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PurposeThe objective of this study is to present evidence regarding how young people, who are not in education, employment or training (NEET) in South Africa, lack literacy skills and access to enabling resources to actively search and navigate information services systems that are primarily web-based. Information Poverty Theory is adopted to better understand the technological and social strata challenges experienced by young NEET people.Design/methodology/approachThe study used semi-structured interviews for collecting data over two months in 2018, employing snowball sampling with 24 key participants, representing a diversity of educational backgrounds and previous experience of economic participation.FindingsThe findings of this study suggest that most interviewed young people, who are NEET, lack advanced information literacy and digital skills to access information services. The results also indicate that access to information services that are primed for online information is a challenge for most of these NEET young people residing in underserviced communities. The high cost of an Internet connection means that the Internet is out of reach for most low-income households. In communities that are underserviced with no adequate information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructure, people residing in such areas are subjected to living in circumstances where there is poverty and thus a lack of access to online information.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper reports on data collected in 2018 using intense interviews, while acknowledging limitations in terms of the sample size. Hence, it is not fully representative of the whole population of young people, who are NEET, residing in the Gauteng Province of South Africa.Practical implicationsThe findings illustrate the need for further collaboration among relevant stakeholders to strengthen existing programmes and for stronger partnerships. The arguments presented herein enhance knowledge and understanding concerning the digital literacy skills divide that exists among young people who are NEET. It includes a discussion to contribute to policy development.Originality/valueThis study focuses on challenges young people who are NEET experience when looking for work and developmental opportunities. This qualitative study adopts Information Poverty Theory and uses prior studies to link the undertaken survey and research. It is expected that this study may serve as a pilot for future studies and may also contribute to the ongoing discussions around the use of ICTs on their use and access, especially the effect on young people when searching for information related to jobs and other developmental opportunities using online services.

PurposeIn recent years, South Africa has continued to experience a high rate of young people who are not in employment, education, or training (NEET). The emergence of the concept ‘NEET’ affords researchers an opportunity to more closely examine the life situations and experiences of this population sub-group. The purpose of this paper is thus to further explore the life situations and lived experiences of people in South Africa who are NEET. Structuration theory is adopted to better understand how social structures play a role in the lives of people who are NEET.Design/methodology/approachSemi-structured interviews were carried out with 24 NEET people over a period of two months in South Africa. This paper presents a section of the findings from a broader study that used self-administered interviews to collect data in three metropolitan municipalities of Gauteng Province, the economic heartland of South Africa.FindingsThe findings indicate that poverty remains an obstacle for many young people in furthering their studies or developing their ideas into businesses. Also evident is that there are NEETs who are taking action to disconnect from the NEET sub-group by means of seeking work, funding, or volunteering for initiatives, among other activities. Lack of financial support affects most NEETs perpetuating their vulnerability and their efforts to detach themselves from their NEET status. It is evident that most NEETs who took part in this study are still seeking opportunities to become economically active, regardless of their current financial situations.Originality/valueThere remains a lack of adequate exploration and understanding of the experiences and life situations of people who are NEET. The relevance of this study is in its contribution towards extending the applicability of structuration theory to understanding the life situations of people who are NEET in South Africa. This study contributes to the literature by providing the experiences and life situations of people who are NEET in a country with already high levels of inequalities. It is hoped that this study may provide the basis for developing more specific policy solutions able to address the NEET issues in South Africa and in society more generally.

Records management plays a significant role in ensuring accountability, transparency and good governance. Chapter nine institutions, on the other hand, are democratic institutions responsible for t...

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine quality assurance for archives and records management (ARM) education in an open distance e-learning (ODeL) environment in Eswatini with a view to conceptualise a framework for quality assurance in the development and implementation of an ARM programme in the context of ODeL.Design/methodology/approachThe study is anchored on the interpretive research paradigm, which surrounds a systematic literature review. The researcher searched for literature online, using scientific databases such as Ebsco, Scopus and Google Scholar. The search applied the publications from 2005 to 2019. The main search keywords are “archives”, “records management”, “open distance e-learning” and “quality assurance”. A total of 15 articles, which included documents, journal articles, reports, web pages and monographs, were retrieved, reviewed and analysed in this study. This conceptual study was preliminary, and the researcher hopes that further empirical studies based on the findings of this study could be pursued in future.FindingsARM as a form of study and delivered on ODeL platforms have been proposed in Eswatini. The major concern among stakeholders is how to ensure the quality of such programmes.Research limitations/implicationsThis conceptual study was preliminary, and the researcher hopes that further empirical studies based on the findings of this study could be pursued in future.Practical implicationsThe findings and recommendations will help in the development of ARM programmes to be offered effectively by way of ODeL, there is a need to develop a transparent quality assurance framework for such an application and its implementation.Originality/valueThis is the first study on quality assurance for ARM education in an ODeL environment in Eswatini. As part of the study, a quality assurance framework was designed for the implementation of ARM education on an ODeL platform. This quality assurance framework is intended to help higher education institutions in Eswatini such as the University of Eswatini as well as stakeholders such as the Eswatini National Archives and others to design ARM education and deliver it on an ODeL platform in a manner that guarantees adequate quality.

Using the critical emancipatory paradigm grounded on the power elite theory that addresses issues of oppression and power relations, the paper was able to show, among other issues, how African nationalism created leaders who were against societal plurality, which takes diversity into consideration and celebrates it. Also the critical emancipatory paradigm along the power elite theory made it understandable that those who are oppressed would always find a way of expressing themselves and try to shape the world they want to live in. For example, in addressing the decimation of their self-identity by those in power, the minority groups in Zimbabwe and South Africa are seen forming ‘dissident’ community archives parallel to the so-called mainstream national official archives such as National Archives of Zimbabwe and National Archives and Records Services of South Africa which are presided over by ‘ruling political party government bureaucrats’ pushing the agenda of their elite leaders who are obsessed with ‘only’ preserving their history and ignoring the histories of the minority groups, as the paper revealed. This phenomenon in this paper was considered through national mainstream archives and selected community oral history methodologies. The paper concludes that even in critical emancipation, there is elitism as those in power will always push their own agendas. In decolonising the archives through a collection of oral histories, archival institutions in both countries have further perpetuated the marginalisation of minority groups by covering only stories of elite members of society.

The 4th Industrial Revolution entails the adoption and integration of information and communication technologies leading to an increasingly digital society. This article contributes to concepts and applications of structuration theory and unemployment in 4IR literature and highlights research on societal barriers to digital transformation resulting in youth unemployment. We argue that social strata and socio-economic factors can have significant consequences for unemployed young people. These factors create and exacerbate existing divides that hinder equal access to the benefits of an increasingly digital world. The study findings reveal that one of the biggest challenges faced by most countries, is ensuring that the growing cohort of unemployed youth, with low digital literacy skills and little or no enabling resources, are given the opportunity to participate in the rapidly developing digital society. Technological advances, resulting from the 4IR, need to be better understood by using enabling concepts such as structuration theory. The article enhances a deeper understanding of the impacts of the 4IR in a developing country context and may offer insights into how policies and initiatives need to be revisited to address problems such as high youth unemployment. The 4IR is disrupting traditional economies and employment opportunities at an international level, but there are subtle differences from a developing country perspective. This article’s relevance is its contribution to structuration theory and its application within the literature on the 4IR. There remains an absence of understanding how best to encourage active citizen participation in the 4IR, especially in developing states with high levels of inequality. We conclude by presenting policy recommendations.

Editorial

Since time immemorial, pictorial images have been used to illustrate, document, map, narrate, and facilitate textual and verbal information. The facilitation and illustration of texts through pictorial support have an added advantage in the sense that it stimulates both spheres of the human brain, thus making lasting effects on the impression of cognitive understanding of the content read and boosting reading comprehension. These positive effects and benefits are observed in storybooks with illustrations that present an aesthetic appeal and typographic interplay to the reader. In recent years, texts and stories have been conveyed and disseminated through visual compositions, creative outputs and visual narrations that are presently enhanced by digital technology. This is a conceptual paper that is conducted from a constructivist point of view, reviewing literature on photo elicitation where pictures are used as aids to facilitate comprehension in textual readings. It is argued that the eradication of illiteracy through reading is a less intuitive and rather complex process that requires the reader to read the text at hand with good comprehension and understanding. The study concludes that pictorial images are worth being part of the typography of texts because they create the necessary visual appeal and support the reading process, especially for foundation phase and adult basic education and training (ABET) level 1 learners.

Organisations, including public libraries, are confronted with the challenges of managing, controlling and putting in place retention strategies to mitigate against high turnover intention. Turnover intention can bring devastation to an organisation and can also lead to negative consequences such as decreased morale and productivity, shortage of skilled and qualified librarians, direct and indirect costs to the library organisation. This quantitative study employed the census method and adopted the cross-sectional survey design, including the use of a structured questionnaire to collect data from 174 librarians at the City of Johannesburg Libraries (COJLIS) in the Gauteng province of South Africa. Quantitative data were analysed using the Statistical Packages for Social Sciences (SPSS). The findings in relation to demographic factors revealed that the majority of the librarians (51%) who have been with the library organisation for a considerable length of time report (length of service) exhibited turnover intention . Findings further showed that the majority of librarians are mostly dissatisfied with organisational determinants, namely: payment and fringe benefits, working environment: flexi working hours (work-life balance) and promotion and recognition which are significant predictors of turnover intention. It is recommended that in order to mitigate turnover intention and increase retention, strategic initiatives should be developed which could incorporate the variables such as payment and fringe benefits, promotion and recognition.

Public programming initiatives are considered an integral part of archival operations across the world because they support a greater use of archival records. In South Africa, public archival institutions are mandated in terms of section 5(1)(c) of the National Archives and Records Service of South Africa Act (Act No. 43 of 1996) (NARSSA Act) to reach out to the less privileged sectors of society, including children, by making known information concerning records by means such as publications, exhibitions and lending of records. As a result, public archives repositories in South Africa have designed programmes to take archives to school learners for the purpose of creating future users and expanding the use of archival sources. Despite efforts to take archives to the people in South Africa, it would seem that public programming methods that repositories use at schools are not effective in creating awareness and promoting public archives to attract school learners. This qualitative study utilised semi-structured interviews and observation as data collection tools to investigate schools as conduits for taking public archives to learners in the Gauteng province of South Africa. The key findings suggest that the public archives repositories in Gauteng do not use technology, particularly social media, to market their services to school learners. The main method of taking archives to learners is through invitations and participation in the annual archives week, which do not yield any positive results, as learners do not visit the archives afterwards. It is recommended that public archives repositories in Gauteng should consider using school learners who participated in the previous archives week as ambassadors to further recommend the use of archives to potential users and their peers. Furthermore, collaboration between archivists and teachers from neighbouring schools should be considered by including school projects that involve the use of “archives’’. In this regard, the repositories should be able to provide access to such learners. The study concludes that failure to adopt social media platforms to market archives would result in school learners not using archives.

Purpose Appraisal of records to separate the wheat (records of enduring value) from the chaff (ephemeral records) is one of the most important functions of the archives. In terms of the National Archives and Records Service of South Africa (NARSSA) Act (No. 43 of 1996) (the Act), “no public records may be transferred to an archives repository, destroyed, erased or otherwise disposed of without the written authorisation of the national archivist”. In implementing this section of the Act, the NARSSA issues a disposal authority, which emanates from the appraisal process explained in the policy guidelines of 2002. The purpose of the study is to analyse the appraisal policy guidelines on the approach of NARSSA in relation to preservation of digital records. Design/methodology/approach This study has used qualitative data obtained through content analysis and literature to review the appraisal policy guidelines and approach of NARSSA in relation to preservation of digital records. The 2002 approved appraisal policy, as well as the directives issued by NARSSA in terms of Section 13(4) of the Act, is examined to determine the criteria, the process and the methodology adopted in the appraisal of records. Content analysis data are augmented through interviews conducted in person with the head of the records management unit at NARSSA and the archivist responsible for appraisal of government records. Findings The study has established that, in terms of the approach, records are appraised two years after the implementation of records classification systems in governmental bodies and those of archival value are then transferred to an archives repository after a period of 20 years. Twenty years is a long period as records might be lost, especially in digital environments. Furthermore, the appraisal policy guidelines limit the powers of records managers in governmental bodies in deciding on records of enduring value, as this responsibility is assigned to archivists at NARSSA. It is clear that the policy was written with paper records in mind. Research limitations/implications This study may go a long way in influencing policy review to embrace appraisal of digital records in South Africa. This in turn will help in determining the feasibility of preservation technology for digital records. Originality/value This study is useful to ensure participation of the public in the appraisal process. This study has triangulated content analysis data with interviews to examine appraisal criteria, process and methodology, followed by NARSSA.

The African National Congress (ANC) liberation archives were created in countries all over the world. These liberation archives form part of the national archival heritage of South Africa as they bridge the gap of undocumented history of people who were previously marginalised by the apartheid government. After the ban on liberation movements was lifted in South Africa, the ANC embarked on the process of identification and repatriation of the records that were fragmented throughout the world. This study investigated the approaches followed by the ANC in identifying and repatriating its liberation archives from the trenches to make them accessible. Qualitative data were collected through interviews with purposively selected employees of the African National Congress, MultiChoice, Africa Media Online and the Nelson Mandela Foundation who were involved in the repatriation of the liberation archives. Interview data were augmented through content analysis of ANC documents such as policies, websites and annual reports, as well as observation of the storage conditions of the liberation archives. The key findings revealed that the ANC established an archives management committee that played an important role in the identification, repatriation and, ultimately, digitisation of liberation archives. The committee utilised former liberation struggle members to identify records in ANC hosts in various countries. It was established that, although the ANC was aware of where its records were abroad, not all its records were repatriated to South Africa after the unbanning of the liberation movements. For example, there were host nations, like Italy, that disputed the return of the ANC liberation archives to South Africa. The liberation archives are in the custody of the Fort Hare University as a chosen official repository for the ANC. It is concluded that the repatriation of the liberation archives is an ongoing process, as not all records have been repatriated to South Africa. As the ANC is in power at the time of writing, this is the opportunity for the organisation to negotiate with countries that still have custody of its liberation archives, such as Italy, to repatriate such records to South Africa. A further study on legal ownership and copyright, digitisation and ensuring the authenticity of the ANC liberation archives is recommended. This study can be extended to other liberation movements in southern Africa.

Some public entities in South Africa have implemented digital records systems over a period of 20 years. In terms of the South African archival legal framework, there is a need for such entities to...

In South Africa, freedom of information (FOI) is entrenched in section 32 of the Constitution, which guarantees every citizen the right of access to any information held by the state or by any other person that is to be used for the protection or exercise of any right. The Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA) is the law that gives effect to section 32 of the Constitution. Regardless of a remarkable trend towards the adoption of FOI laws, international trends have shown this does not automatically translate into fulfilment of people's right to information. This study utilised mixed method research through the explanatory sequential design to assess compliance with FOI legislation by public bodies in South Africa, with a view to develop a model for implementation of FOI. The study first conducted a quantitative study by analysing the reports of the South African Human Rights Commission from the reporting years 2006/07 to 2016/07 to assess compliance with sections 14, 15, 16, 17 and 32 of the PAIA. Thereafter, a qualitative study through interviews with purposively chosen participants was conducted to substantiate the findings of a quantitative study. Key results suggest that over the years, there were problems in the implementation of the FOI legislation in South Africa and its use was limited. Where implementation has taken place, it has been partial and inconsistent. The responsibility for the implementation of FOI legislation in most public bodies is assigned to legal departments that do not have knowledge of what records are created, and where and how they are kept. With regard to compliance, in terms of the degree of comparison, the situation was better in national departments, worse in provincial departments and worst in municipalities. The study recommends the establishment of an information governance unit to implement FOI in public bodies. Failure to assign responsibility to a relevant unit would perpetuate the non-compliance with FOI legislation by public bodies in South Africa. A model for the implementation of PAIA within a public body is suggested.

In most historical research works, conventional sources are used. In most cases these are primary sources (eg, professionally obtained archaeological material, rock art, archival records and oral evidence) and original documents (eg, newspapers, reports and diaries), as well as secondary sources (eg, books, journal articles, theses, etc). There is consensus among historical scholars that alternative sources, such as old objects, and artefacts (eg, machinery, wagons, epitaphs, etc), are not always used adequately in research as compared to conventional sources. Researchers point out that rich sources, including alternative sources, enhance the quality of the research outcome. This study investigated the use of alternative sources by master’s and doctoral scholars in historical research at public universities in South Africa in order to compare the use thereof with the use of conventional sources. The study used a non-reactive research method, that is, content analysis of 93 selected master’s and doctoral historical research works from public universities in South Africa, to investigate the extent to which conventional sources are used at the expense of alternative sources. The study findings revealed that historical researchers preferred using conventional sources to alternative sources, which were used in only four theses. The study concluded that the use of alternative sources can enrich historical research works as well as augmenting conventional sources. A further study to investigate why researchers do not use alternative sources is recommended. In addition to historical research, the study model can be extended to fields of study such as Sociology, Anthropology and Archaeology.

Due to technological developments, innovation and globalisation, research is becoming more complex, requiring wide-ranging skills. A lack of resources and publishing platforms has led to low research output in archives and records management (ARM) in most developing countries in Africa. However, experienced researchers from different countries can collaborate by sharing and transferring knowledge and making optimal use of resources that will lead to the sustainability of research output. Utilising informetrics analysis, as well as co-authorship as the measure for collaboration, this article examines the nature, trend and type of ARM research collaboration in Africa by identifying individuals, institutions and countries that collaborate in order to recommend ways of improving such activities. Quantitative data was extracted from the database of African Journals Online (AJOL) and analysed. The key finding suggested a low level of collaboration among ARM researchers, with the work produced emanating mostly from one institution. The study argues that social and physical proximity contribute to research collaboration in ARM in Africa. The scarcity of literature on ARM in Africa led the article to recommend more collaborative projects whereby established researchers nurture and mentor novice researchers to become self-sustainable in producing scholarly literature. Hopefully, this would help to formulate research agendas to address grand societal challenges, such as a lack of accountability, poor audit results and poor service delivery, which all stem from a breakdown in the records system and a non-sustainable ARM profession in Africa, in order to become on par with the rest of the world.

Legislation plays an important role in the provision of national and public library services. In Zambia, however, libraries that perform the functions of national and public libraries are operating without a legislative mandate. As a result, there is fragmentation of library services as there is no single institution which performs all the functions of a national library service. Although several efforts have been made in the past to enact national library service legislation, no Act of Parliament has been passed to date (2015). This study provides empirical evidence depicting the benefits of having legislation in the provision of national and public library services. The study identifies institutions that perform functions of national and public library services in Zambia. Quantitative data were collected through questionnaires administered to public library staff and interviews with senior government officials and executive members of the Zambia Library Association and Zambia Library Consortium. The study recommends that appropriate legislation that puts together the functions of public and national libraries under one institution be enacted in Zambia as soon as possible. Failure to transform this pattern will jeopardise the preservation of the country’s cultural heritage.

In most states in the Southern African Development Community (SADC), the national archives acts were enacted shortly after independence and modelled closely on British archival legislation. These acts were mostly written with paper records in mind, while being silent on records that appear in other media such as microfilm, audiovisual and electronic. This study provides a qualitative content analysis of archival legislation to assess the extent to which provision is made for the management and preservation of records created in networked environments in selected countries (Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania Zambia, and Zimbabwe) in the SADC region. The key finding suggests that while the archival legislation in South Africa makes provision for the management of electronic records, the pieces of legislation for the other countries are silent on this issue. Furthermore, all the pieces of legislation are silent on whether electronic records can be admissible as evid...

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to investigate the cases of “delayed and denied” justice that resulted from a lack of or poor record-keeping in the South African courts and police service with a view to encouraging proper records management. Proper records management plays a significant role in supporting the justice system. Records provide the critical evidence that a particular action or transaction took place and can be used as evidence in a court of law. Without reliable and authentic records, government cannot administer justice and, as a result, offenders can be set free while the victims are denied justice. Design/methodology/approach – Utilising content analysis, this study extracted print media articles (2000-2012) relating to the “records and justice system” from the South African Media database, which is one of the databases hosted by the South African Bibliographic and Information Network. The study selected cases reported in the media to conduct follow-up interviews with a policeman, lawyer and judge to discover the implications of the unavailability of required records in court cases. Furthermore, access was given to three selected cases that were given high profile in the media and these cases were analysed to find out what the final verdict in each case was. Findings – Results of the study suggest that some criminal cases were withdrawn due to missing dockets or cases not properly registered. In some instances, records were reconstructed, resulting in the travesty of justice. The study concludes by arguing that if records are not accounted for, lawyers, prosecutors and magistrates could dispute the authenticity of records. As a result, justice for victims would be delayed and ultimately denied while the perpetrators are freed. Research limitations/implications – The findings and recommendations of this study may go a long way in helping courts in South Africa to manage records properly to support the justice system. Furthermore, the study is a useful compilation of the importance of missing records for social purposes. Originality/value – In an attempt to show the role of records management in the administration of justice in South Africa, this study used a triangulation of data collection tools. This is a new attempt, especially in the South African context. Previous studies in southern Africa only looked at the management of records in supporting justice system.

South Africa’s public institutions generate public records that need to be managed in compliance with the legislative framework. However, there are challenges in managing digital records brought about by the complexity within the legal terrain as well as the disparate nature of information systems in institutions. This article provides a brief review of literature that informs the background to a South African research study conducted by the InterPARES Trust Project’s Africa Team.

Since 1994, several pieces of legislation were passed and thereby calling for relevant stakeholders to ensure their implementation. A need for sound records management in South Africa prompted the government to review National Archives Act, thereby giving birth to National Archives and Records Service Act (No 43 of 1996 as amended). According to the Act, the National Archivist is charged with the primary responsibility of ensuring sound records management in national governmental bodies throughout South Africa. Governmental bodies are expected to comply with the Act. Based on the foregoing, the purpose of this article is to demonstrate the fundamental role played by both governmental bodies and the National Archives and Records Service of South Africa (NARS) in ensuring sound records management. In order to clearly demonstrate the level of sound records management among governmental bodies, a survey was conducted. The paper concludes by indicating that lack of cooperation between governmental bodies and NARS would possibly result in poor records management and limited access to information. The Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA) is used as a benchmark for giving of access to information in South Africa. Governmental bodies would find it difficult to implement PAIA without sound records management programmes.