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Background: Rapid reviews have emerged as an approach to provide contextualized evidence in a timely and efficient manner. Three rapid review centers were established in Ethiopia, Lebanon, and South Africa through the Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research, World Health Organization, to stimulate demand, engage policymakers, and produce rapid reviews to support health policy and systems decision-making. This study aimed to assess the experiences of researchers and policymakers engaged in producing and using rapid reviews for health systems strengthening and decisions towards universal health coverage (UHC). Methods: Using a case study approach with qualitative research methods, experienced researchers conducted semi-structured interviews with respondents from each center (n = 16). The topics covered included the process and experience of establishing the centers, stimulating demand for rapid reviews, collaborating between researchers and policymakers, and disseminating and using rapid reviews for health policies and interventions and the potential for sustaining and institutionalizing the services. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Results: Major themes interacted and contributed to shape the experiences of stakeholders of the rapid review centers, including the following: organizational structural arrangements of the centers, management of their processes as input factors, and the rapid reviews as the immediate policy-relevant outputs. The engagement process and the rapid review products contributed to a final theme of impact of the rapid review centers in relation to the uptake of evidence for policy and systems decision-making. Conclusions: The experiences of policymakers and researchers of the rapid review centers determined the uptake of evidence. The findings of this study can inform policymakers, health system managers, and researchers on best practices for demanding, developing and using rapid reviews to support decision- and policymaking, and implementing the universal healthcare coverage agenda. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modern day societies and economies are becoming increasingly vulnerable to the continued erosion of the stocks and flows of essential ecosystem services. Thus, the management of complex socio-economic systems to effectively provide these essential services has become a global priority policy and academic research area. Understanding how underlying processes and functions contribute towards the provision of final ecosystem services can facilitate improved dissemination of credible, legitimate and salient information to decision-makers. This paper presents an ecosystem service value chain analysis framework that applies basic system dynamics modelling in the form of causal loop diagrams to facilitate an alternative analysis of ecosystem service value chains. A scoping application of the framework is applied to a case study for flood attenuation services in the Baviaanskloof catchment in South Africa. The framework enables the identification of forward linkages and ripple effects in individual value chains of final ecosystem services as well as the identification and assessment of challenges and opportunities within individual causal pathways. Ultimately, providing the potential to advance strategies for improving the efficiency and effectiveness of final ecosystem service provision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Path-dependency theory says that complex systems, such as health systems, are shaped by prior conditions and decisions, and are resistant to change. As a result, major policy changes, such as health system reform, are often only possible in policy windows—moments of transition or contextual crisis that re-balance social power dynamics and enable the consideration of new policy ideas. However, even in policy windows there can be resistance to change. In this paper, we consider the role of ideas in constraining change. We draw on political science theory on the dynamic relationship between foreground ideas (policy programmes and frames) and background ideas (deeply held collective cognitive and normative beliefs) to better understand how ideas exert influence independently of the contextual conditions that give rise to them or the actors that espouse them. To do so, we examine two apparent policy windows in the South African National Health Insurance policy process. The analysis reveals how ideas can become institutionalised in organisations and procedures (such as policy instruments or provider networks), and in intangible cultural norms—becoming hegemonic and uncontested ideas that shape the attitudes and perspectives of policy actors. In this way, ideas operate as independent variables, constraining change across policy windows. While health policy analysts increasingly recognise the influence of ideational variables in policy processes, they tend to conceptualise ideas as tools actors wield to drive change. This analysis reveals the importance of considering ideas (values, norms, and beliefs) as persistent features of the policy-making context that constrain actors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Achieving universal health coverage (UHC) in the context of limited resources will require prioritising the most vulnerable and ensuring health policies and services are responsive to their needs. One way of addressing this is through the engagement of marginalised voices in the priority setting process. Public engagement approaches that enable group level deliberation as well as individual level preference capturing might be valuable in this regard, but there are limited examples of their practical application, and gaps in understanding their outcomes, especially with rural populations. Objective: To address this gap, we implemented a modified priority setting tool (Choosing All Together—CHAT) that enables individuals and groups to make trade‐offs to demonstrate the type of health services packages that may be acceptable to a rural population. The paper presents the findings from the individual choices as compared to the group choices, as well as the differences among the individual choices using this tool. Methods: Participants worked in groups and as individuals to allocate stickers representing the available budget to different health topics and interventions using the CHAT tool. The allocations were recorded at each stage of the study. We calculated the median and interquartile range across study participants for the topic totals. To examine differences in individual choices, we performed Wilcoxon rank sum tests. Results: The results show that individual interests were mostly aligned with societal ones, and there were no statistically significant differences between the individual and group choices. However, there were some statistically significant differences between individual priorities based on demographic characteristics like age. Discussion: The study demonstrates that giving individuals greater control and agency in designing health services packages can increase their participation in the priority setting process, align individual and community priorities, and potentially enhance the legitimacy and acceptability of priority setting. Methods that enable group level deliberation and individual level priority setting may be necessary to reconcile plurality. The paper also highlights the importance of capturing the details of public engagement processes and transparently reporting on these details to ensure valuable outcomes. Public Contribution: The facilitator of the CHAT groups was a member from the community and underwent training from the research team. The fieldworkers were also from the community and were trained and paid to capture the data. The participants were all members of the rural community‐ the study represents their priorities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Theoretically placing strategic communication management within the DRR paradigm. [•] Defining DR4 in the South African environment. [•] Indicating the need for DR4 communication in the South African environment. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper explores the root causes of student unrest in South African universities and evaluates the institutional responses to these protests, otherwise regarded as social unrest. The study is lensed through social movement theory and institutional theory. The study adopted transformative paradigm under qualitative approach and participatory research design to analyze the experiences of universities in South Africa that have experienced significant social unrest in recent years. Focus group discussion was conducted with university management staff, student activists, and security officers of the selected universities. The findings showed that lack of access, socio-economic inequalities, ineffective communication, and open engagement are the primary causes of social unrest. In contrast, providing equitable access, economic liberation, effective communication, and open engagement is the possible institutional response that alleviates social unrest on university campuses. Hence, promoting equitable access and economic liberation coupled with effective communication and open engagement among stakeholders was recommended. Plain Language Summary: Causes and Institutional Responses of Social Unrest. This paper investigates why South African university students protest and how the institutions respond. Using social movement and institutional theories, the study talks to university managers, student activists, and security officers in universities with recent protests. The key issues identified are limited access, economic inequalities, poor communication, and exclusion from decision-making. The suggested solution is to focus on fair access, reducing economic disparities, improving communication, and involving everyone in decisions. The researcher recommends promoting equitable access and economic fairness, alongside better communication and inclusive decision-making, as a way to address and prevent social unrest on university campuses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Aims: Extensive research focuses on the advantages and disadvantages of various positions throughout active second stage labour, but there is limited focus on midwives' practice. This study aimed to explore midwives' practice of maternal positions throughout the active phase of second stage labour. Methods: An integrative review of three databases was carried out for research papers published between 2015 and 2022. Thematic analysis was used for data analysis and synthesis. Results: Five eligible research papers were included. There were four key findings: maternal positions practised by midwives, midwives as the prime decision maker, midwives' personal convenience and comfort, and barriers to practising maternal positions. Conclusions: Midwives were seen as prime decision makers, who hindered informed decision making on maternal positions during active second stage labour. Inadequate knowledge, skills and confidence were barriers to practice and attributed to midwives adopting positions that were convenient and comfortable for themselves. Strategies are needed to enhance practice through review and evaluation of current clinical settings, regular updates to evidence-based practice and refreshing essential midwifery skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The regulation of drones is a huge challenge for most countries around the world. The regulation and application processes are as much a challenge in South Africa as they are elsewhere. The number of drones is growing at a rapid pace, and there is a need to improve the current status to benefit from the technology. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the South African drone industry and to propose recommendations to enhance drone technology in South Africa. The research design applied in this paper was qualitative. Data was collected by interviewing drone operators who were interested in participating in this study. This was done to understand the drone approval process in South Africa and the perceptions of drone operators. The results indicated that commercial drone operators are being negatively impacted by the drone approval structure in South Africa and that it is holding the industry back. Key factors affecting the existing drone approval structure were identified and used to propose the strategies for improvement. The findings in this study could assist stakeholders in the South African drone industry to make effective decisions and to formulate policies that would promote the technological growth of the industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Defence planning in South Africa has gradually declined to the point of collapse; for reasons that are both complex and largely unexplained. While South Africa is not alone in this situation, the paucity of universal theories to explain the ineffectiveness of defence planning currently limits the theoretical validity of analyses that seek to address the phenomenon. Generating a substantive hypothesis that explains not only the causes of South Africa's current defence predicament, but also those of other countries in similar circumstances, became the paper's primary purpose. By abstracting from theories in management sciences and security studies, the paper concludes that top management's approaches to defence planning are the primary mechanisms that bring about success or failure in defence decision-making. The authors subsequently integrate relevant critical, contextual, and functional approaches to defence planning in a theoretical framework, using empirical evidence from the South African defence environment to substantiate their arguments throughout. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of stock assessment is to provide managers with an understanding of the biomass and age-/size-composition of a stock, stock status (ideally relative to target and reference points), and to support management decision making, often through projections and application of harvest control rules. Stock assessments are increasingly being used to form the basis for the operating models used to evaluate the ability of management strategies to achieve the goals of fisheries management. Stock assessments for rock lobsters were among the first to adopt size-structured population models as the basis for stock assessment, and population model-based stock assessments have been used extensively to evaluate management strategies for rock lobster stocks in the USA, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. This paper identifies how closely population model-based stock assessments for rock lobsters satisfy the guidelines identified for best practices for conducting stock assessments during meetings of, for example, the Center for the Advancement of Population Assessment Methodology and papers identifying best practice guidelines for stock assessment. The paper highlights some key directions for stock assessment science for rock lobsters, including considerations related to environmental variation and climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Persons with HIV and tuberculosis (TB) co-infection require transaminase monitoring while on hepatotoxic medications. A novel paper-based, point-of-care transaminase test is in development at an anticipated cost of $1 per test. Methods To project long-term clinical outcomes and estimate the cost-effectiveness of using a paper-based fingerstick test to monitor for drug-induced liver injury (DILI), as compared with automated testing and with no laboratory monitoring. The design was a decision analytic model, including deterministic and probabilistic sensitivity analyses. Data sources were observational cohorts and a validation study of the paper-based test. The target population was HIV/TB co-infected persons in South Africa on antiretroviral therapy who were initiating TB therapy. Interventions: (1) clinical (no laboratory) monitoring; (2) monitoring using the paper-based test with a ≥120 IU/mL threshold for positivity; (3) monitoring using the paper-based test with a ≥200 IU/mL threshold for positivity; (4) monitoring using the paper-based test using 1 of 3 categories: <120 IU/mL, 120 to 200 IU/mL, and >200 IU/mL (“bin placement”); (5) monitoring using automated ALT testing using the same 3 categories (“automated testing”). The outcome measures were discounted quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs), costs, and incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs). Results The ICER of automated testing was $5180/QALY. Use of the paper-based test with the bin placement strategy was cost-effective compared with clinical monitoring alone. Conclusion At its current performance, monthly DILI monitoring by bin placement using the paper-based test was cost-effective, compared with clinical monitoring, in HIV/TB co-infected persons in South Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past two decades, Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in South Africa have been formulating e-learning policies to assist them to realise the full potential of using ICTs in teaching and learning. E-learning policies serve as guiding frameworks that create enabling environments for embedding ICTs in teaching and learning. The development of e-learning policies has attracted various stakeholders and actors with varied interests, views, priorities, influence and power. Consequently, stakeholder engagement is now an essential factor in the policy process. The efficacy of an e-learning policy can therefore be judged based on the multiple perspectives that it includes and the inclusion of those it affects in the policy-making process. In light of this background, this paper examined stakeholder engagement that characterised the e-learning policy formulation process at a University of Technology in South Africa (UoT). How stakeholders were engaged in the policy-making process using stakeholder engagement as its analytical framework, the stakeholders and actors involved in the policy formulation process and the nature of the dialogue that informed the policy formulation process were examined. The qualitative study gathered evidence using semi-structured interviews and document analysis. The study's findings show that the policy-making process at the UoT followed a bureaucratic process dominated by one actor, the policy delegate. Key stakeholders were excluded during the policy formulation process and were only consulted at the drafting stage. As a result, stakeholder engagement in the policy formulation process was low, resulting in key stakeholders and actors lacking policy ownership. Our findings also show that the exclusion of key stakeholders in the policy formulation process resulted in a policy that exclusively focuses on the Learner Management System and overlooks other technologies that play a crucial role in teaching and learning. These findings suggest the need to include all critical stakeholders and actors affected and interested in the e-learning policy at every stage of the policy formulation process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: HIV and sub-optimal infant feeding practices remain important threats to child growth, development, and survival in low- and middle-income countries. To our knowledge, few studies have explored health service users' perspective of infant feeding in the context of WHO Option B+ policy to prevent vertical HIV transmission (PMTCT). This paper is a sub-analysis of qualitative data from a mixed-methods multi-level process evaluation of Option B+ implementation in South Africa (SA). In this study we explored health facility users' infant feeding knowledge, perceptions, and practices one year after SA adopted the 2016 updated World Health Organization prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV Option B+ infant feeding guidelines. Methods: Nineteen focus group discussions (FGDs) were held with six groups of men and women whose infants were aged < 6 months. Participants were attending randomly selected primary health care facilities within six purposively selected priority districts. The six groups included in the FGDs were: (i) adolescent girls and young women living with HIV (WHIV), (ii) adolescent girls and young women not living with HIV (WNHIV), (iii) older postnatal WHIV (iv) older postnatal WNHIV (v) pregnant women, and (vi) men. Data collection took place between April and December 2018. Data analysis involved coding and thematic framework analysis. Results: Women and men have suboptimal knowledge of the recommended breastfeeding duration and exclusive breastfeeding, especially for HIV-exposed infants. Most women received sub-optimal infant feeding counselling and mixed messages from health care workers. Fewer WHIV initiated breastfeeding at birth compared to WNHIV. Most parents believed that HIV-exposed infants should be breastfed for 6 months and many postnatal women on antiretroviral drugs and younger mothers lacked confidence to breastfeed beyond 6 months. Mixed feeding was predominant among all women due to individual, family, and socio-structural barriers. Many men were supportive on infant feeding; however, they lacked the appropriate information and skills to influence their partners' infant feeding decisions. Conclusions: Differences in breastfeeding practices between WHIV and WNHIV are highly influenced by the lack of knowledge of infant feeding policy recommendations. Multiple-level factors deter many mothers from adhering to recommended guidelines. Appropriate ongoing infant feeding counselling and breastfeeding support are required for women and their partners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental impact assessment (EIA) is implemented in most countries as an administrative procedure. In this context, it is subject to the principles of administrative justice. However, to date, no empirical research has been conducted to determine the extent to which EIA decisions comply with the principles of administrative justice. In this paper, empirical data from 42 EIA cases in South Africa are used to establish EIA compliance with the administrative justice principles of lawfulness, procedural fairness and reasonableness. This is achieved by measuring EIA decisions against specially developed key performance indicators (KPIs). Overall, decisions were found to mostly comply with the principles of administrative justice. However, questions arise with regards to the quality and substance of the information feeding into the decision-making process and on which decisions are ultimately based. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we aim at determining the link between EIA report substance and administratively just EIA decisions. In so doing, previous research based on 42 case studies from South Africa, which analysed whether they comprised administratively just decisions (i.e. that were lawful, procedurally fair and reasonable) were reviewed for the substance of the EIA reports on which the decisions were based. The research found that administratively just decisions can be achieved even with weak EIA report substance in areas such as: need and desirability, identifying alternatives, dealing with significance, and addressing mitigation measures. We thereby conclude that administrative justice may be a false safety net in ensuring more environmentally sustainable EIA outcomes if not supported and informed by good EIA report substance. We conclude by making recommendations to improve substance and thereby strengthening administrative justice in EIA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Criteria for the evaluation of the effectiveness of Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) have evolved internationally from the requirement for mere procedural effectiveness, to include criteria such as substantial and incremental effectiveness. This paper provides an overview of the international evolution of effectiveness evaluation for SEA and its parallel progression in South Africa. Within this context, the effectiveness of the two SEA case studies conducted in support of national-scale renewable energy planning in South Africa was reviewed against internationally recognised effectiveness criteria to test their ability to influence decision making for renewable energy projects in the country. The evaluation was informed by the role of the first author as the project director in the case studies. The review found the SEAs to be partially effective, mainly through the introduction of new legislation, processes and systems at the national level that operationalise the outcomes of the SEA. A fundamental limitation emerged in determining whether incremental effectiveness had been achieved as it is too soon to evaluate the effectiveness of the recently promulgated legislation and instruments. The paper builds on previous work on effectiveness evaluations and provides the perspective of an administrative implementer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A techno-economic assessment (TEA) tool was developed for AD technology. • Tool is demonstrated specifically in the context of smallholders in South Africa. • Probabilistic simulation of feasibility indicators using a Monte Carlo method. • Risk assessment was conducted using sensitivity analysis and Monte Carlo method. • Stochastic TEA can be used to assessing other AD technologies. Anaerobic digestion (AD) technology holds numerous potential benefits for farmers, however, challenges persist in terms of implementation costs and sustainability in developing countries. This paper presents a probabilistic techno-economic assessment tool for AD. A clear distinction is made between direct financial feasibility and wider (socio) economic feasibility. The tool identifies the technical- and economic factors influencing the returns of a particular AD process as well as the sensitivity of model predictions to variations in the value of the identified factors using a Monte Carlo approach. The tool is applied to assess the feasibility of a smallholder farm-based AD installation under a variety of substrates and operating conditions as an illustrative case study, where on-going flows of costs and benefits were considered over a 15-year period and discounted at a rate of 8%. The results of the case study revealed that the installation of a 10 m3 smallholder farm-based anaerobic digester are likely to be financially and economically viable with a financial benefit-cost ratio of 1.30–1.38 and an economic benefit-cost ratio ranged from 5.49 to 6.01. Risk assessment results confirmed the strong economic feasibility of a smallholder farm-based AD implementation: under the most conservative cost estimates, there is a 73% probability of achieving a financial benefit-cost ratio > 1, while there is a 96.6% probability of achieving an economic benefit-cost ratio > 1. The case study demonstrated the utility of probabilistic techno-economic assessments for informed decision making, a tool which can be readily generalized to other settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This contribution is an investigation into the role of implicit (as opposed to explicit) biases in judicial rulings by examining the judgment of Chetty J in Mbena v Minister of Justice and Correctional Services 2015 4 All SA 361 (ECP). Implicit bias refers to prejudice on a visceral level, namely unconscious bias, of which the bearer, to wit the judicial officer, is unaware. I suggest that exploring implicit bias in judicial rulings in the context of South Africa's harsh stigmatising shaming culture driven by incarceration as its dominant sentencing regime, will introduce a valuable window in identifying, as well as possibly illuminating and eliminating, unjustified and harmful biases. In this contribution I specifically focus on the generalised bias against ex-offenders in South Africa's harsh stigmatising shaming culture (which I distinguish from integrative shaming cultures found in Japan, China and many African societies) which attitude perpetuates the marginalisation, stigmatisation and discrimination of offenders which exceed their courtsanctioned punishment. I attempt to outline the reasons as to why the isolation and elimination of social biases of this nature are important since, in the view of many criminologists but particularly John Braithwaite, stigma is counter-productive and criminogenic as it leads to enhanced recidivism rates. To this end, I analyse the salient features of the case within a broad social context (including a consideration of phenomena such as the prison-industrial complex on South African soil) which exceeds a narrow legal framework. My roadmap for the paper encompasses a consideration of the salient, albeit disputed, facts of the case with a view towards an alternative, if plausible reading based on the probabilities of the two sets of conflicting facts presented by the opposing parties. I highlight the significance of the judgment before recommendations for improved public policy formulation are proffered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In South Africa, community participation has been embraced through the development of progressive policies to address past inequities. However, limited information is available to understand community involvement in priority setting, planning and decision-making in the development and implementation of public services. This narrative review aims to provide evidence on forms, extents, contexts and dynamics of community participation in primary health care (PHC) and water governance in South Africa and draw cross-cutting lessons. This paper focuses on health and water governance structures, such as health committees, Catchment Management Agencies (CMA), Water User Associations (WUAs), Irrigation Boards (IBs) and Community Management Forums (CMFs). Articles were sourced from Medline (Ovid), EMBASE, Google Scholar, Web of Science, WHO Global Health Library, Global Health and Science Citation Index between 1994 and 2020 reporting on community participation in health and water governance in South Africa. Databases were searched using key terms to identify relevant research articles and grey literature. Twenty-one articles were included and analysed thematically. There is limited evidence on how health committees are functioning in all provinces in South Africa. Existing evidence shows that health committees are not functioning effectively due to lack of clarity on roles, autonomy, power, support, and capacity. There was slow progress in establishment of water governance structures, although these are autonomous and have mechanisms for democratic control, unlike health committees. Participation in CMAs/WUAs/IBs/CMFs is also not effective due to manipulation of spaces by elites, lack of capacity of previously disadvantaged individuals, inadequate incentives, and low commitment to the process by stakeholders. Power and authority in decision-making, resources and accountability are key for effective community participation of marginalized people. Practical guidance is urgently required on how mandated participatory governance structures can be sustained and linked to wider governance systems to improve service delivery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research on South Africa's post-apartheid foreign policy decision-making has stagnated. For more than a quarter century analysts have generally drawn on secondary material from other scholars, newspaper reporting, and the speeches of government officials to elucidate how South Africa crafts and carries out its foreign policy. The accessibility of previously classified archival documents and the availability of policy makers for research interviews holds the potential to advance scholarship on South African foreign policy along two fronts. First, these primary sources offer insight into foreign policy decision-making processes. And second, they encourage a critical re-evaluation of many of the traditional understandings and tropes that have dominated the study of South African foreign policy. This paper outlines the state of foreign policy studies in South Africa and then demonstrates the power of primary research to alter key ideas about the conduct and content of South African foreign policy through three case studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: As the prevalence of paediatric dysphagia increases, the need for long‐term non‐oral feeding has also increased. Despite these developments, little is known about caregiver experiences of transitioning a child onto long‐term non‐oral feeds, and the factors which influence the process of decision‐making and the provision of consent to do so. This paper aims to explore these factors. Methods: Semi‐structured interviews were conducted with nine participants recruited from the multidisciplinary out‐patient non‐oral feeding clinic at a hospital. Interviews explored caregiver experiences of decision‐making and the process of providing consent when transitioning their child to non‐oral feeds, as well as the support structures available to the caregivers. Interviews were audio recorded and transcribed, then analyzed using thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2013) and content analysis (Neuendorf, 2016). Results: Challenges to care and quality of life, access to information and culturally relevant counselling, and the involvement of family members and significant others emerged as prominent themes. Findings suggest that quality of life was the most common motivating factor for transitioning a child to non‐oral feeding methods. Several participants suggested that support and information sharing via digital platforms were both useful and effective. Implications: The findings highlight caregivers' needs for improved access to information and social support. The findings hold implications for training of healthcare providers working in similar contexts and for models of service delivery which ensure that family‐centred intervention can be delivered in culturally and contextually relevant ways. With widespread access to smartphones, counselling should include digital messaging as a way of providing support and information sharing. Future research should focus on the complexities of counselling and the process of informed consent in settings impacted by diverse cultural, contextual and linguistic barriers, as well as the potential value of mobile health (mhealth) in ensuring improved health outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Industrialization and urbanization processes have challenged deeply held traditional gender norms and facilitated the emergence of modern ideologies in South Africa. This paper seeks to explore the gendered roles of family members on maternal and child nutrition and investigate indications of perceived change in related practices. A qualitative secondary analysis was conducted of data from nine focus group discussions (FGDs) held with men (n = 3) and women (n = 6) aged ≥18. Data from the FGD were coded and thematic analysis conducted. We found that elderly women seem to have a central advisory role with respect to maternal and child nutrition and that men and elderly women upheld patriarchal gender divisions of labour, which entrust mothers with the primarily responsibility for young children's nutrition. Young mothers relied on elderly women for provision of childcare and nutritious foods for children; however, they demonstrated some resistance to traditionally feminized forms of food preparation. We found that men's involvement in children's nutrition was limited, though they expressed a preference to be more involved in maternal and child nutrition and care practices. A gender transformative approach to policy development, which includes elderly women and men, has the potential to promote more gender‐equitable nutrition practices, increase young women's self‐efficacy and support them to overcome barriers that could be limiting their decision making power in achieving optimal nutrition for themselves and their children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a growing pool of evidence showing that cash transfers can promote livelihood activities. Yet there has been limited empirical studies that explore how financial support influences beneficiaries' decision-making in the construction and operation of livelihood activities in an urban context. This study presents findings from qualitative research conducted in a poor urban community in South Africa. Structuration theory provides an analytical tool to understand how cash transfers enable decision-making of beneficiaries in livelihood activities. The study finds that beneficiaries make different types of initial and ongoing decisions to improve their socio-economic condition. Among the contributions of this paper is that it counters the cynicism that is usually attached to cash transfers. The study's implications include the incorporation of both social and economic goals in the design of social protection policies as well as the need for greater recognition of the role of the informal economy in eradicating poverty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper builds on two concepts, the first of which is the extended information processing model of expert design cognition. This proposes twelve internal psychological characteristics interacting with the external world of expert designers during the early phases of the design process. Here, I explore one of the characteristics, hierarchical abstraction, and adapt it into an alternative ontological model of decision making. The model serves as an in-depth descriptor of how designers from different domains transform their mental states using judgment and decision making through hierarchical abstraction. The second concept entails an expansion of the idea of synergistic vertical transformation as a framework for mapping expert designers’ design process. Here, I focus on hierarchical decision making as multi-directional, and inter-relating the internal and external world of designers. In doing so, I provide a coding tool for researchers interested in exploring designers’ complex decision making processes. Concurrently, the model serves as decision making tool in design and technology education classrooms. As such, the paper focuses on the ontology of conceptual structures that support the early phases of the design process. This was based on empirical research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The affordability of essential medicines is a challenge in achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC). One of The Lancet Commission's recommendations on financing of essential medicines is to ensure governments and national health systems include essential medicines in the benefit packages provided by public and private healthcare sectors. Currently in South Africa (SA), there is a dearth of information on the processes for medicines selection for private sector medical scheme formularies. This study aimed to improve the understanding of how formulary managers of selected medical schemes made decisions for the selection of medicines for their formularies. This paper described their opinions obtained from in-depth interviews. Methods: Qualitative in-depth interviews were conducted with 10 individuals from 7 private sector medical schemes and administrators in SA. All participants interviewed were involved in formulary development and management. Interviews were conducted from June 2013 – January 2015. Interviews were guided by a discussion guide and audio recorded. Recorded interviews were transcribed verbatim. Transcripts were coded by the first author, corroborated by the second author, reconciled, and imported into NVIVO for data analysis. Results: Schemes and administrators had similar formulary decision making and management committees in place (viz. Clinical and Therapeutics committees). The process of and criteria for medicines selection and evidence based review of formularies were also similar. Selection of medicines was inherent in the formulary review process. Medicine price was important in the decision taken to list medicines. Most schemes expressed a difficulty with lack of information to support pharmacoeconomic evaluations of medicines for inclusion on the formulary. This together with the basic monitoring of use of medicines by patients for most schemes left room for improvement in the decision making process for those schemes. Conclusions: This is one of the first studies in SA describing interviews with private sector medical scheme Formulary managers. It contributes to an increased understanding of how decisions are taken to include/exclude medicines on private sector medical scheme formularies. It provides insight into the medicine selection and review processes, including processes on monitoring and evaluation of medicines use by the private sector which serve as lessons for Low-Middle income countries moving towards UHC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

District-level initiatives to improve maternal, neonatal and child health (MNCH) generally do not take governance as their primary lens on health system strengthening. This paper is a case study of a district and sub-district governance mechanism, the Monitoring and Response Unit (MRU), which aimed to improve MNCH outcomes in two districts of South Africa. The MRU was introduced as a decision-making and accountability structure, and constituted of a "triangle" of managers, clinicians and information officers. An independent evaluation of the MRU initiative was conducted, three years after establishment, involving interviews with 89 district actors. Interviewees reported extensive changes in the scope, quality and organization of MNCH services, attributing these to the introduction of the MRU and enhanced support from district clinicians. We describe both the formal and informal aspects of the MRU as a governance mechanism, and then consider the pathways through which the MRU plausibly acted as a catalyst for change, using the institutional constructs of credible commitment, coordination and cooperation. In particular, the MRU promoted the formation of non-hierarchical collaborative networks; improved coordination between community, PHC and hospital services; and shaped collective sense-making in positive ways. We conclude that innovations in governance could add significant value to the district health system strengthening for improved MNCH. However, this requires a shift in focus from strengthening the front-line of service delivery, to change at the meso-level of sub-district and district decision-making; and from purely technical, data-driven to more holistic approaches that engage collective mindsets, widen participation in decision-making and nurture political leadership skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The real legacy of the 2010 World Cup is that people in the focus areas of Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg-Tshwane may have received some benefit from infrastructural development while much of the rest of South Africa has fallen further behind those globally projecting conurbations. Though the literature on sport and community development is growing rapidly as is work on legacy and mega events, there are few studies that examine initiatives generated within local communities, particularly those located well away from the activities of international sport development agencies. In this paper, we examine a village football team in rural Mpondoland in the far reaches of the Eastern Cape located well away from the impact of World Cup football-related initiatives. We also explore activities of international sport development agencies. We examine the motivations of the players, the community role that football plays and how community-generated initiatives might be supported and nurtured with full involvement and democratic decision-making practices embedded into the operation of local sporting groups. Understanding the hurdles faced in resource-strapped communities will enhance discussion of the ways in which sporting development can be supported rather than imposed and become sustainable in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author discusses the geostatistical methods used to examine mortality and morbidity in South Africa. He is critical with the collection of geographic data which is not a priority for public health surveillance system in developing countries. He also mentions that the analysis employs more advance statistical techniques.

The use of donor human breast milk instead of formula reduces the risk of necrotising enterocolitis in preterm infants when their mother's own milk is insufficient. Use of donor milk is limited by the cost of establishing a milk bank and a lack of donors, but the optimal rationing of limited donor milk is unclear. This paper uses an economic model to explore how a limited donor milk supply should be allocated across very low birthweight infants in South Africa considering 2 outcomes: maximising lives saved and minimising costs. We developed a probabilistic cohort Markov decision model with 10,000 infants across 4 birthweight groups. We evaluated allocation scenarios in which infants in each group could be exclusively formula‐fed or fed donor milk for 14 or 28 days and thereafter formula until death or discharge. Prioritising infants in the lowest birthweight groups would save the most lives, whereas prioritising infants in the highest birthweight groups would result in the highest cost savings. All allocation scenarios would be considered very cost‐effective in South Africa compared to the use of formula; the "worst case" was $619 per Disability Adjusted Life Year averted. There is a compelling argument to increase the supply of donor milk in middle‐income countries. Our analysis could be extended by taking a longer term perspective, using data from more than one country and exploring the use of donor milk as an adjunct to mother's own milk, rather than a pure substitute for it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The prevailing sociopolitical and economic difficulties advance a feeling of hopelessness and helplessness among youth in South Africa. This paper describes a Hope-Infused Future Orientated intervention piloted with a group of juvenile sex offenders. The intervention incorporated activities to bolster the constructs of hope as a unique foundation, together with culturally-appropriate strategies to assist the participants in making realistic decisions regarding their future livelihood. The study used a focused ethnographic approach to evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention. Multiple mixed methods were used to collect data. The analysis was qualitative. Findings illustrate the effectiveness of this intervention. Limitations and strengths of the study are discussed. Recommendations for future practice and research are made. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses a new methodology to define and measure utilisation of mine planning software. An initial data set compiled in 2012 in an online database was updated in 2014 with additional and new information for software utilised in the South African mining industry. However, the online database only serves as a data repository and presentation platform. A methodology was required to analyse the data in the database to infer extent of utilisation of the software to enable better decision-making strategies by various stakeholders that include mining companies, software providers, consulting companies and educational institutions. The new methodology uses three variables, namely commodity, functionality and time stamp. In this paper, only one of the six mine planning software functionalities called the ‘Optimisation’ functionality is applied on five selected commodities, using the 2012 and 2014 time stamps. The work presented in this paper is part of a PhD research study in the School of Mining Engineering at the University of the Witwatersrand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Older adults have been largely overlooked in community studies of HIV in highly endemic African countries. In our rural study site in Mpumalanga Province, South Africa, HIV prevalence among those aged 50 and older is 16.5%, suggesting that older adults are at risk of both acquiring and transmitting HIV. This paper utilises community-based focus-group interviews with older rural South African men and women to better understand the normative environment in which they come to understand and make decisions about their health as they age in an HIV endemic setting. We analyse the dimensions of an inductively emerging theme:ku ti hlayisa(to take care of yourself). For older adults, ‘taking care’ in an age of AIDS represented: (1) an individualised pathway to achieving old-age respectability through the taking up of responsibilities and behaviours that characterise being an older person, (2) a set of gendered norms and strategies for reducing one’s HIV risk, and (3) a shared responsibility for attenuating the impact of the HIV epidemic in the local community. Findings reflect the individual, interdependent and communal ways in which older rural South Africans understand HIV risk and prevention, ways that also map onto current epidemiological thinking for improving HIV-related outcomes in high-prevalence settings. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Community theatre has for a long time been considered as an ‘alternate’ to the main stream, a practice on the margins. Scholarly attention to the practice of scenography within community theatre performance practice occupies the periphery of a discipline that is already on the fringe. Through the use of two practice-as-research case studies in two cities in Zimbabwe and South Africa, this paper identifies varied ‘politics’ that influences the practice of scenography. The interrogation of these politics highlights the creativity, versatility and lay bare the challenges and need for personnel development with specialised interest to the technical needs of community theatre practice. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

• The output power is conducted using 3D-PV model. • A new fusion of improved bi-archive multi-objective optimization algorithm is proposed. • A new hybrid MCDM method is considered to choose the most desirable configuration. • An accurate hybrid numerical method is used for validation of the proposed method. • Performance of optimum designs are evaluated for both cases: Malaysia and South Africa. Photovoltaic (PV) and Wind turbine (WT) systems are the most promising options for rural energy delivery. In the literature, numerous studies have simply considered only on economic efficiency, while maximizing dependability by a constant value for the given demand load. Moreover, a single set Pareto optimal front (PF) has been attained for the multi-objective optimization problem. Furthermore, the primary challenge of various the off-grid multiple renewable energy sources is excessive energy loss, resulting over/under sizing and a highly total cost for the system. Therefore, this paper presents a unique improved bi-archive approach to develop the diversity and convergence independently in order to find four optimum sets of PF solutions. In addition, a new integration based on best worst method (BWM) and preference ranking organization for enrichment evaluations (PROMETHEE II) method along with group decision making (GDM) mechanism are addressed to sort and rank the optimal sets PF solutions with full consistency ratios of the three experts opinions and high degree of stability in ranking configurations. The theoretical results based on actual hourly meteorological data in Malaysia and South Africa indicated that the suggested improved two-archive-BWM- PROMETHEE II-GDM method is not only able to construct a uniform set of Pareto optimal solutions with fast convergence and high diversity, but can also rank and select the most desired design for the PV/WT/Battery system. The optimum configurations of the two cases studies are composed of a single WT, 105 PV modules, and 69 batteries storages at zero LLP, 60185 ($) of LLC, and 13548018 (KWh) of P dump for Malaysia case study, meanwhile it composes of 16 WTs, 80 PV modules, and 69 batteries storage at zero of LLP, 66073 ($) of LCC, and 31371 (KWh) of P dump. The proposed standalone hybrid renewable energy sources system is verified and assessed in a comparison with existing hybrid methods in terms of increasing the reliability, lowering overall cost, and reducing wasted energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to explore the decision-making process of patients with pregnancies affected by serious congenital abnormalities. The study design was an exploratory qualitative study. The sample for this study was pregnant individuals who had a prenatal diagnosis of a serious congenital abnormality and were offered termination of pregnancy. Semi-structured face-to-face interviews with closed and open-ended questions, recorded and transcribed verbatim, were used to collect the data; this was then analyzed using a thematic data analysis approach. Five topics were developed: "Health care services", "Home", "Being a mother", "Finding meaning", and "The aftermath". The first four topics describe the decision-making process where the participants filtered through multiple factors to reach their final decision. Although the participants consulted with their families, partners, and community, they made the final decision themselves. The final topics describes activities which were necessary for closure and coping. This study has provided valuable insight into the decision-making process, which can be used to improve services offered to patients. Information should be communicated clearly with follow-up appointments to discuss further. Healthcare professional should show empathy and assure the participants that their decision is supported. • There are limited qualitative data on termination of pregnancy decision-making for serious congenital abnormalities in the African setting. • This paper provides insight into the decision-making process of pregnant individuals from the Western Cape, South Africa. • Decision-making for terminating pregnancy affected by congenital abnormality is multifaceted but with one deciding factor. • Contrary to what is anecdotally expected, in this study the participants made the final decision. • Tragic optimism was necessary for the participants to carry on with their lives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 'rural-urban fringe' is under assault worldwide, as cities expand in seemingly unstoppable growth, commonly known as 'urban sprawl.' As cities grow, this 'transition zone' becomes a contested area as various actors fight for space, with varying opinions on land use. This paper describes the decision-making dynamics governing land use in Jamestown, located in the rural-urban fringe, in Stellenbosch Municipality, South Africa. A fundamental lesson that emerged out of the research is that local outcomes are highly vulnerable to economic and political realities that may exist far from the area itself, resulting in clear winners, and 'losers,' often depending on the ideological perspective of the individuals involved. The paper aims to draw out several lessons for planners and advocates of sustainable urban design: given the complex pressures governing land use in present day South Africa, what is there to be learned from this particular case in terms of 'best practice' and best/better ways forward? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a plural heterogeneous society, South Africa adopted the Proportional Representation (PR) Electoral System to allow wider participation of citizens in decision-making processes. This paper though reason that this system is only conducive at national and provincial levels where citizens vote for political parties and political parties in turn appoint representatives in line with their party lists. At local government level citizens directly vote for their representatives through a Simple Majority System, since it is at this level where citizens interact directly with their representatives. This suggests that South Africa has duo electoral systems: one is applicable at national and provincial levels whereas the other one is used specifically at local government level. This is so for a number of reasons: (i) the PR system promotes titular leadership or leaders without real power as ultimate powers to take decision lie in the hands of political leaders not political representatives; and (ii) in the PR system political representative serve the interests of the political parties which usher them into power other than the electorate. The opposite though is true in the Simple Plural Majority System in which: (i) citizens directly vote for their representatives and hold them accountable for their actions; (ii) government official directly meet citizens; and (iii) true democracy is practiced. In short my paper reasons that in South Africa the PR system allows wider participation of citizens in decision making processes at national and provincial levels of government due to heterogeneity of South African societies, while the Simple Plural Majority system at local government level allows accountability of political representative. The paper tests this argument in the context of the 2011 local government elections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cost of unserved energy provides an economic measure of the cost of electricity interruptions to electricity customers. These values inform investment and refurbishment decisions related to the power system, with the aim of optimizing network reliability. This paper reports on the development of an economic model to estimate the value of electricity reliability in South Africa by Eskom to meet regulatory requirements. The model allows for the scalability of COUE from national level to more detailed resolutions. The impact is that decisions for power system investment can be made to meet the needs of planning and regulatory applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper summarizes a debate on whether meta-analyses and systematic reviews are decisive in formulating guidelines for dietary fat. Held during the 12th congress of the International Society for the Study of Fatty Acids and Lipids in Stellenbosch, South Africa, September 7, 2016, the debate was hosted by the International Union of Nutritional Sciences and the International Expert Movement to Improve Dietary Fat Quality (IEM, www.theiem.org). Clemens von Schacky, Ludwig Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany, supported the statement, describing the types of weaknesses in individual studies and clinical trials. With examples of how to overcome such limitations, he concluded that nutritional guidelines on fat need a proper scientific basis in which randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with clinical end-points and their meta-analyses are essential and decisive. In contention, Ingeborg Brouwer, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, declared that recommendations on dietary fat intake should always be based on the totality of the evidence, including physiologic and biochemical knowledge and associations from observational epidemiology. RCTs and meta-analyses have their shortcomings, but well-conducted systematic reviews and meta-analyses support a transparent process for developing dietary fat guidelines. Participants agreed that evidence-based decision-making for dietary guidance should consider all the best available evidence using a transparent, systematic review. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT. Urban food security is a significant development challenge in sub-Saharan Africa. However, the field is currently under -researched and under-theorized. Urban food insecurity, where it is considered, has been viewed through a development studies lens that views food insecurity as a household-scale problem. There has been significant focus on food deserts in developed countries as one way of engaging with such insecurity. The food deserts research views food insecurity through a social exclusion and food justice lens. This article introduces the food desert concept to provide a conceptual tool to begin to understand the spatial determinants of urban food insecurity, which are not well captured by the existing framings of food security in the region. Using data from a 2008 household food security survey conducted in Cape Town, the paper highlights gaps in the food deserts approach, most significantly its neglect of non-market sources of food and of household decision-making processes. The paper therefore concludes by suggesting a new approach which takes the household's assets, abilities and decision-making as the starting point and overlays this with the market and non-market foodscapes accessed by these households. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines trends in the political marginalisation of women in KwaZulu-Natal between 1994 and 2004. South Africa's political representation of women has been increasing significantly since 1994. KwaZulu-Natal has just over 25% female representation in provincial governance, an enviable percentage compared to world figures. This paper examines the quality of that representation to discover how effectively this 25% has addressed the concerns of the region's women, especially rural African women, and what sociocultural notions have hampered their political participation and thus escalated their socioeconomic marginalisation. Looking at primary and secondary data from interviews with women in rural KwaZulu-Natal and in public decision-making structures, and with female and male political science students at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, the paper finds that politics is still masculinised, and poverty by implication remains feminised. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Southern African Customs Union (SACU) agreement signed in 2002 purported to change the predominance of South African power within the institution to give other member states greater representation, thus increasing the democratic credibility of SACU. This article explores changes to decision-making procedures in SACU resulting from the 2002 Agreement and considers the extent to which the institution has thereby democratised. The paper considers the meaning of democracy in the context of supranational regional institutions before reviewing the history of SACU in terms of decision-making processes and power relations between member states. The paper argues that while democratisation of institutions implies greater legitimacy and thus longevity, the historical trajectory of SACU means that moves towards democratisation have served rather to destabilise the institution, notwithstanding the incomplete implementation of recommended democratisation measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this research paper was to explore the extent to which strategic intelligence is utilised within the South African long-term insurance industry and whether it could be used to identify opportunities or threats within the global environment to remain competitive, create greater innovation, and corporate advantage. The paper obtained the qualitative views and opinions of strategic decision makers, on an executive managerial level within the South African long-term insurance industry, on their organisations use of strategic intelligence. It was found that there are marked differences in the conformity and usage of strategic intelligence and its components between the organisations surveyed, with a measurable difference between large and small organisations. It is, however, generally viewed that the use of a strategic intelligence framework could greatly enhance decision-making. Data collection for the research undertaken was limited to the 82 long-term insurance companies, which were registered with the South African Financial Services Board. More specifically the focus was on the organisations listed on the Johannesburg Securities Exchange within the Life Assurance sector, within which a final response rate of 36.1% was achieved, including the 100% response rate from the six listed organisations. By understanding the extent to which strategic intelligence is utilised in the South African long-term insurance industry, and the benefits or problems that are experienced by implementing and using strategic intelligence as an input to the strategic management process we can comprehend the value that strategic intelligence adds in the decision making process. The originality of this work concludes in the identification and utilisation of the most important factors of a strategic intelligence framework that will greatly enhance global corporate decision-making and result in competitive advantage and constant innovation within the South African business environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Within a context of transition, South African cities such as Durban are required to address the dual development imperatives of socio-economic redistribution and increasing global competitiveness. Processes associated with shifts to urban governance and partnerships are being drawn on to achieve these urban development goals. In 1999, the Durban Growth Coalition, a strategic partnership between business and government, emerged to address urban economic development concerns. The partnership has led to the successful planning and implementation of various flagship developments within the city. This paper evaluates the processes of the Coalition and associated projects in order to assess to what extent the partnership is successfully addressing the dual imperatives of post-apartheid redress and integration into the global economy. The paper thus critically examines the implications of using public-private partnerships as mechanisms for equitable development in South Africa and highlights the possibility of the emergence of deliberative processes of decision-making through partnerships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article emanates from a study that assessed the depth and quality of public participation in the Integrated Development Plan (IDP) process and its impact on decision-making by officials, commissioned by the Gauteng Provincial Department of Local Government.1 It begins with a detailed analysis of the (voluminous) literature regarding public participation in development projects, starting with Arnstein's famous 'ladder', and seeks to understand where participation in South Africa is located on that ladder-at the base, where it rubber-stamps official decisions, or towards the top, where emancipatory notions are at play and power shifts from the bureaucracy to the people. The paper talks to issues of elite capture at one end, and debates about deliberative democracy and 'invited' spaces at the other. The paper includes findings from fieldwork that gave rise to a series of practical recommendations as well as broader recommendations about what is needed if participation in South Africa is to move to a (considerably) higher plane than it has currently reached, which the authors believe to be necessary, and thereby form a key part of the post-apartheid project. It concludes by arguing that participation involves more than drawing people into existing political and/or development processes; it transforms those processes in ways that boost people's opportunities and capacities generally to claim their rights. It therefore becomes an aspect of a wider transformative and redistributive project. It is not enough to redesign or adjust processes beforehand in order to facilitate greater participation; they must be amenable to being reshaped by participation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The long-term impact of high-energy consumption in the manufacturing sector results in adverse environmental effects. Energy consumption and carbon emission prediction in the production environment is an essential requirement to mitigate climate change. The aim of this paper is to evaluate, model, construct, and validate the electricity generated data errors of an automotive component manufacturing company in South Africa for prediction of future transport manufacturing energy consumption and carbon emissions. The energy consumption and carbon emission data of an automotive component manufacturing company were explored for decision making, using data from 2016 to 2018 for prediction of future transport manufacturing energy consumption. The result is an ARIMA model with regression-correlated error fittings in the generalized least squares estimation of future forecast values for five years. The result is validated with RSS, showing an improvement of 89.61% in AR and 99.1% in MA when combined and an RMSE value of 449.8932 at a confidence level of 95%. This paper proposes a model for efficient prediction of energy consumption and carbon emissions for better decision making and utilize appropriate precautions to improve eco-friendly operation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The concepts of a water resources modeling approach which caters for the varying levels of modeling detail required for broad strategic planning through to the short-term operation of reservoirs have been described by Mallory and van Vuuren [Mallory, S.J.L., van Vuuren, S.J., 2007. Integration of water resources modelling approaches for varying levels of decision-making. In: Fourth International Conference on Water Resources Management. WITPress, Wessex, UK]. This paper addresses the application of this approach in practice on South Africa’s Algoa system, a complex and strategically important catchment within South Africa. The Algoa system was modeled, firstly in reconnaissance mode to gain a broad understanding of the water requirements and the available water resource, then in systems analysis mode to take into account the actual operating rules applied in the catchment, and thirdly in short-term operation mode, to determine when restrictions should be imposed in order to avoid catastrophic failure of the system. The conclusion reached in this paper that this multi-tiered modeling approach is a useful tool for enhancing the understanding of decision makers and stakeholders of how the water resources in a catchment are managed and offers a considerable improvement in terms of the time and effort expended on setting up, running and maintaining several models each supporting it own niche in the decision-making framework. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

South Africa is regarded as a leading developing country in terms of SEA practice, but no empirical research has been conducted to determine the overall status and extent of practice. This lack of empirical research amongst extensive SEA practice can be considered a major lost opportunity for South Africa, and also for developing countries in general. This paper presents the results of a survey on SEA practice for the period 1996 to 2003. A total of 50 SEAs were conducted and confirm that SEA practice is well established and on the increase. Moreover the extent of practice compares well with that of most international SEA systems, and the variety in terms of tiers, types and scales even exceeds most other practice. The research shows that although SEA followed the traditional pattern of integration with policy, plan or programme (PPP) tiers of decision making; also it was uniquely implemented as a substitute where strategic level decision making processes were weak or absent. The SEAs reflected a variety of sectoral types implemented at national, provincial, sub-regional and local geographic scales. The results also provide insights into the profile of the emerging SEA system in South Africa by highlighting legislative and policy provisions that implicitly facilitated practice, and also those responsible for conducting and implementing SEA. Findings support the notion that South Africa provides a rich variety of SEA practice that could provide solutions to the challenge of tailoring SEA to developing country contexts. The paper concludes by proposing directions for future SEA research and debate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]