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Thulamela's tourism sector has experienced growth in recent years, contributing to a steadily rising regional GDP. However, persistent unemployment and poverty raise concerns about the extent of local community involvement in tourism planning and decision-making, which is essential for ensuring equitable benefits, cultural preservation , and sustainable development. this study examined community participation and interactions with local businesses and authorities in Thohoyandou and surrounding villages within the Thulamela Local Municipality. A quantitative survey involving 304 community members was conducted, and the data were analyzed using SPSS version 29.0 with appropriate statistical techniques. the results reveal a significant gab between communities and administrative governance structure , along with a strong demand for inclusion in the formulation and drafting of tourism policies and participatory planning platforms. This study contributes to the scholarship on community involvement in tourism and offer potential insight for academics, managers, planners and policymakers who seek to enhance inclusive, community-centered tourism governance in developing contexts such as South Africa.

Digital transformation tools are increasingly promoted as strategic resources for improving mathematics learning, yet their contribution to conceptual understanding remains uneven across school systems. This systematic literature review examines how dynamic mathematics software, virtual manipulatives, adaptive learning systems, educational games and collaborative digital environments enhance conceptual understanding in secondary school mathematics. Guided by constructivist learning theory, cognitive load theory, socio-cultural theory and technological pedagogical content knowledge, the review synthesises peer-reviewed literature published between 2015 and 2025, supported by PRISMA-informed searching, screening and thematic analysis. The final synthesis shows that digital tools support conceptual understanding when they enable multiple representations, dynamic visualisation, feedback-rich exploration, personalised pathways and mathematical discourse. However, these benefits are conditional rather than automatic. Teacher digital-pedagogical competence, assessment alignment, cognitive design quality, learner language, infrastructure and equitable access mediate whether digital transformation becomes meaningful learning or merely tool substitution. The review contributes to business and social science scholarship by positioning the digital transformation of mathematics as an educational, social equity, and human capital development issue. It argues that secondary mathematics systems require coherent investment in teacher capability, curriculum redesign, responsible data use and inclusive infrastructure. The paper concludes that digital transformation should be governed as a pedagogical and systemic reform process, not as a technological intervention alone.

Infrastructure development remains a core mandate of local government in South Africa; however, many municipalities continue to experience persistent infrastructure backlogs due to financial constraints, limited technical capacity, and governance challenges. In response to these challenges, public–private partnerships (PPPs) have increasingly been adopted as an alternative approach to infrastructure development, enabling collaboration between the public and private sectors through the sharing of resources, expertise, and risk. Despite their growing application, the effectiveness of PPPs at the local government level remains inconsistent, particularly within smaller and resource-constrained municipalities.

AI-enabled assessment technologies are increasingly used by higher education institutions to protect academic integrity, scale online assessment and respond strategically to generative artificial intelligence. This paper examines how online proctoring, automated scoring, AI writing detection, and learning analytics risk flagging reshape institutional governance, stakeholder trust, and assessment strategy in higher education business ecosystems. Using a systematic-narrative review approach informed by PRISMA 2020 reporting principles, the study synthesises peer-reviewed literature and authoritative policy guidance published between 2015 and 2025. The analysis is organised around an integrated theoretical framework that combines assessment validity, academic integrity values, algorithmic accountability, and ecosystem strategy. The findings show that AI-enabled assessment can support identity verification, monitoring capacity, workflow triage and timely feedback when deployed as human-governed decision support rather than automated adjudication. However, over-reliance on surveillance and detection creates strategic risks: false positives, bias against linguistically diverse students, privacy intrusion, opaque decision-making, weakened due process and construct distortion when assessments measure surveillance compliance instead of intended learning outcomes. The review further shows that institutional legitimacy depends less on the technical promise of tools and more on governance capability, including proportionality, transparency, contestability, equity auditing, privacy protection and authentic assessment redesign. The paper contributes to business ecosystem and strategy scholarship by positioning academic integrity technology as a strategic governance issue within higher education service ecosystems. It recommends integrity-by-design, cross-functional AI governance, vendor accountability and assessment strategies that preserve fairness, validity and stakeholder trust.

This systematic review examines artificial intelligence (AI)-powered digital transformation in mathematics education as a strategic business ecosystem issue rather than only a classroom technology concern. The objective is to synthesise how AI-supported pedagogies create educational value, what ecosystem risks accompany adoption, and which organisational capabilities and governance conditions enable responsible implementation. Guided by PRISMA 2020 principles, peer-reviewed empirical and conceptual studies published between 2018 and 2025 were identified from Scopus, Web of Science, ERIC, Education Source and Google Scholar. A total of 3,241 records were initially retrieved; after duplicate removal, screening and full-text eligibility assessment, 203 studies were included for structured extraction, quality appraisal and thematic synthesis. The evidence was analysed through a business ecosystem lens focusing on value co-creation, stakeholder interdependence, digital governance, teacher capability, infrastructure readiness and equity. The findings show that AI tools can strengthen adaptive practice, formative feedback, diagnostic analytics, multimodal representation and teacher decision-making when they are embedded in coherent institutional strategies. However, strategic value is weakened by digital inequality, data privacy risks, algorithmic opacity, cognitive offloading, platform dependence, weak curriculum alignment and insufficient teacher capability. The study contributes an ecosystem strategy framework that positions AI as a pedagogical and organisational mediator within a network of learners, teachers, institutions, technology providers, policy bodies, infrastructure actors and communities. It concludes that AI adoption in mathematics education should be strategy-led, ethically governed and capability-driven. Sustainable value creation requires inclusive infrastructure, teacher professional development, data governance, assessment redesign, transparent procurement and partnerships that protect educational equity while enabling innovation in resource-constrained and digitally uneven contexts.

Digital transformation tools are increasingly promoted as strategic resources for improving mathematics learning, yet their contribution to conceptual understanding remains uneven across school systems. This systematic literature review examines how dynamic mathematics software, virtual manipulatives, adaptive learning systems, educational games and collaborative digital environments enhance conceptual understanding in secondary school mathematics. Guided by constructivist learning theory, cognitive load theory, socio-cultural theory and technological pedagogical content knowledge, the review synthesises peer-reviewed literature published between 2015 and 2025, supported by PRISMA-informed searching, screening and thematic analysis. The final synthesis shows that digital tools support conceptual understanding when they enable multiple representations, dynamic visualisation, feedback-rich exploration, personalised pathways and mathematical discourse. However, these benefits are conditional rather than automatic. Teacher digital-pedagogical competence, assessment alignment, cognitive design quality, learner language, infrastructure and equitable access mediate whether digital transformation becomes meaningful learning or merely tool substitution. The review contributes to business and social science scholarship by positioning the digital transformation of mathematics as an educational, social equity, and human capital development issue. It argues that secondary mathematics systems require coherent investment in teacher capability, curriculum redesign, responsible data use and inclusive infrastructure. The paper concludes that digital transformation should be governed as a pedagogical and systemic reform process, not as a technological intervention alone.

Infrastructure development remains a core mandate of local government in South Africa; however, many municipalities continue to experience persistent infrastructure backlogs due to financial constraints, limited technical capacity, and governance challenges. In response to these challenges, public–private partnerships (PPPs) have increasingly been adopted as an alternative approach to infrastructure development, enabling collaboration between the public and private sectors through the sharing of resources, expertise, and risk. Despite their growing application, the effectiveness of PPPs at the local government level remains inconsistent, particularly within smaller and resource-constrained municipalities.

AI-enabled assessment technologies are increasingly used by higher education institutions to protect academic integrity, scale online assessment and respond strategically to generative artificial intelligence. This paper examines how online proctoring, automated scoring, AI writing detection, and learning analytics risk flagging reshape institutional governance, stakeholder trust, and assessment strategy in higher education business ecosystems. Using a systematic-narrative review approach informed by PRISMA 2020 reporting principles, the study synthesises peer-reviewed literature and authoritative policy guidance published between 2015 and 2025. The analysis is organised around an integrated theoretical framework that combines assessment validity, academic integrity values, algorithmic accountability, and ecosystem strategy. The findings show that AI-enabled assessment can support identity verification, monitoring capacity, workflow triage and timely feedback when deployed as human-governed decision support rather than automated adjudication. However, over-reliance on surveillance and detection creates strategic risks: false positives, bias against linguistically diverse students, privacy intrusion, opaque decision-making, weakened due process and construct distortion when assessments measure surveillance compliance instead of intended learning outcomes. The review further shows that institutional legitimacy depends less on the technical promise of tools and more on governance capability, including proportionality, transparency, contestability, equity auditing, privacy protection and authentic assessment redesign. The paper contributes to business ecosystem and strategy scholarship by positioning academic integrity technology as a strategic governance issue within higher education service ecosystems. It recommends integrity-by-design, cross-functional AI governance, vendor accountability and assessment strategies that preserve fairness, validity and stakeholder trust.

This systematic review examines artificial intelligence (AI)-powered digital transformation in mathematics education as a strategic business ecosystem issue rather than only a classroom technology concern. The objective is to synthesise how AI-supported pedagogies create educational value, what ecosystem risks accompany adoption, and which organisational capabilities and governance conditions enable responsible implementation. Guided by PRISMA 2020 principles, peer-reviewed empirical and conceptual studies published between 2018 and 2025 were identified from Scopus, Web of Science, ERIC, Education Source and Google Scholar. A total of 3,241 records were initially retrieved; after duplicate removal, screening and full-text eligibility assessment, 203 studies were included for structured extraction, quality appraisal and thematic synthesis. The evidence was analysed through a business ecosystem lens focusing on value co-creation, stakeholder interdependence, digital governance, teacher capability, infrastructure readiness and equity. The findings show that AI tools can strengthen adaptive practice, formative feedback, diagnostic analytics, multimodal representation and teacher decision-making when they are embedded in coherent institutional strategies. However, strategic value is weakened by digital inequality, data privacy risks, algorithmic opacity, cognitive offloading, platform dependence, weak curriculum alignment and insufficient teacher capability. The study contributes an ecosystem strategy framework that positions AI as a pedagogical and organisational mediator within a network of learners, teachers, institutions, technology providers, policy bodies, infrastructure actors and communities. It concludes that AI adoption in mathematics education should be strategy-led, ethically governed and capability-driven. Sustainable value creation requires inclusive infrastructure, teacher professional development, data governance, assessment redesign, transparent procurement and partnerships that protect educational equity while enabling innovation in resource-constrained and digitally uneven contexts.

Increasing linguistic diversity in higher education institutions across Southern Africa has highlighted translanguaging practices in academic discussions. In Zimbabwean universities, English serves as the official language of teaching and learning and international students frequently navigate complex multilingual settings that challenge conventional monolingual teaching methods. This study examines the challenges and opportunities associated with translanguaging practices among international students at a public university in Zimbabwe. The study aims to explore how international students use translanguaging in both academic and social settings, recognise the difficulties they face in largely English-medium environments and assess the potential advantages of translanguaging for achieving academic success and fostering inclusion. The research is grounded in translanguaging theory. A qualitative research approach was utilised and three focus group discussions were used as data collection methods. The groups comprised 17 international students studying at the chosen state university, enrolled in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) and English for Academic Purposes (EAP) courses, from different nationalities and backgrounds. Participants were selected using purposive sampling. The data were analysed thematically to uncover recurring themes and insights. The study's findings indicated that translanguaging acts as an essential tool for constructing meaning, collaborating with peers and negotiating identity among international students. Nonetheless, institutional barriers, such as strict language policies and educators’ lack of understanding of translanguaging teaching methods, hinder its effective application. Students additionally expressed feelings of linguistic isolation and decreased involvement when confined to English-only practices. The research suggests that universities implement more adaptable language policies, offer training for instructors in multilingual teaching methods and establish supportive environments that acknowledge and utilise students' full linguistic skills. These measures may promote fairer and more efficient learning experiences for international students in Zimbabwean universities.