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Almost half of South Africa's population still lives in poverty, despite the abolishment of the oppressive apartheid regime since April 1994. The majority of the populace is impoverished and unable to enjoy sustainable life and progress. Therefore, this paper is here by analysing poverty in post-apartheid South Africa by looking at what still causing poverty after so many years of freedom and how poverty effects the communities and what solutions can be adopted overcome the situation. A qualitative research methodology was used to collect data. Particularly, a systematic literature review was used. The researchers have reviewed published articles and reports about poverty. Based on the findings it is evident that poverty in South Africa is caused by challenges such as pandemics, poor health and education systems, climate change, economic inequality etc. Therefore, the paper recommends various actions to be taken such as striving to enhance economic output.

This paper investigates the relationship between Corporate Social Responsibility, talent development, and performance in youth-led entrepreneurial firms operating in South Africa, where youth unemployment levels are high. It acknowledges that Corporate Social Responsibility plays a part in talent development and influencing the performance of an organization which is not well developed in young entrepreneurship. Through bibliometric analysis, the paper depicts the landscape of current knowledge and research trends to key themes, main authors and collaborative networks. Findings show that there is an emerging wake-up call to Corporate Social Responsibility as a strategic drive for the development of human capital and enhancing performance in youth-led companies, with notable gaps both conceptually and empirically on the institutional context of South African youth-owned businesses. This paper recommends that there should be more investment in culture-specific, evidence-based research and greater incorporation of Corporate Social Responsibility into programmes for youth talent development. By linking Corporate Social Responsibility to targeted talent development, long-term performance outcomes can be enhanced, and inclusive entrepreneurial growth for youth may be reinforced as a broad-based strategy for job creation, innovation, and sustainable economic development.

This study examined the role of local government in eradicating poverty and inequality in Salamanga community located in Matutuine District in Mozambique. Despite the implementation of several development strategies, including the Donor-Liberal Free-Market Rural Development Strategy, Donor-Funded Development Strategy, Strategic Plan for Agricultural Development, Green Revolution Strategy, Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper, and the National Action Plan for the Advancement of Women poverty and inequality remain persistently high in rural areas. This study adopted a mixed-method approach, integrating both qualitative and quantitative methods. Data was collected through open-ended and structured questionnaires which were administered to 60 participants. Quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive statistics while qualitative data was analyzed using thematic analysis. Methodological integration was achieved through triangulation. The finding revealed persistence structural constrains, including access to land, water, education healthcare, employment opportunities as well as inadequate infrastucure and institutional barriers that restrict participation in government programmes.There was a significant difference of opinion between the community and local officials, with public servants asserting strong government initiatives to empower residents, while community members reported a lack of empowerment from their local government.  Interpreted through the lens of Restricted Opportunity Theory and Marxian theory of poverty, the findings demonstrated that poverty and inequality in Salamanga is sustained by systemic exclusion and lack of economic opportunities rather than individual failure. The study recommends that local government should strengthen it capacity, decentralized and well – resourced agricultural programmes that support famers, improved service delivery, and inclusive community participation to advance equitable rural development in Mozambique.

This article seeks to empirically examine the dynamic relationship between government expenditure and private sector investment in South Africa. The research employed a Vector Autoregression (VAR) methodology to experimentally investigate the crowding impacts of government spending on private sector investment, utilising time series data from 1960 to 2021. The study evaluates single equation methods, including Dynamic Ordinary Least Squares, Fully Modified Ordinary Least Squares, and Canonical Cointegrating Regression, to analyse the long-term cointegrating relationship between government expenditure and private sector investment. The results offer robust empirical evidence of a beneficial relationship between government expenditure and private sector investment, suggesting that an increase in government spending stimulates private sector investment in South Africa's economy. The impulse response function (IRF) indicated that private sector investment reacts favourably to unexpected fluctuations in government expenditure and GDP growth. The study's findings indicate that governments should allocate substantial funds to productive sectors to stimulate economic activities, encourage private sector investment through robust public-sector collaboration, and ultimately promote job creation and economic growth.

This paper explores the effectiveness of strategic initiatives used by local government in Mozambique to eradicate poverty and inequality, using Salamanga community as a case study. Employing a qualitative approach with interviews and questionnaires, findings revealed limited effectiveness due to weak implementation, lack of community involvement, and inadequate resources. The study adopted a qualitative approach to collect and analyse data. The study’s findings led to the conclusion that strategic initiatives employed by the Mozambican government to reduce poverty and inequality are ineffective. While the goal was to fight poverty and inequality, Mozambique still struggles with these issues, marked by widespread poverty. people enduring poor living conditions, inadequate education, and a high rate of unemployment. Local authorities, however, noted positive impacts from these strategic initiatives, which differed from what was found in local communities.

The study aims to examine the key drivers and financing mechanisms of infrastructure development in Africa and their impact on trade facilitation and regional economic integration. It focuses on understanding the political, economic, and institutional factors shaping sustainable infrastructure growth and trade expansion across the continent. The African continent engages in relatively limited intra-continental trade, with intra-African trade consistently averaging between 12% and 15%. At a broader level, trade growth is widely regarded as a key driver of economic development, employment generation, and poverty reduction. However, the persistent low levels of trade among African countries coupled with high unemployment and widespread poverty have sparked discussions around the urgent need to strengthen both intra-regional and continental trade. In pursuit of regional integration, various regional economic communities were established, including the Southern African Development Community (SADC). Despite these efforts, concerns persist regarding weak economic infrastructure across several regions of the continent, including within the SADC bloc. Inadequate infrastructure has been identified as a major impediment to enhancing intra-African trade. Against this backdrop, the present study aims to empirically examine the relationship between economic infrastructure and intra-regional trade within the SADC region. The analysis employs panel data covering all 15 SADC member states, utilizing datasets from the SADC Secretariat and the World Bank. Applying the Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) estimation technique, the findings indicate a positive and statistically significant relationship between infrastructure development and intra-SADC exports.

The purpose of this paper is to examine how incorporating Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4 Quality Education into South African university curricula promotes global citizenship and aids in organisational reform. This paper aims to address the disparity between educational methods and the global citizenship skills that are essential for a globalised world. It further aims to evaluate how teaching frameworks that are in line with SDG 4 can improve educational quality and foster a global civic culture in higher education. A bibliometric analysis was carried out to examine the body of research on the connection between SDG 4, curriculum integration, global citizenship, and organisational development using major academic databases. The findings show that incorporating SDG 4 concepts enhances instructional content and gives students a sense of accountability for global issues. Integration of this kind also promotes flexible corporate cultures that place a high value on social responsibility, creativity, and diversity. This paper recommends that educators receive specialised training on integrating the SDGs, that students participate in co-curated learning activities, and that evaluation techniques be updated to include global citizenship outcomes. Finally, by bringing curricula in line with SDG 4, South African institutions can greatly improve their educational offerings, which will promote student development, social progress, and major organisational change.

This paper investigated the impact of culture on consumer neuroscience reactions among African Blacks and Whites in South Africa, as well as the implications for human resource management (HRM) and organisational behaviour. Despite the country's vast cultural diversity, little research has been done to investigate how cultural differences affect neurological and emotional responses to marketing stimuli, limiting organisations' understanding of customer and staff behaviour. The paper employed bibliometric analysis to identify dominant trends, patterns, and gaps in the literature, demonstrating that culture has a significant impact on consumer decision-making, emotional engagement, and cognitive reactions. Importantly, these findings went beyond marketing, indicating key applications for OB and HRM, including culturally informed leadership, employee engagement methods, and talent development programs. This paper offers a fresh interdisciplinary viewpoint by clearly connecting culture, neuroscience, and organisational management. It showed that comprehending the emotional and neurological effects of culture could improve HRM procedures, promote inclusive workplace environments, and strengthen customer-focused tactics. To help businesses effectively utilise cultural diversity, this paper recommends incorporating cultural insights into leadership development, training initiatives, and organisational policy. This method will offer a framework for evidence-based, culturally sensitive practices by positioning culture not just as a contextual aspect but as a strategic driver that connects consumer neuroscience insights with human capital management and organisational efficiency.

Higher education institutions face both opportunities and risks when adopting Artificial Intelligence (AI), offering possibilities for educational progress while simultaneously deepening existing social inequalities. With the rapid adoption of AI in the legal profession, there is a growing need to reimagine legal pedagogy. Within the scholarship of teaching and learning, the pedagogical and ethical aspects of AI in education have received extensive global research, yet South African legal pedagogy has received limited study as far as its transformative potential is concerned, despite its ongoing social inequalities. The study examines AI-mediated learning environments through person–environment theory as well as Freire’s critical/postcolonial pedagogy in exploring their impact AI may have on students' legal reasoning abilities, research skills, and access to knowledge. The study employs qualitative document analysis of South African higher education policy documents alongside international AI-based legal education platforms. Preliminary analysis suggests that AI has the potential to enhance legal reasoning and research efficiency, yet also risks maintaining epistemic exclusion and the digital divide unless structural inequalities are addressed. The research adds to teaching and learning scholarship by proposing a justice-oriented framework that unites theoretical and practical approaches to integrate AI into South African legal education, thereby promoting socially just transformation. The research proposes inclusive curriculum design, critical digital literacy training, and context-sensitive pedagogical approaches. Situated within a Global South perspective, the study thus offers one of the first to combine theoretical insights and practical recommendations for using AI to challenge entrenched inequalities and promote socially just legal education transformation.

The national development plan (NDP) clearly states that communities should take initiatives to solve their own problems. One of the socio-economic problems faced by communities in South Africa is the effects of inequality, which is largely the apartheid era is responsible for. In trying to deal with the socio-economic problem of inequality, many communities in South Africa have resorted to forming and running cooperatives in different sectors of the economy. However, these cooperatives are reported to be facing numerous challenges, and in some cases, many of them fail or close down. The challenges mentioned range from a lack of capacity to manage, poor economic performance in the country, heavy reliance on government grants and many others. Despite the challenges faced by cooperatives in South Africa, they are still believed to be a very important tool in dealing with the problem of inequality, which mostly affects rural areas where most of these cooperatives operate. To understand the potential impact of cooperatives in dealing with inequality, this paper uses a qualitative approach. Secondary sources of published information by government agencies and cooperatives themselves will be used, as well as literature published by experts in the area of study. Preliminary findings of the paper are that cooperatives in South Africa are very small in size, and the majority of them are in primary sectors of the economy. If cooperatives are to play a significant role in dealing with inequality, there is a need for them to be capacitated to grow and also participate in upper value chains of the economy.  

Entrepreneurship serves as a key catalyst for innovation, job creation, and sustainable economic growth in developing societies. This paper reviews existing literature to evaluate how entrepreneurship education enhances students’ understanding of global markets and the productive economy. Using studies published between January 2015 and September 2025, the review synthesizes evidence from diverse contexts to explore cognitive, experiential, and skill-based learning outcomes. The analysis highlights recurring themes such as adaptability, resilience, innovation, and interdisciplinary learning, revealing that entrepreneurship education significantly improves students’ economic awareness and entrepreneurial intentions. Methodologically, a structured qualitative review was applied across multiple academic databases using defined inclusion criteria. Ten studies were examined in depth, showing consistent links between entrepreneurship education and enhanced global market literacy, entrepreneurial self-efficacy, and practical business application. The paper contributes to theory by integrating insights from critical realism and evolutionary economics, offering an interdisciplinary framework for analyzing entrepreneurship education’s societal impact. In practice, the findings suggest that embedding global market simulations and intercultural experiences within curricula can strengthen students’ preparedness for dynamic economies. The review concludes with implications for policymakers, educators, and future researchers.

Entrepreneurship literacy has become a critical response to South Africa’s pressing socio-economic challenges, particularly high unemployment and poverty. This paper examines the role of higher education institutions (HEIs) in embedding entrepreneurship literacy into their curricula, going beyond traditional entrepreneurship education by integrating competencies such as innovation, economic management, and technological fluency across disciplines. Using a narrative literature review complemented by a meta-analytic synthesis, the study systematically analysed global and South African scholarship published between 2007 and 2025. The findings reveal that entrepreneurship literacy programmes have a moderate positive effect on students’ entrepreneurial intentions and self-efficacy, but only a small effect on actual venture creation, highlighting persistent structural barriers such as funding gaps, limited incubation, and insufficient staff training. In contrast, international contexts where entrepreneurship education is deeply integrated across disciplines show stronger outcomes. The study concludes that for South Africa to realise the transformative potential of entrepreneurship literacy, a unified national policy, adaptive curricula, academic staff development, and robust industry partnerships are essential. Without these systemic reforms, entrepreneurship literacy will remain an underutilised resource, but with them, it can become a cornerstone for innovation, employability, and inclusive economic growth.

In South Africa, education has been strengthened by granting access to everyone. Yet there are significant differences between the apartheid era and the present. However, during apartheid times the curriculum was different. For example, access was limited, instruction was taught in a language other than English, and political power was all exercised over four distinct groups in the school system during apartheid: Whites, Black people, Indians, and Coloured people. While the current South African education system has been instrumental in enhancing the quality of instruction and learning, technological integration, and government, stakeholder, and non-governmental organization intervention, (NGO). Based on writings published within the context of South Africa, we provide a first critique of the country's educational system. Our main goal is to evaluate the shift in concentration to critique the educational system. This study recommends using quantitative research to investigate the outlook of the South African Education System. The South African Education System is critically outlooked in terms of enhancing in its education system, this is due to the lack of Government and Department of Education (DOE) to take initiative.

This article explores the integration of Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) into entrepreneurship education in South Africa, advocating for a culturally responsive and inclusive approach. Drawing from historical, socio-political, and pedagogical perspectives, the study critiques the dominance of Western knowledge systems in formal education and the resulting marginalisation of IKS. It argues that embedding indigenous perspectives in entrepreneurship curricula can enhance relevance, foster innovation, and support sustainable development, particularly in rural communities. Through a literature-based, qualitative review complemented by stakeholder input including students, educators, and policy actors the research identifies the benefits and challenges of incorporating IKS into entrepreneurship education. These include improved creativity, community engagement, and a stronger connection between academic theory and local entrepreneurial practice. Key findings highlight strategies such as guest lectures, knowledge-sharing platforms, and collaboration with science parks to support IKS-driven entrepreneurship. The study recommends curriculum reform, educator training, and institutional policies that validate IKS as a valuable entrepreneurial asset. Ultimately, integrating IKS offers a pathway to decolonize higher education, empower indigenous learners, and build inclusive, contextually grounded entrepreneurial ecosystems.

The transition from high school to higher education or the workforce represents a critical phase in a learner's life. Career orientation programs play a vital role in navigating this transition, with universities positioned to enhance high school career orientation initiatives through their resources, expertise, and industry connections. The aim of this paper is to highlight the key role that universities play in enhancing school career orientation programs. The paper is looking at providing current challenges facing these programs and also providing some future prospects.  This paper adopts a qualitative approach, reviewing existing literature on the impact of university involvement in these programs. The findings reveal that university involvement provides several strengths and highlights areas for potential improvement in current practices. The article recommends the enhancement of career guidance, improved access to resources, increased industry exposure, and strengthened mentorship and support, developing structured collaboration frameworks between universities and high schools, implementing continuous evaluation mechanisms for these programs, and focusing on tailored support for under-resourced schools and re such as enhanced career guidance, improved access to resources, increased industry exposure, and strengthened mentorship and support. Consequently, the highlights that collaboration between universities and high schools is essential for bolstering career orientation initiatives at the high school level.

This study presents a comprehensive comparative analysis of four popular educational technology tools Mentimeter, Google Forms, Socrative, and Kahoot within the context of higher education. The aim is to critically evaluate their respective strengths and weaknesses, focusing on their utility, functionality, and effectiveness in enhancing the learning experience and engagement among college and university students. Mentimeter is a dynamic presentation tool allowing real-time audience engagement through live polls, quizzes, and interactive presentations. Its strengths lie in its user-friendly interface, diverse question types, and real-time feedback capabilities, fostering active participation and knowledge retention. However, limitations include its potential dependency on stable internet connectivity and limited complex assessment features. Google Forms, a versatile survey tool integrated with the Google ecosystem, offers flexibility in creating surveys, quizzes, and assessments. Its strengths include ease of use, data management through Google Sheets, and customizable question formats. However, while suitable for basic assessments, it may lack some advanced features required for complex evaluations and interactive learning. Socrative provides a platform for formative assessment, enabling teachers to create quizzes, assessments, and exit tickets. Its strengths lie in its instant grading, diverse question types, and the ability to track individual student progress. However, its interface might be less intuitive for some users, and its interactive features may be limited compared to other tools. Kahoot is a game-based learning platform that gamifies quizzes and assessments, promoting engagement and motivation among students. Its strengths include its gamified approach, competitive atmosphere, and ease of use. However, its design might favor rote memorization over deeper learning, and it may not be suitable for all types of educational content or assessment formats. This comparative analysis highlights the distinct advantages and limitations of each tool, offering insights for educators and institutions seeking to leverage technology for effective teaching and learning strategies in higher education. Understanding these strengths and weaknesses can aid educators in making informed decisions about selecting and integrating appropriate educational technologies to enhance student engagement, participation, and learning outcomes. Further research and practical implementations can delve deeper into optimizing the use of these tools to cater to diverse educational needs and contexts in higher education.

South Africa's transition to democracy in 1994 resulted in the formation of a Government of National Unity, which intended to promote inclusivity and unity in a highly divided society. Since then, coalition governments have continued to play an important part in the country's political scene, generating concerns about their effectiveness in promoting nationalism, reconciliation, and social cohesion. This paper utilised a systematic literature review to examine existing research to obtain an understanding of the topic matter by methodically gathering and evaluating 50 pertinent studies, papers, and publications as well as textual analysis to the collected data, which helped in delving further into speeches, policy documents, and other written materials relevant to South African coalition governments and the Government of National Unity. This paper recommends that future South African coalition governments should prioritise systems that promote conversation, consensus-building, and societal cohesion. Furthermore, efforts should be made to remove structural inequities and historical injustices that are impeding the country's progress towards a more inclusive and united society. This paper concludes that South African coalition governments, as well as the Government of National Unity, have far-reaching ramifications for nation-building, reconciliation, and social cohesion. Additionally, policymakers must prioritise inclusivity, transparency, and accountability in political decision-making processes.

Crises are inevitable in the business environment, and the effects can vary widely across small and large businesses. Depending on its severity, crisis can threaten the continuity of businesses, especially small and medium enterprises (SMEs). For instance, the recent COVID-19 pandemic saw the discontinuation of several businesses. Thus, it is essential to investigate the survival strategies that can be adopted to facilitate business continuity. This study performs a literature review to investigate the strategies that can be adopted by SMEs to foster business continuity amidst crises. Considering SMEs crucial contribution to global economic development, employment creation and poverty alleviation, it is crucial to identify strategies that facilitate business continuity among SMEs. The findings of this literature review indicate that technological innovation, business agility, organizational resilience, innovative marketing strategies and the retrenchment strategy can facilitate business continuity among SMEs. This research contributes to the literature on crisis management in business and highlight strategies that can be implemented for business continuity in SMEs. Future research should empirically investigate the adoption of these strategies in SMEs, and ways to overcome the challenges hindering their adoption and implementation for sustainable business continuity.

Breastfeeding women in academic environments often feel disadvantaged due to a lack of clear policies and supportive facilities; thus, their well-being is negatively impacted. The South African Constitution mandates non-discrimination against breastfeeding and pregnant women in the workplace. However, most literature focuses on maternity leave policies without addressing breastfeeding in the workplace. This study explored the policy framework that regulates breastfeeding for women academics. A policy document analysis was conducted on three universities across three provinces in South Africa to assess the extent of breastfeeding regulation in higher education. The study is guided by the theory of planned behaviour (TPB), which proposes that mothers who believe breastfeeding will result in positive results are more likely to breastfeed their babies. This study shows that breastfeeding is encouraged in the three universities' policies that were examined. However, proper orientations for women on their right to have two 30-minute breaks a day to express or breastfeed their babies for the first six months of their life. The study recommends that breastfeeding-friendly spaces should be created by university management to enable mothers to feel at home when at work. This research contributes to the discourse on breastfeeding policies in higher education that will enhance the well-being of women in academic settings.

Sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship have emerged as pivotal drivers of positive change in today's dynamic world, where environmental, social, and economic challenges intersect. This paper explores the nexus between sustainable innovation, entrepreneurship, and societal impact, examining the evolution, principles, and case studies that exemplify the transformative potential of sustainable ventures. Through an analysis of leading exemplars across industries, including Tesla, Patagonia, and Unilever, key lessons learned and best practices are identified, highlighting the importance of stakeholder collaboration, transparency, and long-term commitment to sustainability. Moreover, the paper assesses the impact of sustainable innovation on society, emphasizing economic growth, environmental conservation, and social equity as critical outcomes. Looking ahead, emerging trends in sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship present opportunities for future ventures, yet challenges such as regulatory complexity and resource scarcity must be addressed. Recommendations for encouraging a culture of sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship globally include promoting collaboration, incentivizing sustainable practices, and investing in education and research. By embracing sustainability as a guiding principle, businesses can drive positive change, foster innovation, and contribute to a more resilient, equitable, and environmentally sustainable future.