareness training, and supportive policy frameworks. The review calls for strategic interventions to improve economic empowerment among Black African women entrepreneurs. Central to these interventions is the role of humanities faculties in facilitating Short Learning Programs and Skills Training Programs that provide business training, helping women manage finances and scale their ventures sustainably through enhanced financial literacy. This increased knowledge can improve their chances of success, even in the absence of formal funding. Conducting Afrocentric research is another avenue to uncover the barriers and address the current financial exclusion that Black women in South Africa experience. Gender equality in financial inclusion must remain one of the fundamental building blocks for steady and positive economic growth in South Africa.

Despite changing Performance Management System (PMS) to Performance Management and Development (PMD) in 2018, public schools face difficulties in effectively implementing PMD in Botswana. This study, using a mixed methods approach, investigated the capacity of school managers to implement PMD. Quantitative analysis assessed capacity and workload, while qualitative insights explored managers’ perspectives on PMD.  From the study, poor PMD implementation is associated with capacity issues, moral laxity and organizational indifference. The study recommends building capacities at all levels of PMD and embracing PMD as a performance reform.

The problem addressed in this paper relates to the high road fatalities among the youth in South Africa. The high youth fatality rate is concerning as it results in immediate economic impacts as well as the future loss of productive people. The objectives of the paper include identifying the most prominent educational strategies and ascertaining the applicable communication media for mitigating road fatalities among the youth in South Africa. The research followed a quantitative approach to determine the perceptions of traffic offi3cers and crash investigators regarding the driving behaviour of the youth. It was found that the most effective education strategy is to include road safety in the school curriculum and educate future drivers from a young age. The study further found that social media is the most effective medium for promoting road safety for the youth. Policymakers are encouraged to take a holistic approach when educating the youth and include all educational stakeholders. The paper makes a theoretical contribution because it tested the most applicable strategies with the associated educational media to circumvent fatalities among the youth. Recommendations regarding the strategies are made towards road safety authorities. The paper further makes a managerial contribution by providing guidance towards policymakers and transportation providers on developing road safety strategies aimed at the South African youth that will benefit the greater community.

Job satisfaction is widely recognised as a critical determinant of employee performance, organisational productivity, and long-term institutional effectiveness across diverse economic sectors. This paper examines the relationship between job satisfaction and employee performance through a comparative lens that considers both developed and developing country contexts. Drawing on a systematic literature review of empirical studies published between 2015 and 2025, the study synthesises evidence from a broad range of industries, including education, telecommunications, banking and financial services, information technology, automotive, healthcare, retail, construction, agriculture, logistics, energy, public administration, and manufacturing.The findings reveal a consistently positive and statistically significant association between job satisfaction and employee performance, either directly or through mediating mechanisms such as work engagement, organisational commitment, and motivation. Across sectors, job satisfaction is shaped by a combination of structural and motivational factors, including working conditions, training and development, leadership quality, compensation, career advancement opportunities, organisational support, and job design. Employees who report higher satisfaction levels tend to demonstrate stronger commitment, greater discretionary effort, higher productivity, and improved service quality.

Decentralized approaches to solid waste management (SWM) have gained global attention because of their provision for the effective participation of local communities. This study investigates community participation in decentralized solid waste management policy-making processes, drawing insights from Ghana. Using mixed methods, the study reveals that community participation only takes place at the policy implementation stage and takes the form of planning and managing community-led solid waste management initiatives such as occasional community clean-up exercise during festivals and public holidays, which are usually organized on a frequent basis. Regarding the factors that promote the solid waste management policy-making process, it was realized that “including the community in the solid waste management policy-making process” was the most important factor for the community to participate in the solid waste management policy-making process. Based on these findings, the top-down approach in solid waste management policy should be reversed to bottom-up approaches.

Population growth at the household level increases pressure on water and land resources. This study examined the impact of household population growth on water and land resource depletion in Limpopo Province of South Africa, using a desktop research approach with secondary data from academic journals, government reports, and relevant policy documents. The findings show that as household population size increases, the demand for water and land also rises, leading to overuse, environmental degradation, soil erosion, pollution, and reduced availability of these resources. The study also found that low use of family planning and contraceptives contributes to faster household growth and unsustainable resource use, threatening ecosystem services and food security. Using the lens of the Second Demographic Transition (SDT) theory, the study highlighted that improving access to family planning and reproductive health education could help manage household population growth and reduce pressure on natural resources. The study concluded that household population growth negatively affected water and land resources in Limpopo Province and recommended promoting family planning programs, sustainable development practices, effective resource management, and stronger local government involvement in planning and policy implementation to ensure environmental sustainability.

This study examined how conflicts between learners’ and teachers’ rights influence teachers' safety in South African schools and how school management structures respond to such situations. South African schools continue to experience high levels of learner violence and disciplinary disputes that are often framed through competing interpretations of human rights. These tensions shape teachers’ daily work and raise concerns about safety, dignity, and professional well-being. The study was guided by an interpretivist paradigm and informed by Curwin and Mendler’s Discipline with Dignity model. A qualitative case study design was adopted. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with teachers and learners at a secondary school in Limpopo Province. Thematic analysis was used to interpret the data. The findings show that persistent rights-related conflicts and learner aggression create significant emotional, psychological, and professional strain for teachers. Teachers reported limited institutional support after incidents were reported. School Management Teams often prioritised learner welfare, inconsistently applied policies, and offered few practical safeguards for teachers. The study recommends clearer reporting mechanisms, stronger SMT accountability, regular review of school safety policies, and collaborative interventions involving parents, district officials, and support professionals to strengthen teacher protection and restore professional dignity

This article employs a structured, theory-guided comparative policy analysis to examine the persistent deficits in community trust that undermine primary health care (PHC) service delivery in Nigeria. Despite numerous reforms targeting financing and administrative structures, PHC utilization remains low and citizen confidence fragile. Drawing on policy learning theory, this study argues that Nigeria’s PHC reforms have predominantly involved first-order, instrumental adjustments, failing to foster deeper shifts in governance philosophy or state-citizen relations essential for building trust. Using Rwanda as a contrasting case, the analysis illustrates how its post-genocide PHC reconstruction leveraged second- and third-order policy learning to embed community trust within governance through co-production, robust accountability mechanisms, and deliberate institutional design. The paper identifies context-sensitive policy lessons for Nigeria, emphasizing that trust must be recognized and actively governed as a strategic resource for legitimate, responsive, and sustainable PHC systems, rather than merely a residual outcome of service delivery.

The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996, grants all official languages parity of esteem and equal treatment. The Constitution also recognises injustices of the past and historical diminished use of indigenous (African) languages. It is against this backdrop that this democratic constitution calls-upon the national and provincial government to take practical and positive measures in encouraging the use and elevation of the status of African languages. In advocating for these languages, the Constitution declares that a minimum of two official languages be used by the government in executing government activities. Contrastingly, the heads of court resolutions in 2017 declared English a lingua franca in South African courts. In a diverse country such as South Africa with twelve official languages, this raises critical concerns in terms of the country’s diversity, inclusivity, and multilingualism policies. With a distinct focus on Eastern Cape legal courts, this study examines the constitutional linguistic rights on the use of English as a lingua franca in South African courts system. The study adopted a qualitative research approach embedded within the exploratory-explanatory research design. The data was obtained from secondary sources, which in this context are judicial precedents. To analyse the collected data, close-reading and thematic content analysis techniques were adopted. The findings of the study exhibit English as a language of power and access in law, this positions African languages at the periphery, limiting their development and incorporation in legalese. Also, the use of English as a lingua franca in the Eastern Cape courts contravenes the provisions of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996. This study submits that legal practitioners and linguists should critically explore, language studies to bridge the knowledge gap.  Additionally, the government should create channels which allow the practical use of African languages in the court of law.                                                                                                                                             

Patients with mental illnesses exhibit disproportionately higher rates of substance use compared to the general population, a pattern that is linked with exacerbation of psychiatric symptoms leading to poorer overall health outcomes. Consequently, a comprehensive understanding of the prevalence and patterns of substance use among psychiatric patients is essential for the development of effective, evidence-based mental health interventions. The study aimed to determine the prevalence and patterns of substance use among psychiatric patients attending a tertiary hospital in Tshwane, Gauteng Province. A cross-sectional quantitative survey was conducted among psychiatric patients, with a sample size of 405. The Alcohol, Smoking, and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST) version 3.1 was used to collect data on substance use, while a quantitative questionnaire was used to collect sociodemographic information; both were analysed descriptively. The findings of this study indicated a high prevalence of substance use, with 70.1% of participants reporting substance use. Furthermore, schizophrenia emerged as the most common psychiatric diagnosis, accounting for 32.6% of cases. Alcohol was the most frequently used substance (60.5%), followed by tobacco (49.9%) and cannabis (26.4%). These results highlight the significant overlap between psychiatric illness and substance use, emphasizing the bidirectional relationship between the two. It is thus concluded that substance use is highly prevalent among psychiatric patients, underscoring the urgent need for integrated treatment approaches that address both psychiatric conditions and substance use disorders to improve clinical outcomes, reduce relapse rates, and enhance overall quality of life.

Emergency care units are high-pressure, fast-paced environments where nurses, as frontliners, play a critical role in delivering life-saving care to patients in acute need and mental health emergencies. Despite their crucial contributions, nurses working in these settings face unique challenges that can impact not only the quality of patient care but also the physical and emotional well-being of nursing staff. Understanding these challenges is important for optimizing workplace conditions, enhancing patient care outcomes, and reinforcing the indispensable contributions of nurses within emergency healthcare settings. This study explored the challenges faced by nurses caring for mental healthcare users in emergency care units. A qualitative exploratory-descriptive design was used.  Purposive sampling selected a sample of 14 nurses from the population who participated in the study. Data were collected using semi-structured, face-to-face interviews. Data analysis was guided by thematic analysis. The findings showed that poor infrastructure and increased workload were major challenges faced by nurses in emergency care units. These challenges impacted their ability to provide optimal care to mental healthcare users. Despite the significant challenges identified, emergency care units remain central to critical patient care. Improving infrastructure and alleviating staff workload are essential to building a more resilient and responsive emergency care system. We recommend that healthcare institutions develop and implement strategies to support nurses and enhance patient outcomes within emergency care units.

This study seeks to examine the impact of quality control techniques on operational efficiency in manufacturing organisations, specifically identifying the most successful practices that foster long-term success. The research employs a twofold approach: it first analyses current literature on the incorporation of quality principles in diverse manufacturing companies, identifying shortcomings.  Secondly, employing quantitative methodologies through surveys directed at South African manufacturing experts. This study utilised a purposive sample method to choose participants from the available population.  Purposive sampling is a nonprobability sampling technique that involves gathering data from designated target groups or individuals according to a defined criterion. The results indicate that employee training, ongoing improvement, and internal audits are the paramount quality control techniques, substantially promoting a culture of quality and advancing operational development. Employee engagement, proactive strategies, and remedial actions are seen as essential components for maintaining enduring operational performance. The incorporation of supplier quality management and control charts improves decision-making and guarantees product uniformity. The research highlights that organisations can enhance competitiveness, operational efficiency, and customer happiness through the implementation of good quality control practices. These methods result in enhanced production, decreased operational expenses, and increased market sustainability. Organisations must prioritise staff training, ongoing enhancement, and supplier quality control to maintain a competitive edge. This study enhances the existing information by emphasising the essential quality control techniques that affect operational efficiency in manufacturing entities. It offers significant insights into the execution of quality control techniques and their influence on business performance, presenting pragmatic recommendations for managers aiming to enhance operational efficiency.

The nexus of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and indigenous knowledge systems (IKS) rarely features as a viable intervention in African food system policy and academic debates. This has created knowledge and practical gaps with policy and practice implications. This article argues that leveraging the AI-IKS nexus has significant potential to transform African food systems currently in crisis. This conceptual article explores the importance of IKS in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and examines how AI solutions can transform regional food systems. The article shows that harnessing the AI-IKS nexus entails merging traditional, generational ecological wisdom with modern technology to enhance food security, sustainability, and resilience. Key applications include using AI to analyse indigenous drought-prediction techniques alongside meteorological data, identifying climate-resilient indigenous crops, and deploying Computer Vision and Natural Language Processing to digitise and disseminate traditional knowledge in local languages. The article argues that this synergy has the potential to enhance climate resilience, boost yields through precision agriculture, reduce post-harvest losses, and promote sustainable resource management, ultimately strengthening food security.

The aim of the study was to examine how talent management affects professional nurse retention. This study utilised a quantitative research approach. To assess professional nurses' attitudes and insights regarding talent management and employee retention, 504 nurses from three public hospitals participated in a survey. It was found that talent management practices resulted in higher employee retention rates. Job security, a positive work environment, and a combination of strong leadership and rewards primarily drove staff retention. Retention strategies were found to be effective when these elements were present. Job security, work climate, and superior guidance and rewards are suggested as three new factors to consider in retaining nurses. In addition to developing a conceptual framework for talent management practices, the study also identifies ways to improve employee retention by utilizing a multidimensional approach. The study gives insight into how to maintain the viability of public hospitals by implementing talent management practices and employee retention strategies, focusing on strategies such as management commitment, talent acquisition, and creating a positive work environment. These practices can help hospitals attract and retain skilled healthcare professionals, ensuring high-quality patient care and long-term organisational success.

Gender inequality remains prevalent in leadership positions within South African schools. Previous research attributes this disparity to socio-cultural factors that hinder women's advancement into leadership roles. However, limited studies have examined the effectiveness of existing gender legislation in promoting equality. This article explores the role of gender legislation in fostering equitable school leadership in selected primary schools in Gauteng. Grounded in an emancipatory paradigm, the study adopts a qualitative approach to gain a comprehensive understanding of the issue. Key participants included the School Governing Bodies as stakeholders during the promotion of school managements, union representatives as observers in ensuring that gender policies are applied effectively, and the district officials involved in recruitment processes. Therefore, consisting of crucial members who play a crucial role in implementing gender legislation during leadership appointments. Data collection methods used in the study were obtained using semi-structured interviews and document analysis, which consisted of gender legislation applicable in the Department of Education. Data was analysed by means of thematic analysis. Findings indicated that the effectiveness of gender legislation largely depends on its implementers, who often fail to adhere to it. Additionally, women are frequently perceived as less effective in handling school disciplinary issues, a key criterion in principal selection, leading to male dominance in middle and senior management positions. The study recommends that the implementation of gender legislation be a collective responsibility of all stakeholders within the Education Department, rather than being left solely to selection panels, which may prioritise personal interests over equitable representation of leadership.

This article explores the portrayal of corruption and moral decay in selected Xitsonga protest poetry, focusing on Ngobeni K.J.'s "Xana i vuphorisa ke?"  and Khosa M.A.'s "Hi lo yini hina?". The study investigates how figurative language, particularly proverbs, metaphors, and rhetorical devices, functions not only as a literary technique but also as a social critique drawing on the context theory of meaning, which emphasizes how linguistic expressions derive their meaning from sociocultural and historical contexts in which they are used, the analysis demonstrates how the poets encode complex critiques of institutional decay into culturally resonant language. The study employs a qualitative research design using content analysis to identify and interpret themes of corruption in policing and religion. The findings reveal that both ports present corruption not simply as an act of individual moral failure but as a systemic issue rooted in nepotism, bribery, and spiritual manipulation. Ultimately, the article argues that protest poetry in indigenous languages serves as a powerful tool for moral reflection and civic engagement in contemporary South African society. 

The current economic crisis which is a consequence of fuel subsidy removal and devaluation of Nigerian currency through foreign exchange unification is a reality as nearly every household is feeling the heat. The evidence is plethora including high inflation, loss of jobs, malnutrition, imbalance diets among others. These relatively impactful factors have heightened psychological and economic stress in the country in recent time. Hence, citizens result to relieving pain via humorous interjections thereby creating a nexus between economic severity and humour. This paper interrogates “humour” as a coping mechanism and instrument of political critique in the ocean of economic hardship popularised by humourists, comedians and entertainment industrialists in an organised event and social media platforms. This study relies on secondary materials and memes from social media platforms and online newspapers between May 2023 till date and thereby subjected to qualitative content analysis. The selection criteria of the memes were based on the period when those policies were implemented. Coping theory was deployed as the theoretical foundation. The study found out that humour helps to strengthen social bonds, reduction of stress, change of perception, as a means of livelihood and political critique.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming higher education, offering both pedagogical advantages and potential academic risks for teaching and learning. This systematic review consolidates existing research to examine whether AI enhances or hinders pedagogical practices in universities. Results show that AI boosts efficiency, supports personalization, and promotes inclusivity through adaptive learning systems, intelligent tutoring platforms, and automated assessment tools. The findings, however, also indicate risks such as academic integrity issues, algorithmic bias, unequal access, and the potential deskilling of educators. Furthermore, policy gaps exacerbate these risks, subjecting institutions to ethical dilemmas and inconsistent practices. The review concludes that responsible integration, supported by strong governance frameworks, drives the impact of AI in academia. Recommendations for policymakers include introducing clear institutional policies for the use of AI in higher education, promoting equitable access to digital infrastructure, and mandating transparency and accountability to ensure trust and fairness in high-stakes decision-making. For higher education institutions, establishing comprehensive guidelines for AI use, investing in faculty training, and redesigning assessments can help ensure inclusivity, preserving creativity, and emphasizing originality and problem-solving skills less easily replicated by AI.

Customer service quality is still a major problem in Zimbabwe’s telecommunications sector. This study aimed to develop a framework to improve customer service in the sector. It focused on how network reliability, how quickly complaints are resolved, staff skills and empathy, and customer involvement in service improvement affect customer satisfaction. Customers often face network failures, slow responses to complaints, and poor communication with service providers. These problems reduce customer satisfaction.: The study used data collected in Manicaland Province, Zimbabwe. A convergent parallel mixed-methods approach was used. Quantitative data were collected from a random sample of 220 customers, while qualitative data were collected from 13 purposively selected participants, including managers and frontline customer service staff. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS AMOS version 23 and thematic analysis. The results showed that network reliability had a strong and positive effect on customer satisfaction. Staff competence and empathy also had a significant positive effect on customer satisfaction, showing that skilled, respectful, and caring staff improve customers’ experiences. In contrast, complaint-resolution efficiency did not have a significant effect on customer satisfaction. The analysis further showed that value co-creation partially mediated the relationship between network reliability and customer satisfaction, as well as between staff competence and customer satisfaction. The study recommended that regulators such as Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (POTRAZ) enforce service quality standards, and that policymakers support digital inclusion and innovation. The study contributes that customer satisfaction can be improved by upgrading network infrastructure, providing ongoing staff training, empowering frontline employees, and creating formal ways to engage customers.

Single motherhood is a prevalent phenomenon within low-resourced communities globally, especially within African communities. Despite the fact that discourses on single mothers have received considerable attention in social sciences, there remains a notable gap within social work literature where momentous traction is still needed. This thematic narrative literature review synthesises current evidence regarding the challenges faced by single mothers in low-resource communities across Africa. Employing a thematic approach to literature selection, the analysis found several key areas of hardship and economic instability. Further, the findings included childcare and educational barriers, health and under nutrition, limited social support and stigma for single mothers, lack of safety and protection from violence and crimes, as well as poor policy implementation and service access. These findings highlight a complex interaction among macroeconomic factors in African communities, discriminatory gender values and norms, and community service structures, which frequently intensify vulnerabilities for single mothers and their children. The recommendations made emphasises the need for policy and programme redesigns in African communities, advocating for community-based strategies that prioritise gender sensitivity and inclusivity to address the distinctive socioeconomic challenges encountered by single mothers in low-resource settings. Further, recommendations are made on establishing family-inclusive social frameworks that extend beyond marriage-based models to include strengthening of child support enforcement mechanisms and paternal responsibility legislation.