scholarly journals The Cyber Threat Landscape in South Africa: A 10-Year Review

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-21
Author(s):  
Heloise Pieterse
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Technological Evolution ◽  
Incident Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
The World ◽  
Cyber Threat ◽  
Attack Surface ◽  
The Impact

The world is witnessing a rise in cyber-related incidents. As information technology improves and the reliance on technology increases, the frequency and severity of cyber incidents escalate. The impact is felt globally, and South Africa is not immune to the effects. The country’s fast-paced technological evolution continues to increase the attack surface within the cyber domain. The increased attack surface is confirmed by recent cyberattacks affecting well-known and established South African organisations. This article reviews findings from an evaluation of South Africa’s cyber threat landscape that analysed 74 cyber incidents identified as occurring between 2010 and 2020. The 74 incidents are categorised according to incident type, affected sector, perpetrator type, and motivation. It is found that the most common incident type is data exposure, the most-affected sector is the public sector, the most prevalent perpetrators are hackers, and the most common motivation is criminal. The article makes recommendations about how South Africa can reduce the risk factors in its cyber threat landscape.

scholarly journals ASSESSING THE IMPACT: Mandatory and minimum sentences in South Africa

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia Sloth-Nielsen ◽  
Louise Ehlers
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Violent Crime ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Impact

The legislation passed in 1997 that provides for mandatory minimum sentences for serious crimes was recently extended for another two years. At the time, the aim was to reduce serious and violent crime, achieve consistency in sentencing, and satisfy the public that sentences were sufficiently severe. This article argues that the legislation has achieved little or no significant impact with regard to these goals. Instead, many agree that the provisions have exacerbated the problem of overcrowding in South African prisons.

Centrist television in the democratic South Africa: policymakers fail to answer the regional/local question, 1990-2011

Info ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 15 (5) ◽  
pp. 128-140
Author(s):  
Chris Armstrong
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Policy Implementation ◽  
Conceptual Framework ◽  
South African ◽  
Public Interest ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
Media Regulation ◽  
The Impact

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the disconnect between policy intent and policy implementation in relation to regional/local (sub-national) TV deliverables in South Africa between 1990 and 2011, and evaluate the impact of this disconnect in pursuit of public interest objectives. Design/methodology/approach – The article is based on a research case study in which data extracted from policy documents and interviews were qualitatively analysed via the Kingdon “policy streams” framework and the Feintuck and Varney public interest media regulation framework. Findings – It was found that ruptures in deliberative policymaking, and policy implementation missteps, undermined sub-national TV delivery and, in turn, undermined pursuit of the public interest. Originality/value – By combining a political science conceptual framework with a media policy conceptual framework, the article provides unique insights into South African TV policymaking in the early democratic era.

GDP volatility implication of tourism volatility in South Africa: A time-varying approach

2020 ◽  
pp. 135481662097000
Author(s):  
Chien-Chiang Lee ◽  
Godwin O Olasehinde-Williams ◽  
Ifedolapo Olabisi Olanipekun
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Steady Increase ◽  
Time Varying ◽  
The South ◽  
Promotion Strategy ◽  
Parameter Estimations ◽  
The World ◽  
Time Variations ◽  
The Impact

The importance of tourism as one of the bedrocks of economic growth in South Africa suggests that volatility in the sector may have dire consequences. We therefore empirically analyse the impact of tourism volatility (TV) on the gross domestic product (GDP) volatility of the country, using time-varying approaches that treat the parameter estimations as functions of time, thereby overcoming the challenge posed by parameter instabilities, non-linearities, non-stationarity, regime shifts and time variations. We find that TV significantly aggravates GDP volatility (GDPV) in South Africa. The impact varies from year to year and is greatest during the periods characterized by economic turbulence and crime and violence against foreigners. The size of the coefficients has been on a steady increase over time, reflecting the growing importance of tourism and TV to the South African economy. We also find that TV is a significant predictor of GDPV in the country. We strongly recommend that policymakers pay serious attention to economic happenings around the world since TV is one of the channels through which global economic crises affect the South African economy. We also recommend that the minimization of crime and social disorder should form an essential component of tourism development and promotion strategy in South Africa.

scholarly journals A practical guide to the supportive and palliative care of patients with chronic kidney disease

2020 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Graham Paget ◽  
Vakhtang Rekhviashvili
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Chronic Kidney Disease ◽  
Palliative Care ◽  
Kidney Disease ◽  
Renal Disease ◽  
Supportive Care ◽  
South African ◽  
The South ◽  
The Public ◽  
The World

We are sure that all of us involved in the field of renal medicine in South Africa would agree that the guidelines, published on page 86 of this issue, around the supportive care of renal patients, especially those who cannot access renal replacement therapy – produced in collaboration between the South African Renal Society and the Association of Palliative Care Practitioners of South Africa – will prove valuable in assisting us in making difficult decisions and in providing constructive advice on the management of our patients with advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD).South Africa’s GDP per capita, of around US$3600, places it within the upper-middle-income economic group. Unfortunately, our economy must cope with limited resources with the burden of both non-communicable and communicable diseases. We have one of the highest prevalences of HIV infection in the world, with high frequencies for the APOL1 G1 and G2 risk alleles for HIV-associated (and other) nephropathies [1]. The World Health Organization’s Global Health Observatory (https://www.who.int/data/gho) reports the crude prevalence of hypertension in South Africa at 24%, diabetes at 9.8%, overweight at 51.9% and physical inactivity at 37.2%.The South African Renal Registry [2] reports that 84% of South Africans rely on state-funded medical facilities. A metaanalysis by Kaze et al. [3] quotes the prevalence of CKD stages 3 to 5 to be around 4.8% of the population in sub-Saharan African countries, and in South Africa this amounts to some 2.7 million people with significant kidney disease. Considering our risk profile for renal disease, this is unlikely to be an overestimate. According to the renal registry, only around 11 000 individuals in South Africa are on dialysis or have functioning kidney transplants, with 3100 served by the public sector. Unfortunately, our transplantation rate is low – 4.8 pmp in the public sector and 15.2 pmp in the private sector between 1991 and 2015 [4]. Transplant centres in the UK reported adult deceased donor renal transplant rates between 24 and 66 per million population in 2018/19 [5].We have large numbers of individuals with end-stage renal disease (ESRD), who are on a palliative care path, not by choice, and this is distressing. These guidelines should not be a substitute for ongoing efforts by our government to “move as expeditiously as possible towards the full realisation of the right to healthcare services”, as enshrined in Section 27 of our constitution.We congratulate our nephrology and palliative care community, and thank our visiting Australian colleagues, for well thought out and practical guidelines, which cover all aspects of supportive care for ESRD patients, including effective and caring communication, symptom management, preserving renal function, end-of-life care, care of paediatric patients, and models for setting up a renal palliative care service. The South African Essential Drugs List was used where possible to ensure that the medications are universally available in South Africa. Graham Paget and Vakhtang RekhviashvilliSouth African Renal Society [see PDF file for references]

scholarly journals Doctor retention and distribution in post-apartheid South Africa: tracking medical graduates (2007–2011) from one university

2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ann George ◽  
Duane Blaauw ◽  
Jarred Thompson ◽  
Lionel Green-Thompson
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Public Sector ◽  
South African ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Specialist Training ◽  
Financial Loss ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background Doctor emigration from low- and middle-income countries represents a financial loss and threatens the equitable delivery of healthcare. In response to government imperatives to produce more health professionals to meet the country’s needs, South African medical schools increased their student intake and changed their selection criteria, but little is known about the impact of these changes. This paper reports on the retention and distribution of doctors who graduated from the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa (SA), between 2007 and 2011. Methods Data on 988 graduates were accessed from university databases. A cross-sectional descriptive email survey was used to gather information about graduates’ demographics, work histories, and current work settings. Frequency and proportion counts and multiple logistic regressions of predictors of working in a rural area were conducted. Open-ended data were analysed using content analysis. Results The survey response rate was 51.8%. Foreign nationals were excluded from the analysis because of restrictions on them working in SA. Of 497 South African respondents, 60% had completed their vocational training in underserved areas. At the time of the study, 89% (444) worked as doctors in SA, 6.8% (34) practised medicine outside the country, and 3.8% (19) no longer practised medicine. Eighty percent of the 444 doctors still in SA worked in the public sector. Only 33 respondents (6.6%) worked in rural areas, of which 20 (60.6%) were Black. Almost half (47.7%) of the 497 doctors still in SA were in specialist training appointments. Conclusions Most of the graduates were still in the country, with an overwhelmingly urban and public sector bias to their distribution. Most doctors in the public sector were still in specialist training at the time of the study and may move to the private sector or leave the country. Black graduates, who were preferentially selected in this graduate cohort, constituted the majority of the doctors practising in rural areas. The study confirms the importance of selecting students with rural backgrounds to provide doctors for underserved areas. The study provides a baseline for future tracking studies to inform the training of doctors for underserved areas.

scholarly journals A discourse analytical view of two South African case studies on the effects on HIV/AIDS in marriage

2006 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 692-708
Author(s):  
J A Van den Berg ◽  
J Van den Berg ◽  
R Nichol ◽  
B De Klerk
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
South African ◽  
Cultural Landscape ◽  
Ethical Dilemmas ◽  
Complex Phenomenon ◽  
The World ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Hiv Aids

South Africa is the country with the highest incidence of HIV / AIDS in the world. In order to understand the complex phenomenon experienced by people infected and affected by HIV/AIDS in South Africa, the diverse cultural landscape, amongst other factors, needs to be explored. In a qualitative study, the authors explore the impact of this phenomenon on marriage. Using psychiatric texts and by employing the method of Discourse  Analysis on two case studies, different ways of dealing with HIV/AIDS in marriage and the way it dramatically influences marriage are analysed. The impact of these previously untold stories of HIV/AIDS in marriage is seen especially in the lives of spouses who respond differently when managing this problem. In coping with the trauma of HIV/AIDS, spirituality plays a role. Using the biopsychosocial/spiritual-model within a post-modern view of therapy, the role of spirituality is described.  The research, viewed through a culture-sensitive lens, acknowledges the different ethical dilemmas involved. Certain limitations in the research methodology are discussed and the need for further research is highlighted.

Some Reflections on Reparation in Post-Apartheid South Africa, using a Couple Therapy Intervention as a Microcosm of South African Society

2011 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Hill ◽  
Sylvia Poss
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Couple Therapy ◽  
South African Society ◽  
Depressive Position ◽  
Central Hypothesis ◽  
Transference And Countertransference ◽  
Constructive Engagement ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Therapy Intervention

The paper addresses the question of reparation in post-apartheid South Africa. The central hypothesis of the paper is that in South Africa current traumas or losses, such as the 2008 xenophobic attacks, may activate a ‘shared unconscious phantasy’ of irreparable damage inflicted by apartheid on the collective psyche of the South African nation which could block constructive engagement and healing. A brief couple therapy intervention by a white therapist with a black couple is used as a ‘microcosm’ to explore this question. The impact of an extreme current loss, when earlier losses have been sustained, is explored. Additionally, the impact of racial difference on the transference and countertransference between the therapist and the couple is explored to illustrate factors complicating the productive grieving and working through of the depressive position towards reparation.

An Econometric Analysis on the Relationship between Globalisation and Inequality in South Africa

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 89-89
Author(s):  
Jacques de Jongh
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Causality Analysis ◽  
Global Integration ◽  
Development Indicators ◽  
Long Run ◽  
The World ◽  
Distribution Of Resources ◽  
Short Run ◽  
The Impact

Globalisation has had an unprecedented impact on the development and well-being of societies across the globe. Whilst the process has been lauded for bringing about greater trade specialisation and factor mobility many have also come to raise concerns on its impact in the distribution of resources. For South Africa in particular this has been somewhat of a contentious issue given the country's controversial past and idiosyncratic socio-economic structure. Since 1994 though, considerable progress towards its global integration has been made, however this has largely coincided with the establishment of, arguably, the highest levels of income inequality the world has ever seen. This all has raised several questions as to whether a more financially open and technologically integrated economy has induced greater within-country inequality (WCI). This study therefore has the objective to analyse the impact of the various dimensions of globalisation (economic, social and political) on inequality in South Africa. Secondary annual time series from 1990 to 2018 were used sourced from the World Bank Development indicators database, KOF Swiss Economic Institute and the World Inequality database. By using different measures of inequality (Palma ratios and distribution figures), the study employed two ARDL models to test the long-run relationships with the purpose to ensure the robustness of the results. Likewise, two error correction models (ECM) were used to analyse the short-run dynamics between the variables. As a means of identifying the casual effects between the variables, a Toda-Yamamoto granger causality analysis was utilised. Keywords: ARDL, Inequality, Economic Globalisation; Social Globalisation; South Africa

The impact of climate temperature on counts, recovery, and death rates due to SARS-CoV-2 in South Africa. (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Neven Chetty ◽  
Bamise Adeleye ◽  
Abiola Olawale Ilori
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Death Rate ◽  
Western Cape ◽  
Warm Climate ◽  
The South ◽  
Recovery Rates ◽  
Death Rates ◽  
Online Resource ◽  
The Impact

BACKGROUND The impact of climate temperature on the counts (number of positive COVID-19 cases reported), recovery, and death rates of COVID-19 cases in South Africa's nine provinces was investigated. The data for confirmed cases of COVID-19 were collected for March 25 and June 30, 2020 (14 weeks) from South Africa's Government COVID-19 online resource, while the daily provincial climate temperatures were collected from the website of the South African Weather Service. Our result indicates that a higher or lower climate temperature does not prevent or delay the spread and death rates but shows significant positive impacts on the recovery rates of COVID-19 patients. Thus, it indicates that the climate temperature is unlikely to impose a strict limit on the spread of COVID-19. There is no correlation between the cases and death rates, an indicator that no particular temperature range is closely associated with a faster or slower death rate of COVID-19 patients. As evidence from our study, a warm climate temperature can only increase the recovery rate of COVID-19 patients, ultimately impacting the death and active case rates and freeing up resources quicker to enable health facilities to deal with those patients' climbing rates who need treatment. OBJECTIVE This study aims to investigate the impact of climate temperature variation on the counts, recovery, and death rates of COVID-19 cases in all South Africa's provinces. The findings were compared with those of countries with comparable climate temperature values. METHODS The data for confirmed cases of COVID-19 were collected for March 25 and June 30 (14 weeks) for South African provinces, including daily counts, death, and recovery rates. The dates were grouped into two, wherein weeks 1-5 represent the periods of total lockdown to contain the spread of COVID-19 in South Africa. Weeks 6-14 are periods where the lockdown was eased to various levels 4 and 3. The daily information of COVID-19 count, death, and recovery was obtained from South Africa's Government COVID-19 online resource (https://sacoronavirus.co.za). Daily provincial climate temperatures were collected from the website of the South African Weather Service (https://www.weathersa.co.za). The provinces of South Africa are Eastern Cape, Western Cape, Northern Cape, Limpopo, Northwest, Mpumalanga, Free State, KwaZulu-Natal, Western Cape, and Gauteng. Weekly consideration was given to the daily climate temperature (average minimum and maximum). The recorded values were considered, respectively, to be in the ratio of death-to-count (D/C) and recovery-to-count (R/C). Descriptive statistics were performed for all the data collected for this study. The analyses were performed using the Person’s bivariate correlation to analyze the association between climate temperature, death-to-count, and recovery-to-count ratios of COVID-19. RESULTS The results showed that higher climate temperatures aren't essential to avoid the COVID-19 from being spread. The present results conform to the reports that suggested that COVID-19 is unlike the seasonal flu, which does dissipate as the climate temperature rises [17]. Accordingly, the ratio of counts and death-to-count cannot be concluded to be influenced by variations in the climate temperatures within the study areas. CONCLUSIONS The study investigates the impact of climate temperature on the counts, recovery, and death rates of COVID-19 cases in all South Africa's provinces. The findings were compared with those of countries with comparable climate temperatures as South Africa. Our result indicates that a higher or lower climate temperature does not prevent or delay the spread and death rates but shows significant positive impacts on the recovery rates of COVID-19 patients. Warm climate temperatures seem not to restrict the spread of the COVID-19 as the count rate was substantial at every climate temperatures. Thus, it indicates that the climate temperature is unlikely to impose a strict limit on the spread of COVID-19. There is no correlation between the cases and death rates, an indicator that there is no particular temperature range of the climatic conditions closely associated with a faster or slower death rate of COVID-19 patients. However, other shortcomings in this study's process should not be ignored. Some other factors may have contributed to recovery rates, such as the South African government's timely intervention to announce a national lockout at the early stage of the outbreak, the availability of intensive medical care, and social distancing effects. Nevertheless, this study shows that a warm climate temperature can only help COVID-19 patients recover more quickly, thereby having huge impacts on the death and active case rates.

Private Agricultural R&D: Do the Poor Benefit?

2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jock R. Anderson ◽  
Regina Birner ◽  
Latha Najarajan ◽  
Anwar Naseem ◽  
Carl E. Pray
Keyword(s):  
Poverty Reduction ◽  
Agricultural Research ◽  
Farming Systems ◽  
Agricultural Technologies ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Poor ◽  
The World ◽  
Agricultural Research And Development ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Private agricultural research and development can foster the growth of agricultural productivity in the diverse farming systems of the developing world comparable to the public sector. We examine the extent to which technologies developed by private entities reach smallholder and resource-poor farmers, and the impact they have on poverty reduction. We critically review cases of successfully deployed improved agricultural technologies delivered by the private sector in both large and small developing countries for instructive lessons for policy makers around the world.

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