South African infrastructure condition - an opinion survey for the sAICE Infrastructure Report Card

ABSTRACT The South African Institution of Civil Engineering (SAICE) Infrastructure Report Cards of 2006, 2011 and 2017 reported that much of the South African infrastructure is in a poor condition. To augment the recent 2017 Report Card, a survey was, for the first time, conducted amongst SAICE members to obtain their opinion on the condition of infrastructure (in terms of a grading), the trend of the condition over time, as well as the reasons for the individual's grading. The 669 respondents indicated that, apart from a few exceptions such as national airports and the Gautrain, much of the infrastructure is in a poor state, which is very similar to the results obtained from the SAICE Report Card process. The results were also analysed per province and indicated that, in the opinion of respondents, specific provinces in particular are struggling with poor infrastructure. The main reasons given for the poor infrastructure were a lack of maintenance, lack of institutional capability, lack of sufficient funding and over-loading of infrastructure. Keywords: infrastructure condition, SAICE Infrastructure Report Card, Infrastructure grading system

Connecting Higher Education Learning Spaces in a Blended Zululand Teaching and Learning Ecology

The purpose of this chapter is to conceptualize a blended teaching and learning ecology in a South African institution of higher education which is grappling with issues of relevance, equity, and calls to decolonize the curriculum. This case study draws on past experiences and prior learning in higher education and suggests that a good teacher needs to understand the diversity of their students—how they develop and learn and that most “deep” learners actively construct and transform their own knowledge for their specific needs. Acknowledgement of this diversity also highlights that students from different backgrounds can have different perceptions, beliefs, and ethics, which all act as filters of information and thus learning. The epistemological and methodological foundations, together with the effect of participant diversity and proposed pedagogy, will contribute to dialogue on holistic curriculum development and deeper learning spaces in higher education.

Human resource practices as determinants of employees’ intention to leave: a study from a selected South African institution

The success of higher education institutions worldwide lies in the quality of their employees. The study investigated the influence of human resource practices on academic staff members’ intention to leave. The study which was conducted at a selected university in South Africa, consisted of (n = 35 males = 85.7% and female = 14.3%) who completed a questionnaire on their perceptions of human resource practices on employees’ intention to leave. Data was analyzed to determine the human resource practices which have significant influence on employees’ intention to leave. Findings from the correlation analysis indicated a significant relationship between organizational culture, working conditions, remuneration, as well as remuneration administration, and employees’ intention to leave. Keywords: intention to leave, recruitment, organizational culture, remuneration, working conditions, organizational policy. JEL Classification: J63, M12, J31, J81