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The purpose of this review is to shed light on the current state of crowdfunding and its possible effects on African communities. The goal of this article is to give a narrative overview of how crowdfunding has evolved, along with trends, challenges, and potential effects on African communities. Despite recent advancements in the usage of mobile technology on the continent, the growth of crowdfunding based on internet platforms has been quite gradual. According to research, the success of crowdsourcing initiatives in Africa depends on a hybrid strategy that involves the "offline" network of backers. The majority of research concluded that the biggest barriers to the growth of crowdfunding in Africa were a lack of knowledge and trust in public institutions, lax laws protecting the rights of backers and ensuring transparency, as well as technology (internet connection). Also mentioned was the possibility that significant cultural aspects of offline crowdfunding, if taken into consideration, would make it easier for African business owners to adopt the practice. It has lagged behind other continents in the use of crowdfunding to raise money for small businesses or individuals, which could also help with financial inclusion in Africa, either directly for individuals or by sponsoring small enterprises. It is necessary to have a regulatory framework that promotes technological advancement while also reducing crime and fraud. Additionally, establishing platforms based on continents and creating synergies with existing financial actors would raise awareness, boost confidence, and whet interest in using them.

The Digital literacy has become an imperative part of higher education, since the Covid19 outbreak, traditional institutions had to adapt digital learning techniques. However, students from rural schools were left in the dark. Since there are still some extremely poor schools in the rural parts of South Africa, where there is still no access to electricity. Therefore, the ability to use any digital tools remains a huge challenge for such students. The transition from a rural school to an urban higher education institution that is very tech savvy and living in the 4th industrial revolution is extensively difficult. Subsequently, the success of students from rural schools gets hindered. However, this doesn’t necessary mean that these students are incapable of succeeding in their respective programs. This paper aims to explore the challenges faced by students from rural schools regarding digital literacy. The research methodology will be a quantitative approach, the sample will be drawn from students in traditional universities who are coming from rural high schools. The findings of this paper will be used to recommend ways of increasing the success rate of learners from rural schools in digital literacy and skills development for traditional universities in South Africa. Keywords: Digital Literacy, Inclusive Education, Student Succes, South African Higher Education Subject classification codes: I230; I240; I210

Since the start of the democratic era in 1994, South Africa has prioritised small, medium, and micro enterprises for economic growth and social development, offering significant opportunities to the unemployed population. However, the extent to which SMMEs contribute to the socio-economic progress of a particular economy is contingent upon various factors, including the specific country or sector in which they operate. In South Africa, the majority of SMMEs operate within the services sector, with 30% in wholesale and retail trade, 23% in community and social services, and 14% in financial services. Grounded on the  Resource-Based View theory, this study aims to investigate how SMMEs contribute to the social and economic development of South Africa. Furthermore, their contributions align with four of the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations, making this research both relevant and timely. This systematic literature review included nineteen research articles using bibliometric indicators from the Google Scholar database. As a result, the literature review revealed four key SMMEs’ contributions to South African socio-economic development namely employment creation and income generation, economic growth, development and specialisation, contribution to GDP, and poverty alleviation. To further enhance this contribution, it is recommended that governments provide support in the form of training programs, access to finance, and mentorship opportunities to help SMMEs grow and create more job opportunities..

The global shift from traditional face-to-face learning to e-learning, spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic, has significantly transformed higher education (HE) landscapes. Many institutions in developing countries, unprepared for this shift, now find e-learning integral to the educational process. This study explores challenges faced by academic staff at a South African University of Technology (UoT) post-COVID-19. Utilising a phenomenological qualitative research approach, insights were gathered from academic staff through semi-structured interviews. Key challenges identified include insufficient infrastructure, limited training, technological proficiency gaps, student engagement issues, and concerns about academic dishonesty. Practical recommendations encompass infrastructure enhancement, digital training, blended learning strategies, improved student engagement, and measures to ensure academic integrity. These adaptable suggestions provide insights for institutions seeking to enhance e-learning environments, contributing to improved teaching and learning (T&L) outcomes in an evolving educational landscape. It was further recommended that future studies can explore long-term intervention effects, conduct comparative institution studies, and delve into innovative pedagogical approaches.

Company operations and global trade necessitate storage. Warehouse management is essential for meeting customer expectations, ensuring product availability, and delivering globally swiftly and affordably. A company's international competitiveness can suffer from warehouse instability. This study assesses warehouse performance for competitive advantage. The report also explores top management's disregard for warehouse management's impact on manufacturing competitiveness. This paper reviews warehouse management system research from several industries. Reviewing literature for gaps and flaws. Quantitative methods include industrial specialized surveys. Three varied South African manufacturing enterprises will be case-studied. Deduction is used to analyze industry expert consultation data. Due to its accessibility and data collection suitability, convenience sampling was employed to choose participants. This study discovered many warehouse management issues in South African industrial firms. Integration and automation are lacking in current systems, hampering global competitiveness. Warehouse movements and infrastructure damage increased without zone selection. Technology-illiterate warehouse workers slowed operations. The study offers zone picking, warehouse training, and warehouse system integration and automation to address these difficulties. South African industrial firms should strengthen warehouse management systems, according to this study. These organizations can enhance operational efficiency, save money, and compete globally with the suggested changes. Zone picking, warehouse system integration, and worker technical training can alleviate challenges and provide companies an edge. This study highlights warehouse management's often overlooked significance in manufacturing competitiveness. International organizations can do better by studying warehouse management system problems and solutions. Practical warehouse management advice from this study increases South African industry competitiveness.

Training and development are globally acclaimed determinants of employee performance and organizational success, particularly for service sectors such as banking. Despite the prominence of T&D in the banking sector, empirical studies attempting to quantify the influence of  training and development on  service quality  have yielded mixed results .This research aims to reconcile these conflicting findings in the literature by redressing the existing knowledge gap and the limited body of literature by examining the effect of Training and Development programs on communication and service assurance as the specific service quality dimensions at Indo-Zambia Bank. The Quantitative study was grounded by a positivism paradigm with a descriptive research design. A cross-sectional survey was undertaken using a structured questionnaire administered to 100 Indo-Zambia Bank employees who were chosen using stratified random sampling. Descriptive and Pearson correlation coefficient using SPSS were conducted to establish the statistically significant relationship between T&D and communication and assurance. Results reflect a statistically significant relationship between the T&D and communication (p < .002) and assurance (p < .001). The most implemented T&D programmes included KYC Training, Induction/Onboarding, Ethics & Confidentiality, Customer Service Excellence, Service Recovery/Complaint Handling, Digital Systems & IT Training, Communication & Interpersonal Skills, and Leadership/Coaching. The study concluded that T&D improves communication (r=.279) and assurance (r=.271). The study concludes that T&D programs at Indo-Zambia Bank significantly and positively influence communication and service assurance. At a policy level, the findings inform regulatory emphasis on continuous professional development as a mechanism for sustaining competitive service standards in Zambia’s financial sector.

This paper aims to examine the effects of Internal Corporate Social Responsibility (iCSR) practices on employees' job satisfaction, with specific focus on work-life balance and safety and health within commercial banks in Lusaka. In this paper, it is also aimed to explore the relative role of these iCSR dimensions in shaping job satisfaction in a developing country context where empirical evidence remains limited. We employed a quantitative research design using structured questionnaires administered to employees across 15 commercial banks. A dataset of 205 employees was collected, of which 146 valid responses were analyzed. Data were analyzed using SPSS Version 29, applying descriptive statistics, Cronbach’s alpha, Pearson correlation, and multiple regression analysis. Main findings of the study demonstrate that (i) work–life balance has a strong and statistically significant positive effect on job satisfaction (r = 0.9268, p < 0.001), accounting for 85.9% of the variance and emerging as the most significant predictor; (ii) safety and health shows a positive correlation (r = 0.926), but is not a statistically significant predictor in multivariate analysis, suggesting it functions as a hygiene factor; and finally (iii) iCSR practices can be differentiated into motivational and baseline factors, contributing to theoretical understanding while providing a Sub-Saharan African perspective. The study offers practical implications, indicating that banks should prioritize work-life balance initiatives while maintaining safety and health standards. It also provides guiding knowledge for policymakers and managers seeking to enhance workplace satisfaction and improve iCSR implementation.

In an era when information is power, the ability to anticipate crime has become more critical than merely responding to it. Effective crime prevention increasingly depends on the strategic adoption of Intelligence-Led Policing (ILP). This study examines the role of ILP as a proactive crime prevention strategy, comparing South Africa with the more established models of the United Kingdom, the United States, and Australia. Grounded in Routine Activity Theory (RAT), this qualitative desktop study draws on fifteen purposively selected academic and policy sources, identified through a documented search and screening process. The findings show that while ILP is well institutionalised in countries with mature policing systems, its implementation in South Africa remains fragmented, constrained by institutional fragmentation, limited analytical capacity, political interference, and resource shortages. Comparative analysis underscores the importance of inter-agency coordination, professionalisation of intelligence units, and context-specific adaptation of ILP principles rather than direct replication of foreign models. The study concludes that strengthening ILP in South Africa requires a unified intelligence framework that integrates community policing, builds institutional capacity, and embeds a culture of intelligence sharing and accountability, and it proposes a research agenda centred on evaluating pilot ILP interventions.

Social media has emerged as a transformative tool in contemporary policing, enabling both crime prevention and crime detection through enhanced community engagement and digital guardianship. This desk research study investigates the utilisation of social media within community police collaboration in South Africa, drawing on Routine Activity Theory and Community Policing Theory as an integrated theoretical framework. Through a systematic review of scholarly literature, policy documents, and official reports, the study examines how social media is conceptualised, identifies documented evidence of effective community police collaboration, and highlights associated opportunities, limitations, and ethical considerations. Findings indicate that social media facilitates the detection of criminal behaviour, deters potential offenders by increasing perceived risks, and strengthens cooperative engagement between citizens and law enforcement. However, unregulated use presents ethical, legal, and operational challenges, underscoring the need for policy-guided, transparent, and accountable practices. The study contributes theoretically by integrating two complementary frameworks to explain crime prevention through detection in digital environments, and practically by providing insights for policymakers and police institutions seeking to leverage social media responsibly.

Relational leadership is a key antecedent of employee attitudes and rewards perceptions. However, empirical evidence linking its specific dimensions to compensation outcomes within South Africa’s context remains limited. Drawing on social exchange and equity theories, this study examines how specific relational leadership dimensions influence compensation perceptions. Data was collected from (N = 122) permanently employed personnel at a South African organisation, using a quantitative, cross-sectional design and validated self-report measures. The data was analysed by using Pearson correlations and multiple regression to predict employee compensation through relational leadership. The ethical component emerged as the most consistent and dominant predictor of employee compensation across all models. The empowering component showed significance in one model, but the dimensions usually linked to RLP, including inclusive, caring, and visionary components, had no statistically significant impact on reward outcomes. These findings highlight a critical distinction between behaviours that foster a supportive climate and those that validate the structural legitimacy of reward systems. The study concluded that in socio-economically complex environments like South Africa, employees prioritise ethical governance and fairness over interpersonal warmth when evaluating compensation. Consequently, organisations should prioritise ethical decision-making and transparent accountability in LDPs to enhance satisfaction and perceived equity.