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The legacy of colonialism in Africa, characterized by artificial boundary imposition, has resulted in engrained conflicts rooted in ethnic and cultural divisions. The Anglophone crisis in Cameroon illustrates this enduring socio-political unrest, with the North-West and South-West regions demanding greater autonomy and recognition of their socio-cultural, linguistic, and legal identity. In response, the Cameroonian government granted special status to these regions in the 2019 decentralization law, promising greater self-governance. This study critically gauges the effectiveness of this special status in responding to Anglophone demands through the lens of autonomy and conflict resolution theories. It explores whether this measure genuinely empowers these regions or merely represents a façade of autonomy. Employing qualitative methods, the research includes textual analysis, key informant interviews, and focus group discussions with government officials, Anglophone leaders, and civil society. The findings reveal that despite hastily granting the special status, its implementation has been ineffective in addressing the grievances of the Anglophone regions. Consequently, the special status has remained a façade of autonomy because of excessive state control over regional institutions and a lack of political will to effectively devolve powers and resources. This paper emphasizes the need for inclusive strategies to address protracted conflicts and advances the discourse on sustainable autonomy solutions in subnational conflicts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Corruption is a threat to good governance and hinders the growth and development of an organisation and the delivery of services. It is of international interest to establish organisations within the public and private sector realms for enhancing accountability and designing effective mechanisms and tools to enable these organisations to fight corruption. Corruption negatively affects economic development and increases poverty as public resources that are meant to fight poverty are appropriated by a small group of corrupt people for their benefit. Under these circumstances, South African society will continue to be characterised by economic inequality. There is strong empirical evidence that some public servants, in particular those at senior and executive levels, are continuing to loot public funds to benefit themselves. This has been done mostly by illegally influencing the processes of tenders for public institutions. The objective of this paper is to determine whether SAPS members encounter any difficulties in the process of completing the financial disclosure. This paper is qualitative and primary data has been collected from SAPS officials. Secondary data was collected from books and journal articles, official government documents such as gazettes. The main finding is that some SAPS officials disclose incorrect information about their income and properties. This article concludes that financial disclosure is a powerful tool for ensuring that the SAPS is free of corruption if it is administered properly. It recommends that streamlining and clarifying the financial disclosure procedure will effectively simplify the process of financial disclosure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explored the role of municipal collaboration in addressing migration-related challenges within the diverse contexts of the UK and South Africa, aiming to promote DEI in the process of nation-building. Through a secondary data research method and comparative evaluation of policies, initiatives and procedures in both countries, the paper examined how municipal collaboration strategies contribute to fostering unity amidst dynamic migration patterns. The findings highlighted the essential role of collaboration in harnessing collective expertise and resources to tackle migration challenges, enhance social cohesion, and advance the DEI principles. The key components of the paper include an examination of unique migration challenges, an analysis of initiatives, policies, and procedures in both countries, and an emphasis on the importance of collaboration in shaping inclusive societies. Overall, this paper advocates the significance of municipal collaboration as a cornerstone of nation-building, facilitating the creation of cohesive and harmonious communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper intricately examines Vhavenda indigenous governance systems in juxtaposition with the modern administrative systems in South Africa. Through a comparative analysis using qualitative research methods and secondary data analysis, the paper reveals nuanced strengths and weaknesses in each framework, suggesting avenues for collaborative synergy and improved service provision in rural areas. Purposive and snowball sampling, along with a focus group discussion, were employed for data collection. Textbooks, academic journals, papers, and online sources were analysed. The findings not only enrich the understanding of indigenous governance but also provide actionable insights for policymakers and practitioners to enhance governance efficacy and community well-being. This paper represents a vital step towards fostering inclusive and equitable governance practices in a rapidly evolving socio-political landscape, emphasising the importance of embracing the complexities of tradition and modernity for a system that meets the diverse needs of all community members. Thus, the findings and recommendations presented in this paper are at the heart of efforts to foster sustainable development and promote social cohesion -- a foundational aspect of effective nation-building endeavours. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In our democratic state it is vital to continue the fight against corruption. Although it has never been easy to successfully prevent corruption in any democratic society, anticorruption efforts remain important. The spread of corruption continues to affect every aspect of society in South Africa, and is a pandemic that undermines the government effort to spend public money for service delivery effectively. Acts of corruption threaten every citizen, but mostly those who are vulnerable. Effective implementation of anti-corruption systems remains the biggest challenge in the public sector. The literature argues that corrupt activities that are taking place in government structures cause citizens to lose confidence in the public sector. This paper reports on a study whose aim is to investigate what the impediments to the prevention of corruption in the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) are. The study is qualitative in nature, with primary and secondary data collected and analysed. The primary data was collected from the DHA and the secondary data from government documents, gazettes, books and journal articles. The key finding is that the DHA Counter Corruption Unit is short staffed and some officers/officials are unskilled and have too little experience to support the unit's mandate to eradicate corruption in the department. This article concludes that, in order for the DHA to effectively fight and prevent corruption, it must recruit officials who are skilled, experienced and corruptionfree for its Counter Corruption Unit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

South Africa is at present experiencing electricity shortages resulting in loadshedding. Loadshedding is the action from an electricity supplier (Eskom) of rolling power cuts that intend to lessen the load on the power supply system when Eskom is not able to supply a high electricity demand. Loadshedding remains one of the country's most critical challenges and has affected day-to-day business activities leading to some small businesses closing their operations. In developing economies, small businesses play a significant role in the wellbeing of rural dwellers and are a major tool for local economic development. At present, there is limited evidence in the literature pointing out the small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Collins Chabane Local Municipality (CCLM) in terms of the effects of loadshedding but there is literature describing similar issues in other geographical areas. The exploration of the effects of loadshedding on SMEs in the Collins Chabane Local Municipality was crucial to empower small SMEs, cover scholarly gaps, contribute to policy development, and participate in academic discourse. The study uses a mixed-methods approach, adopting a triangulation research design. The sample consisted of 125 members of the target population, which included the SME owners/managers and officials from the Collins Chabane Local Municipality such as the Local Economic Development (LED) manager, Electricity manager, and a technician. The sample was selected using purposive, snowball non-probability sampling, and cluster probability sampling. A total of 100 respondents were selected for the quantitative study, while 25 participants were selected for the qualitative study. Therefore, 100 respondents completed questionnaires and 25 respondents participated in the face-to-face semi-structured interviews. The quantitative data were analysed using the statistical package for the social sciences (SPSS), while the qualitative data were analysed using the thematic method of analysis. According to the quantitative findings, loadshedding costs small and medium-sized businesses in the Collins Chabane Local Municipality an average of 61% of their total revenue. Additionally, 59% of these companies had to lay off their employees because they were unable to pay their wages. The Chi-square results demonstrate that loadshedding has been experienced uniformly by everyone, irrespective of their demographic and business demographic status. Therefore, demographics have no significant influence on the experience of loadshedding. The qualitative results reveal that the losses associated with the effects of loadshedding on SMEs' production are untenable. There is an urgent need to alleviate the effects of loadshedding on SMEs. An alternative source of power is a requirement for small businesses in the Collins Chabane Local Municipality. It is for this reason that the South African government should grant small businesses a subsidy for the purchase of alternative sources of energy such as strong generators and solar panels to support them during periods of loadshedding. In addition, the South African government should encourage and capacitate small businesses in the Collins Chabane Local Municipality to participate in producing and supplying renewable energy by funding them, and further, foster cooperation among small businesses and companies that are successful in the production of renewable energy. This will assist in adding electricity generation capacity to the national grid and help eliminate electricity instability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The South African government faces the triple challenge of poverty, unemployment and inequalities. This article focuses on the challenge of poverty. One of the ways in which the government of South Africa seeks to address the challenge of poverty is through the Child Support Grant (CSG) programme that was first implemented in 1998. The Child Support Grant is intended to ensure that the basic needs of the children of a vulnerable group of society are met. The context is Emalahleni Local Municipality, and the main objective is to investigate the perceptions of caregivers on the utilisation of the Child Support Grant. The study adopted qualitative research which focuses on the issues to be understood by applying qualitative measures. In this regard, qualitative data collection and analysis methods and primary and secondary data were used. The primary data was collected through a survey that focused on the residents of Emalahleni Local Municipality. Key findings of the study are that the Child Support Grant improves households' ability to meet basic needs such as food and clothing. In addition, the grants assists families make investments in education, which increases the chances of breaking the cycle of poverty. However, there was some evidence from community members (who are not caregivers) suggesting that there are cases of abuse of Child Support Grant money by some recipients in the community. As a result of this, the researchers suggest that SASSA must employ social workers directly to monitor whether caregivers use the grants for the intended purpose, which is to take care of the needs of beneficiaries. This, however, does not in any way suggest that the Child Support grant is not making a positive impact on recipient households. The article makes a contribution to the body of knowledge by providing empirically backed conclusions on this important social security intervention by the South African government. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the years, research and Development (R&D) has been viewed as an enabler for economic growth and socio-economic development. Thus, the emergence of the knowledge economy across the globe has necessitated the need for countries to introspect on their readiness and preparedness to use research and development as a strategic tool for growth and socio-economic development. Scholars posit that R&D is a cornerstone for development around the globe because it has been widely documented that economic growth has been evident in countries that have invested in R&D. Thus, R&D is an integral part of socio-economic development. This is why the spine of this paper's argument rests on the significance of research and development funding. This paper draws attention to the research and development funding in the BRICS countries. Additionally, the paper will present research findings emanating from a doctoral research project entitled: "A Research and Development Model for Planning and Development within South Africa's Provincial Administration: A Case of Selected Provinces". The paper is anchored on the Public Management Reform (PMR) Theory, and a qualitative research method was adopted. The paper focuses on R&D funding patterns within BRICS countries and discusses policy lessons the South African government can adopt to enrich its ability to prioritise research and development. The study discovered that other BRICS countries are doing relatively well regarding R&D funding and investment, whilst South Africa lags. These findings call for a South African policy landscape to be interrogated and reformed and possibly learn best practices from other BRICS countries. The paper will contribute to both theory and practice; firstly, by demonstrating how R&D can be utilised as a tool for development and secondly, by suggesting workable mechanisms for South Africa and its Provincial Administration to create an enabling environment for R&D investment to occur. The context of this paper's consideration is that South Africa's Provincial Administration should consider investing a significant proportion of its GDP into R&D. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Do Public Administration and Management (PAM) academic programmes as offered in many of South African Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges capture the very mission of these institutions, which is to curb scarcity of skills in various employment sectors? This is the guiding question of the study. It is asked in the context of a myriad of literature in Public Administration, with some indicating that public administration as a practice is not a profession and that to this far there is no clarity as to the utilisation of graduates possessing this kind of academic qualification within employment sectors. The study is qualitative in nature, and a critical scholarship review was used as the main data collection method. The study found that PAM as currently offered through the TVET's National Accredited Training Education Diploma is not highly in demand in the market. The study therefore recommends that Public Administration and Management programmes offered in TVET colleges be discontinued as traditional universities and universities of technology are doing sufficient training in this area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zimbabwe has a long history with e-government. The Common Market for East and Southern Africa (COMESA) traces back the first introduction of an electronic system in the Zimbabwean government to 1972 with the introduction of the Central Computing Services (CCS), which fell under the Ministry of Finance, whose main function was to provide information and communication technology (ICT) services to the public service.1 In spite of this relatively long history, e-government in Zimbabwe has not developed at a consistent pace and, as will be revealed in the paper, the country is ranked low on the United Nations (UN) Electronic Government Development Index (EGDI).2 There have been few e-government studies in Zimbabwe and most of these have focused on the national picture. As a result, there is a dearth of scholarly work on e-government as it is unfolding at the local sphere of government. The aim of this paper is to provide a critical examination of socioeconomicand demographic factors as determinants of e-government adoption among residents in selected local authorities in the country. This study, therefore, makes a contribution on how these identified factors impact on e-government adoption. A major finding in the study is that most of the socioeconomic and demographic factors, with the exception of gender, determine e-government adoption in the two local authorities. Consequently, the paper recommends that local authorities in Zimbabwe, and indeed elsewhere, need to have an understanding of the relevant socioeconomic and demographic characteristics before they come up with an e-government strategy. This would enable them to craft e-government strategies that would suit their localities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]