South African auto plans faces new pandemic realities

2021 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Transport Infrastructure ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Government ◽  
And Training

Significance Preparations were disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic and the start has been postponed until July 1. Impacts For the overall SAAM to work, the government will have to improve national transport infrastructure, notably ports and railways. South Africa already dominates the sub-region and will likely be a fulcrum of planned new regional, interlinked motor industries. Major growth plans for new African vehicle sales would also benefit South Africa in terms of provision of expertise and training.

'BRICS' strategy clouds South Africa's trade rationale

2015 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Steel Industry ◽  
Citrus Fruit ◽  
Gdp Growth ◽  
Customs Union ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Regional Drought ◽  
The Government ◽  
Additional Safety

Significance By allowing the bilateral dispute to degenerate while delaying assistance to the steel industry, which is under pressure from Chinese imports, Pretoria reveals that it has neither a clear concept of 'national interest' nor capacity to negotiate effectively. Impacts The severe regional drought will turn the usual maize surplus to deficit and force the government to hike imports. Strict EU requirements for South African farmers to conduct additional safety checks on citrus fruit exports will add to farmers' costs. Auto exports to Africa will slump due to cooling demand linked to lower GDP growth -- 3.7% for 2015, from 4.5% forecast in April. Progress on reforming the regional customs union, through which South Africa effectively subsidises its neighbours, will be slow.

The promise and limit of freedom: South Africa and the pursuit of racial justice

2019 ◽  
Vol 46 (11) ◽  
pp. 1335-1347
Author(s):  
Bongani Ngqulunga
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Racial Justice ◽  
Quarter Century ◽  
Policy Documents ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Power Resources ◽  
Policy Interventions ◽  
The Poor ◽  
The Government

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to discuss South Africa’s trajectory of socio-economic development since the advent of democracy a quarter century ago. This is done through a critical discussion and review of major policy interventions that have been implemented to achieve the goal of racial justice. The author argues that while the advent of democracy brought about significant opportunities for social justice, socio-economic development in South Africa has been characterised by increasing wealth and income inequality, which has undermined the cause of racial justice. The key argument the author advances in the paper is that the decline in the power resources of the working class and the poor accounts for the neoliberal turn in economic policy in South Africa. Design/methodology/approach The paper relies on primary policy documents of the government and on primary political and policy documents of the African National Congress and its political allies such as the Congress of South African Trade Unions and the South African Communist Party. The author also reviews the extensive literature on the subject of development policymaking in the new South Africa. Findings The main finding is that the advent of democracy a quarter century ago and the policy interventions by the government have brought about social progress in some areas. However, the colonial and apartheid domination still shapes access to social-economic opportunities in South Africa. In anything, income and wealth inequality has increased since 1994. The goal of racial justice appears far from being achieved. Research limitations/implications The key implication arising from the research is that strengthening political organisations of the working class and the poor is critical to attaining the goal of social equity. This is particularly true in a context where elite interests in the state and the corporate sector have been ascendant for the past two decades. Originality/value What is original about the paper is that it is one of the first papers that assess the progress that has made in bringing about racial justice 25 years after the advent of democracy in South Africa. Furthermore, the paper uses the power resources theory to explain the dearth of pro-poor social reform in South Africa. This is a departure from the dominant approach, which explains the adoption of neoliberalism in South Africa as either inevitable due to poor economic performance or an outcome of the sell-out by the ANC political elite.

The use of electronic resources by undergraduate students at the University of Venda, South Africa

2017 ◽  
Vol 35 (5) ◽  
pp. 861-881 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tintswalo Pascalis Tlakula ◽  
Madeleine Fombad
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Academic Libraries ◽  
Depth Information ◽  
Electronic Resources ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Level Of Use ◽  
The University ◽  
And Training

Purpose This paper aims to establish the level of use of the electronic resources at the University of Venda, which is one of the previously disadvantaged universities in South Africa. It identifies the different electronic resources used at the university, determines the level of awareness and training in the use of these resources and suggests ways in which electronic resources may be enhanced. The rapid changes in the information and communication technology (ICTs) have influenced service delivery in academic libraries in terms of how information is gathered, accessed, retrieved and used. Hence, electronic resources are invaluable research tools in academic libraries in the twenty-first century. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative research methodology was adopted, and semi-structured interviews were conducted with each participant to get in-depth information. The target population was all third-year students registered with the School of Human and Social Sciences at the University of Venda. The third year undergraduate students from this particular school where chosen because statistics revealed that these students where ranked among the top in the use of computers. Findings The findings revealed that the level of usage of these resources by undergraduate students is elementary and limited to SABINET and EBSCO host. Undergraduate student’s level of awareness of the different electronic resources is low. They confused electronic resources to Web-based internet sources. It also revealed that the level of awareness and training in the use of these resources is still generic, as training is mostly a once off orientation at the first year. Research limitations/implications This paper focuses on third year undergraduate students who were using computers because the researchers were interested in finding out whether students using computers were also using electronic resources. It excluded other profiles such as age, gender and computer usage behaviour of electronic resources. Practical implications Adequate use and knowledge of electronic resources at universities is instrumental towards realisation of the country’s ICT Strategy and the outcome-based education (OBE) model of teaching movement. Suggestions are made to the university, the university library, university librarians and the Library Association of South Africa on how to enhance the use of electronic resources. Originality/value It establishes the level of use of electronic resources in one of South African historically disadvantaged universities, a point of contact to other previously South African disadvantaged universities and make suggestions on how electronic resources may be enhanced. It adds to the body of knowledge on the use of electronic resources in academic libraries in South African universities.

South African corporate ethics codes: establishment and communication

2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 379-396
Author(s):  
Mornay Roberts-Lombard ◽  
Mercy Mpinganjira ◽  
Greg Wood ◽  
Göran Svensson
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Corporate Culture ◽  
Code Of Ethics ◽  
Ethical Framework ◽  
Survey Method ◽  
Corporate Ethics ◽  
Content Type ◽  
African Context ◽  
The Government

Purpose The purpose of this study is on the top 500 companies in South Africa (as per the TopCo, 2014 list) that have a code of ethics, to see the current state of development in this area after 20 years of focus by the government and business on making corporate South Africa a more ethical environment, in which to conduct business. Design/methodology/approach A structured questionnaire survey method was used to gather the data and it was directed to the company secretaries of these top 500 companies. Findings Many companies in South Africa have a well-established set of protocols to enact the ethos of their code of ethics, indicating that they are becoming increasingly aware of the benefits to them of having a code. South African companies are, therefore, implementing both a code of ethics and strategies that contribute to creating an ethical corporate culture. Research limitations/implications This study provides an opportunity to further research assessing and comparing other companies in non-Western and emerging economies. Practical implications After 20 years of endeavours by business people and lawmakers to improve the ethical framework of South African business, there is still plenty of work to be done, as so many top companies do not appear to have a code of ethics. Originality/value There have been limited studies in the area of business ethics in South African companies. This study is the first of its kind in the South African context and establishes the current practice 20 years after the King I report.

The socio-economic impact of land redistribution on the beneficiaries in the Greater Kokstad Municipality of South Africa

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher Amoah ◽  
Nwabisa Tyekela
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Transport Infrastructure ◽  
Community Safety ◽  
Economic Aspects ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Tenure Reform ◽  
Land Redistribution ◽  
The Government

PurposeThe Government of South Africa, in 1997, embarked on the land redistribution programme in some communities to address the land ownership injustices suffered by indigenous during the apartheid regime. The objective of this study is to assess the socio-economic experiences of communities that have benefitted from the government's land redistribution programme in the Greater Kokstad Municipality in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.Design/methodology/approachThe study employed a qualitative research methodology. The population of interest comprised two communities (Franklin and Makhoba) located within the Greater Kokstad Municipality. A purposefully selected sampling technique was used to select the relevant land beneficiaries to form part of the study's sample. An interview guide made up of both closed-ended and open-ended questions was used to solicit information from the participants.FindingsThe findings revealed that the key social-economic variables, such as the living standards of the beneficiaries, have not yet experienced much improvement. Moreover, it became evident that some socio-economic aspects such as food security, low-cost housing, basic services, wealth (land), transport, infrastructure and training had improved somewhat; although other similar aspects such as total household incomes, unemployment, general community safety and corruption had not improved.Practical implicationsIt can, therefore, be concluded that all socio-economic aspects of beneficiaries' lives had not improved/changed entirely; thus, the experiences of the land redistribution beneficiaries of the Greater Kokstad Municipality represent a mixed bag of major failures and minor successes. The study recommends some policy improvement on the land redistribution programme such as an increase in the combined budgets of the land redistribution and tenure reform programmes and the revision of the proceeds paid to landowners from market value to production value, which if adopted by the government, will help address the deficiencies in socio-economic benefit of the programme to the beneficiaries in the communities.Originality/valueThe findings give an insight into the effectiveness of the government's land redistribution programme to the beneficiaries' socio-economic lives and areas where the government needs to improve to make the project a success. The paper also adds to the literature in terms of knowledge and may serve as a reference for future studies in this area.

An analysis of current tax revolt factors in South Africa

2019 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 455-483
Author(s):  
Hanneke Du Preez ◽  
Jacqueline Stoman
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Poor Quality ◽  
Tax Rates ◽  
Content Type ◽  
South Africans ◽  
National Budget ◽  
Basic Services ◽  
The Government ◽  
And Performance

Purpose The purpose of this study is to determine whether the factors once identified through literature and compared to the current situation in South Africa could predict the possibility of a tax revolt in South Africa. South Africans are experiencing frequent increases in taxes on already overburdened taxpayers, corruption, a lack of service delivery by the government and high unemployment rates. South Africa has seen an increased amount of protests relating to taxes, corruption and a lack of basic services. Design/methodology/approach In total, 12,000 Twitter feeds were collected from 14 February 2017 to 1 March 2017, the period before, during and after the South African National Budget Speech on 22 February 2017. The feeds were analysed using a thematic analysis. The emerging themes were identified as factors present in South Africa that may predict a possible tax revolt. Findings The factors found to be present in South Africa are: F1-failure of government to address the imminent collapse, F2-significant number of people with substantial debt, F3-onerous tax systems, including many different types of taxes, F4-high number of unemployed people, F5-education frustration, F6-increase in tax rates on citizens already overburdened by current taxes, F7-poor quality of governors, and performance of the country’s leaders and administration, including fraud and F8-wastefulness. Originality/value The value of the study is, first to contribute to the existing academic literature examining the factors that are likely to indicate a tax revolts. Second, the study uses an innovative data source, namely, tweets, to examine the climate for a possible tax revolt in South Africa.

scholarly journals Shopping list development and use of advertisements’ pre-store food-buying practices within different socio-economic status areas in South Africa

2017 ◽  
Vol 119 (12) ◽  
pp. 2880-2902
Author(s):  
Rodney Graeme Duffett ◽  
Crystal Foster
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Developing Country ◽  
Economic Status ◽  
Demographic Characteristics ◽  
Low Ses ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Shopping List ◽  
Food Shopping ◽  
Food Buying Practices

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to determine whether there is a difference in the development of shopping lists and use of advertisements as pre-store food-buying practices in terms of planned shopping by South African consumers who dwell in different socio-economic status (SES) areas. The paper also considers the influence of shopper and socio-demographic characteristics on pre-store food-buying practices in a developing country. Design/methodology/approach A self-administered questionnaire was used to survey 1 200 consumers in retail stores in low, middle and high SES areas in South Africa. A generalised linear model was employed for the statistical analysis of pre-store food-buying practices within the SES area groups in a developing country. Findings South African consumers that reside in high SES area displayed the largest of shopping list development, while consumers who dwell in low SES areas showed the highest incidence of advertisement usage. Several shopper and socio-demographic characteristics were also found to have an influence on pre-store food-buying practices in different SES areas in South Africa. Research limitations/implications A qualitative approach would offer a deeper understanding of consumers’ pre-store food shopping predispositions as opposed to the quantitative approach, which was adopted for this study. A longitudinal design would also provide a more extensive representation of pre-store food shopping practices over a longer time frame than cross-sectional research. The survey was conducted on Saturdays, whereas consumers who shop during the week may have different shopping and socio-demographic characteristics. Practical implications Astute food brands, marketers and grocery stores could use the findings of this study to assist with their marketing efforts that they direct at consumers in different SES areas in South Africa and other developing countries. Social implications The findings of this study may assist consumers in developing countries, especially those who reside in low SES areas, with food-buying strategies to reduce food costs, make wiser purchase decisions and reduce shopping. Originality/value No study (to the best of the researchers’ knowledge) has considered shopping list development and use of advertisements’ pre-store food-buying practices in different SES areas in a developing country. Furthermore, there is a dearth of research analysing shopper and socio-demographic characteristics in relation to pre-store food-buying practices among different SES areas in developing and developed countries.

An overview of the current state of interlibrary loans in South Africa

2015 ◽  
Vol 43 (2) ◽  
pp. 76-83
Author(s):  
Jenny Raubenheimer ◽  
John Stephen van Niekerk
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Information Provision ◽  
Literature Study ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Current Trends ◽  
Current State ◽  
Computer Library ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Essential Service

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to review interlending development in South Africa and current trends in interlending. Design/methodology/approach – Literature study and survey. Findings – Interlending is still an essential service in South Africa. Interlending systems must be used effectively to ensure rapid delivery of requested interlibrary loans. There is a significant use of WorldShare ILL, but there is a scope for substantial development. Research limitations/implications – This is not a comprehensive study but focusses on current interlending activities at some of the larger South African academic and special libraries and the use of Online Computer Library Centre systems. Practical implications – The paper provides some historical information and the extent of current interlending and systems used. Social implications – The paper gives an indication of the value of interlending in South Africa and its contribution to information provision. Originality/value – The paper provides a snapshot of interlending in South Africa and areas for development.

South African government’s GBV plans may disappoint

2021 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Civil Society ◽  
Private Sector ◽  
South African ◽  
Foreign Investment ◽  
Gender Based Violence ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Management Structure ◽  
National Strategic Plan ◽  
The Government ◽  
Gender Based

Significance Although President Cyril Ramaphosa has publicly committed to increase funding to combat what he calls South Africa’s “second pandemic”, there is a lack of transparency in how the government disburses funds linked to its National Strategic Plan (NSP) on Gender-based Violence and Femicide. Impacts Civil society groups will increase pressure on the government to make expenditure on GBV programmes more transparent. A new private-sector fund to contribute to the NSP has received strong early support, but its management structure is opaque. High levels of GBV will not only have significant humanitarian and social costs but may deter much-needed foreign investment.

The South African public service wage bill deadlock in 2021: living on the edge

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
Marianne Matthee ◽  
Albert Wöcke
Keyword(s):  
Fiscal Policy ◽  
Learning Outcomes ◽  
South African ◽  
Public Service ◽  
Subject Area ◽  
The South ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Academic Level ◽  
Finance Minister ◽  
The Government

Subject area Macro-Economics. Study level/applicability Undergraduate and MBA. Case overview The COVID 19 pandemic-related restrictions devastated South Africa’s economy in 2020 and although the restrictions were generally less damaging than in 2020, the government had to budget for vaccinations and rebuild the economy. Public service unions had just announced that they were demanding an increase of 4% above inflation for their members and that they were preparing for a strike. They were bitter about the fact that the South African Government had withdrawn from the last year of a three-year wage agreement in February 2020 and their members had not received an increase for the two years. These demands and Finance Minister Mboweni’s response to them had to consider the structural and cyclical impact on the fiscus and economy. Expected learning outcomes The learning outcomes are as follows: understand the general objectives of fiscal policy and stakeholders’ interests; understand the tradeoffs in fiscal policy and the implications of taking a position; and make recommendations based on reasoned judgements about those recommendations. Complexity academic level Undergraduate and MBA level courses on Macro Economics. Supplementary materials Teaching notes are available for educators only. Subject code CSS 10: Public Sector Management.

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