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The COVID-19 pandemic profoundly disrupted traditional Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) practices in South African Universities of Technology (UoTs), necessitating rapid adaptation to virtual, hybrid, and project-based learning models. This study investigates post-COVID WIL practices, stakeholder perceptions, curriculum impacts, and the effectiveness of newly implemented strategies. Situated within an interpretivist paradigm, a qualitative approach was adopted to explore the meanings participants ascribe to WIL experiences. An exploratory multiple case-study design enabled in-depth insights across six UoTs. Data were collected via semi-structured interviews with 27 participants; including lecturers, WIL coordinators, and document analysis to capture diverse perspectives and institutional artefacts. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and managed in NVivo; thematic analysis combining deductive and inductive coding was applied to generate categories, subthemes, and overarching themes aligned to the research objectives. Thematic analysis revealed four overarching dimensions: (1) current WIL practices, including communication strategy development, traditional placements, project-based learning, and collaborative mentorship; (2) stakeholders’ perceptions, highlighting opportunities and constraints in transitioning to online and hybrid modalities; (3) curriculum impacts, reflecting both enhanced work-readiness and systemic limitations such as misaligned placements, insufficient exposure, and financial inequities; and (4) a balanced assessment of WIL strategies, emphasizing the integration of virtual approaches, simulation technologies, traditional placements, and industry partnerships. The main findings demonstrate that hybrid, adaptive WIL models supported by structured mentorship, formalised industry collaboration, and reflective practices optimally cultivate employable, competent, and resilient graduates. The study underscores the need for strategic planning, institutional capacity building, and equity-focused interventions to sustain WIL effectiveness in post-pandemic higher education

In the context of rapid technological advancement and evolving financial ecosystems, this study investigates the interplay between financial literacy, digital finance, and financial behaviour among high school teachers in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), South Africa. Structural equation modelling (SEM) approach was used to describe intricate relationships between latent constructs, namely, financial literacy, financial Behaviour and, digital finance Knowledge as well as observed variables (B7 to B22, C23 to C44, D45 to D56, demographics). Demographic variables include Gender, Age Category, Qualification Type, Teaching Duration, Financial Literacy Course and Field Employed. The model defined each construct as a linear combination of its observed variables as well as demographic variables under its measurement component, and hypothetical relationships among three latent variables under its structural component. We used Python software and machine learning code to create and estimate the model using observed data. The missing values in each observed variable were imputed with averages of the variables’ data. The tests of normality assumption for SEM were performed using histogram and q-q plots, Shapiro-Wilk test D'Agostino and Pearson's test.  Most data vectors violated the normality assumption. Diagonally Weighted Least Squares (DWLS) was used for parameter estimation as a suitable method that can provide better estimation for more complex models with many parameters. This method has an additional advantage of being less sensitive to outliers. The DWLS parameter estimation results, based on p-values, suggest that financial literacy and financial behaviour have a negative association which means that lacking financial behaviour results in financial literacy. A positive association between has been identified between financial behaviour and digital finance knowledge. Financial literacy and digital finance knowledge have a weak or no relationship. Thus, having or not having digital finance knowledge does not necessarily determine the possibility of experiencing financial literacy. Furthermore, among demographic variables, the financial literacy Course is the only demographic variable that has a significant impact, and only on Financial Behaviour and Financial literacy. The rest of the variables do not significantly influence the latent constructs. This study uniquely applies SEM using the DWLS estimator to explore personal finance dynamics in an emerging economy, offering concise insights into key relationships.

The digital divide (DD), which refers to the gap resulting from unequal access to digital technology hardware, software and ideological-ware resources, arises from disparities in accessing, material and physical resources that enable internet access. In the contemporary world, this divide extends beyond internet access to include the ability to manipulate educational technologies in the knowledge building process. Therefore, the installation of the internet infrastructure in communities should not be considered as the sole facility to access. In attempting to curb the DD, blended learning is seen to be a possible viable option. It is against this backdrop that this article sought to explore the role of blended learning in neutralising DD. This qualitative case study employed the resources and appropriation theory as a lens to analyse DD as a result of societal inequalities and unequal distribution of resources. The community of Inquiry (COI) framework was also used as a theoretical lens to guide the implementation of social and cognitive knowledge-building in a blended learning context. The reported study employed purposive sampling involving 26 participants who were the recipients of blended learning in one institution of higher learning (HEI) in Lesotho. Data were generated through reflective journals and one-on-one semi-structured interviews, and guided analysis was used to interpret the generated data. The findings established that blended learning has the capacity to neutralise DD, as it affords students the flexibility to design and engage in individualised learning experiences through both offline and online modes of teaching and learning, thereby meeting their access needs. The recommendation proposed in this article, thus, is for HEIs to adopt blended learning to eliminate categorical inequalities and social divisions in education, ideally promoting equilibrated inclusion of individuals from diverse socio-economic backgrounds in the teaching and learning process.

African Indigenous Knowledge Systems (AIKS) are values that were passed among African generations by word of mouth. Despite the Fourth Industrial Revolution's (4IR) facilitation of rapid communication for every aspect of society, many Africans have not embraced it to store AIKS, mainly due to concerns over biases and prejudices embedded in aspects like information and communication technologies (ICTs). Using decoloniality theory, this paper aims to show the importance of AIKS, which faces extinction due to the combined effects of the deaths of members of the old generation and acculturation. In the methodology section, Afrocentricity, which celebrates rootedness in African culture and history, was used together with storytelling as a means to examine the perceptions of Afrocentric scholars as revealed in their folktale works that were analyzed qualitatively. Results revealed that lack of exposure to ICTs is one of the main reasons for the scant AIKS virtual literature. Many African people do not have access to other needs like food, education, clothing, electricity, and shelter, which effectively renders ICTs ‘secondary, yet access to information and participation are fundamental rights. We urge stakeholders to implement policies that promote the preservation of AIKS in electronic repositories. Memory devices and other ICT accessories should be responsive to African cultures. Investment in ICT infrastructure and training, reliable electricity, and addressing all the basics are critical.

“Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood” is a bestselling memoir that was written by Trevor Noah, a South African-born comedian of global acclaim. In the book, Noah relives his upbringing in South Africa, when apartheid policies and legislation were designed and harshly implemented to keep the country’s citizens apart based on race and ethnicity. Yet, in relieving this oppressive and traumatic period and proceeding to the 1994 democratic era, Noah applies humor as a storytelling strategy to downplay this harsh period. Hence, this paper adopts the incongruity theory to present the juxtaposition that is evident in the form of surprises and tensions in the narrative, which the readers may find humorous. In addition, the paper draws on Apartheid Studies and Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) as theoretical frameworks to conduct this qualitative study. CDA is used as a research tool to indicate how a text authored by a comedian from the global south is used to humorously resist political and social power relations. It is found that Noah manages to criticize the segregation that was there in a subtle manner and to educate the audience through humor about socio-economic challenges in the country. Even though his writing is mainly in a language of the global north for possible economic reasons, he draws from the languages of the global south to correctly represent the culture of the South African people he is part of.

The South African taxi industry has a negative image that is associated with violence and disrespect for its clients. This has led to it losing many of its clients to other industry players leading to more violence as taxi owners lose profits. The issue of communication as a possible solution to the challenges the taxi industry experiences, from the perspectives of the taxi drivers, has not been explored. Hence, this paper sought to gather the views of drivers on the role of improved communication to bringing about peace and good relations with passengers. A qualitative approach was adopted as a form of data collection in which 12 participants were interviewed in the eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality in South Africa. The participants were selected among the taxi drivers who were asked to share their communication challenges and strategies. The findings revealed that poor communication skills and language can be a barrier to communication between drivers and passengers and between taxi associations. Effective communication strategies can contribute to economic freedom and peace. A further finding from the study is that taxi drivers, acting on their own agency, can tackle communication challenges in the eThekwini taxi industry and contribute to change.

The progress and sustainability of a nation's economy are attributed to its human capital, and a country lacking competent, knowledgeable, and productive manpower will struggle to thrive due to a dearth of talented individuals in the job market. To enhance the quality of skilled manpower in industries, the South African government is promoting digital literacy among its youth. This research aims to investigate the use of ICTs skills and competencies as an enabler for promoting sustainable advancement of youth employability in South Africa, as the country's youth unemployment rate for the 15-34 age group was 55.2% in the 1st quarter of 2019. The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) era has exacerbated job scarcity and inequality due to the scarcity of advanced ICT skills. As a result, South Africa has chosen to increase ICT usage to enhance economic activity and job creation. A critical literature review was conducted to support the research inquiry through a systematic literature review (SLR) as the research methodology since the contents are based on existing literature studies in identifying research needs and gaps, collecting or gathering lines of thoughts Memon et al. (2020) and views in relation to ICT skills and competences as an enabler for sustainable advancement of youth employability in South Africa. The approach was supported using the Sustainable Livelihood Theory as the research framework to support the findings.

The constantly evolving technology landscape inevitably calls for technological integration in learning and education. It is essential in the world we live in today for every learning method to include the use of new technologies. The study's primary goal is to examine strategies to integrate modern technologies into teaching in South Africa. The paper strives to understand the state of education in South Africa; the government’s contribution to education so far; teachers’ attitudes and competencies; as well as, and the benefits that new technologies can offer the education system in South Africa. A systematic review of literature that relates to the infusion of conventional technologies into educational settings has been adopted. The research conducted in this paper demonstrated that integrating technology into the teaching-learning process can be a useful strategy for training educators and learners for improved learning and educational outcomes in South Africa. Furthermore, the study's findings revealed that many South African instructors have a negative attitude regarding the usage of modern technologies for teaching. The paper recommended that the government should prioritizes funding for education; and concluded that blended learning is best used as the instructional strategy in South African classes.

This paper examines the narrative about gender influence in students' career choices and professions is something that needs to be reconsidered to remain relevant in the fourth industrial revolution (4IR) and a society that is always evolving. The 4IR has resulted in disruptive innovation globally, wherefore, the technological innovation that includes artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics. These disruptions, however, may be creative in that as some jobs are lost due to the development of artificial intelligence, new ones are created. Hence, a positive impact on key industries and sectors, like business, health, and education as the globe rapidly moves toward a more digital economy, many low- and middle-income countries face difficulties finding competent workers to fill crucial Information and Communication Technology (ICT) professions in growing markets. The fourth industrial revolution, which involves more than just technological transformation, is drawing attention around the globe. This shortfall is made worse by the underrepresentation of women in ICT-related fields. The demand for ICT professionals/ workers and the supply of job seekers with the necessary technical skills threaten the ability of the country (South Africa) to take part in a powerful driver of growth in the fourth industrial revolution. This paper is a systematic literature review supported by the theory of social cognitive career theory (SCCT) and expectancy-value theory (EVT). The findings revealed that gender disparity, inadequate career guidance, and educational career ambition play an enormous role amongst male and female students when choosing ICT as a career choice.

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.

This paper examined South African politicians' (re)presentation in Tony Leon’s regular column, On the contrary, which appeared in The Times newspaper from 2012 to 2017. This period in South African politics is made interesting by the fact that it coincides with the time when there was mounting pressure for the then president, Jacob Zuma, of the ruling party, the African National Congress (ANC), to step down, especially between 7 January 2015 and 21 March 2017. Tony Leon, who also once served as a councilor for the Democratic Party (DA), one of the major opposition parties in South Africa is the columnist who at the time authors the on the contrary column. This creates interesting research on how the columnist and the newspaper are able or not to maintain ethical journalism. In conducting the study, this article employs the framing theory and critical discourse analysis (CDA) as research tools to assess the columnists’ objectivity and bias in his depiction of the then president and several prominent politicians during the examined period. Data analysis constitutes six newspaper articles which were purposively selected to obtain a representative sample. The results indicated that these articles were well-researched in respect of the information they presented. At the same time, biased tendencies were noted in favor of the political party aligned to the columnist.

Entrepreneurship is crucial for both growing the economy and decreasing the crushing effects of poverty and unemployment. Consequently, higher education institutions have a critical role to play in inculcating entrepreneurial skills in students who may find it challenging to gain employment. This research examined the impact of socio-demographic variables (age, gender, level of study, academic discipline, race and nationality) on entrepreneurship intention. A descriptive quantitative research design was adopted to collect data from a simple random sample of 332 higher education students. This study's findings show no significant difference amongst the respondents in terms of gender, age, race and entrepreneurial intention. On the other hand, the results revealed a statistically significant difference between the respondents' nationality, academic discipline, level of study and entrepreneurship intention. Therefore, higher education institutions should pay attention to the demographics of students to avoid prejudices and to have targeted interventions that will arouse their interest in entrepreneurship. The findings of this study could assist institutional managers and policy-makers in putting in place strategies that could help higher education students actively participate in entrepreneurial activities on campus and treat entrepreneurship as an alternative career.

The main aim of this study was to investigate the impact of foreign portfolio investment on economic growth in Africa.  The motivation to explore the effects of portfolio investment and growth stemmed from the fact that Africa has recorded large capital inflows since the global financial crisis. These capital flows can have positive or negative consequences. The effects of foreign portfolio investment on the African economy is an area of interest because very little has been done on the subject area. The study used quarterly panel from 1995 to 2014. The study used only five African countries; South Africa, Botswana, Kenya, Mauritius and Nigeria. These countries were chosen because they are in the top five of the African financial markets index. A GMM model was adopted to test the effects of portfolio flows on economic growth in the selected African states. Results showed that there is a weak relationship between portfolio investment and economic growth and that there is a positive relationship between INT and GDP. Results also show a positive relationship between EXCH and GDP in the long run.  A depreciation in the rand exchange rate is seen to be depressing economic growth. The study recommended that the Central Banks in African countries develop better strategies to enhance capital flows' benefits. This can be done by establishing and improving financial institutions which are still developing.

This paper is an overview of workers’ rights in Zimbabwe focusing on the abuse, exploitation of workers and the brutal attitudes displayed toward mine workers and trade unions officials by mining companies and government authorities. Zimbabwe’s mining sector plays a major role in Zimbabwe’s export economy. However, Zimbabwe’s mining sector, like many other mining sectors in the developing world, has workers’ right issues. Considerable attention has been given to the labour legislation by the government of Zimbabwe but there are still serious violations of workers’ rights in Zimbabwe. Mining firms involved in extracting the mineral wealth of the country are benefiting at the expense of workers. They are operating with little regard for the well-being of its employees. In light of this, the present study highlights and synthesizes workers’ rights issues in the Zimbabwe mining sector. The study also offers practical recommendations that could address the problems that mining workers are currently facing in Zimbabwe

This article aimed to investigate the availability and utilization of support services by undergraduate (UG) students in a nursing education institution in South Africa. The article employed a quantitative non-experimental descriptive design, using a self-administered questionnaire, to collect data from 118 participants selected through a non-probability random sampling method. The IBM SPSS software was utilized for data analysis, frequencies to illustrate the availability and utilization of student support services and Spearman’s correlation test to determine the relationship between variables. The results showed high awareness of 82.1% to 91.3% for the remedial programs, availability of lecturers for appointments, medical services, and compulsory orientation. Positive correlations were observed between service utilization, school type, place of origin, and parent employment status. The results reflected areas where student support can be improved to address this problem, from pre-enrolment to graduation. There is a need to improve awareness and utilization of the available student support programs through policy formulation and quality enhancement programs for impact and improvement.

Providing health education to patients is one of the competencies that nurses develop during training because of its critical role in managing lifestyle diseases. However, novice nurses’ ability to render health education once they are in the workplace is underreported. The study aimed to determine novice nurses' competence in giving patients health education. One hospital in the eThekwini district in KwaZulu Natal province of South Africa formed the setting of this study in which a quantitative, descriptive design was used. Hence, a questionnaire was utilized as a data-gathering tool among purposively sampled 125 nurses in supervisory roles. The data were statistically analyzed and presented in tables and figures. The results showed the respondents perceived the novice nurses as competent in planning and giving health education to patients. The novice nurses’ shortcoming was that less attention was paid to family involvement in giving health education and giving health education at the patient's level of understanding based on their educational level. The study contributes knowledge on the importance of the competence of novice nurses in giving health education as a strategy to tackle lifestyle diseases.

Using critical discourse analysis (CDA) as the methodology and decolonial theory as the theoretical framework, this study sought to critique coverage of the Covid-19 crisis in Zimbabwe between March 2020 and July 2021 in Kwayedza newspaper’s editorial comment. Twelve articles written in an African language were purposively selected to obtain a sizable sample. This study found that the newspaper effectively covered Covid-19 in an African language while focusing on its socio-economic and cultural impact on the country and offered precautions and prescriptions for dealing with the pandemic. Its major downside was that it downplayed certain key issues in the process due to its ownership by Zimpapers, which tends to support the government’s policies. This violates ethical journalism principles such as independence, truth and accuracy and is an abrogation of the media’s duty to bring accountability to public officials. This paper, therefore, recommends adherence to the values of journalism which centralize public interest over that of owners.

The South African national department of the health system is piloting the National Health Insurance (NHI). This is in preparation for the overhaul of healthcare services so that they are efficient and equitable to all citizens immaterial of their socio-economic status. This article aims to evaluate healthcare providers' perceptions of improved service delivery by the government’s health department during the first piloting phases of the NHI. The context of the study is a health district center in a rural area of KwaZulu-Natal province in South Africa. The article is interdisciplinary in that it interrogates governance issues in the health sector. A quantitative research methodology was utilized to collect data from 30 participants who were the center’s staff. The findings indicate that the significant areas of concern are lack of improvement in response rate to emergencies, ambulances, provision of resources, and specialized staff. The implication is that the government’s health department working with provincial departments, still has major healthcare reforms to address if the NHI program contributes effectively to healthcare service delivery.

This study sought to analyse the role of the South African Qualifications Authority in curbing the misrepresentation of qualifications. Academic degrees are highly valued throughout the globe because they are seen as a dependable and trusted proxy for the bearers' knowledge, abilities and skills. In the same vein, the higher education system in South Africa makes every effort to generate well-qualified graduates who are capable of assisting in the leadership of the country's socio-economic growth. Recent reports in the media, on the other hand, create the impression that this initiative is being hampered by the widespread use of counterfeit, phoney and other illegitimate credentials. Consequently, the reputation of the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) is in grave danger as a result of the increasing prevalence of dishonestly misrepresented qualifications in both the public and private sectors. The education system is also at risk of losing its credibility as a result of actions involving deception, which is a subject that has to be addressed at the highest levels possible. Notably, the public service in South Africa is making significant progress towards the goal of ensuring that individuals who misrepresent their qualifications are barred from ever working in the public sector again. In this regard, SAQA plays an important role by offering verification services to individuals who are interested in applying for jobs in the public sector. Thus, this study contributes to the literature on credentialism and qualifications from the developing world with specific reference to South Africa.