Browsing by Author "Chikane, Rekgotsofetse"

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An analysis of Tuition Policy Discourses in Historically Black and White South African Tertiary Institutions
(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Maseko, Nokwazi Jacquiline; Chikane, Rekgotsofetse
This paper analyses the discourses around tuition policies in Historically Black and Historically White Institutions. This was motivated by the move towards incorporating discourse analysis into policy studies, contributing to the literature regarding discourse in higher education tuition policies, and understanding how discourse affects policy decisions. All these are aimed at addressing the shortfalls in tuition policy which contribute to issues such as the ongoing student protests. Semi structured interviews were conducted with 11 participants and were analysed using the Critical Discourse Analysis tools provided by Machin and Mayr (2012). The analysis showed that the historical discourses and personal ideologies held by those in power influence policy decisions. The study concluded that a reflexive and discourse orientated approach in the policies of HBIs and HWIs would promote policy solutions that are tailored for each institutional type, and this may ultimately decrease the frequency of tuition related protests
Assessing the dpsa’s, and partners’, perspectives on digitalisation for improving efficiencies in the south african public sector
(University of the Witswatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023) Lukhele, Nompumelelo; Chikane, Rekgotsofetse
The purpose of this research was to explore the perspectives of public sector officials placed in the e-Government Services and Information Management unit of the DPSA, and partners, who are responsible for coordinating and drafting the Digital Government Policy Framework, on the implementation of digitalisation in the context of improving public sector efficiencies. This was justified as important because, the attitudes and perceptions of policy developers about digitalisation will influence the directionality of policies they develop on the implementation of digitalisation or the digital transformation agenda more broadly. The research primarily questioned what the perspectives of these officials are on the implementation of digitalisation in the context of improving public sector efficiencies in South Africa. The study adopted qualitative research methods. Semi-structured interviews and case studies were adopted to respond to the research questions. The main findings were that there is a need for government to strengthen the legitimacy of government digital transformation through releasing decisive political will; there is a need for elevation of the position of the Chief Information Officer in government departments; and lastly there is a need for the establishment of a central agency that will guide transformation of public service administration to perform important functions required to successfully transition to a digital government. The study concludes by emphasising the risks at local, regional, and international levels that the South African government faces if the urgency to act is undermined
Barriers to the effective implementation of the performance management system in the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality
(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2022) Bham-Azam, Najma; Chikane, Rekgotsofetse
The goal of this research paper was to pinpoint the barriers preventing the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality from successfully implementing the performance management system. The data acquired from the semi-structured interviews with 5 important performance management stakeholders from the City of Johannesburg underwent a themed content analysis. A deeper understanding of the challenges resulted from the themes and shared characteristics found among all responders. This led to the creation of a list of prioritised barriers that the performance management stakeholders considered were to blame for the City of Johannesburg's performance management system's ineffective implementation. The research findings indicate that “inaccurate measures” is the barrier preventing the City from effectively implementing its performance management system. The second and third most significant barriers are "lack of executive and leadership support" and "lack of rewards. The findings on the Balanced-Scorecard tied to the problems that were uncovered under the “inaccurate measures” barriers. The main takeaway from this research study is that line managers must actively participate in the implementation of the performance management system at the City of Johannesburg and increase their efforts to reduce the obstacles that prevent the successful implementation of the performance management system at the City of Johannesburg
Investigating policy exclusion of heterosexual male perpetrators in the National Strategic Plan on Gender-based Violence and Femicide
(University of the Witswatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Silaule, Nichole; Chikane, Rekgotsofetse
Gender-based violence (GBV) is not a minor novel societal challenge occurring in certain pockets of society. It is a pervasive global social justice issue, which transcends race, class, religion and geographical location. The policy exclusion of heterosexual male perpetrators within national policy presents a barrier to curbing gender-based violence and promoting social cohesion. A broad knowledge base exists regarding the drivers and implications of gender-based violence, however, there is a disconnect between gender-based violence national policy and the subjects inflicting the violence. This research therefore aims to broaden the discussion on the polarised narrative of heterosexual male perpetrators in the gender-based violence policy environment. A qualitative methodological approach is utilised to analyse the National Strategic Plan on Gender- based Violence and Femicide report and two associated reports in relation to the role and reference of heterosexual male perpetrators. Thematic content analysis and interpretive phenomenological analysis of the reports and 15 semi-structured interviews with government officials, non-governmental organisations and subject matter experts are methods used in the research to enhance the understanding of the data gathered. The intersectionality theory and ecological framework form the analytical lens shaping the research, these theories form the intersecting ecological factors at play informing policy and the policy stakeholders who passively and actively influence gender-based violence policy decisions. The findings show that factors in national policy formulation provide exclusionary barriers to heterosexual male perpetrators. The target group is not prevalent in stakeholder participation in consultations, patriarchal ideologies remain intact shaping gender-based violence and femicide policy. Local grassroots consultations with specific focus on un-converted heterosexual male perpetrators in various locations need to be provided platform. Also, applying inclusive gender transformative approaches in policy formulation are key determinates to effective policy implementation and inclusion of all policy stakeholders. In conclusion, the meaningful insights on gender-based violence perpetration will guide both future research and policy initiatives driven by government officials, civil society and private stakeholders in South African society
Investigating the adoption and usage of the social relief of distress (SRD) grant: a case study of the orange farm community
(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023) Mbiti, Mary; Chikane, Rekgotsofetse
The aim of the study was to understand the adoption rate of the SRD grant received by members of Orange Farm. Several studies about the effectiveness of some of the pre-SRD social protection grants were published (Gutura & Tanga, 2017; Waidler & Devereux, 2019). Such studies are important as they provide an idea of the usefulness of pre-existing grants to beneficiaries, which can be compared to the SRD grant. The research gap on the users’ end of the new R 350 SRD grant particularly in targeted poor communities like Orange Farm, has huge negative impacts on the government's policies regarding vulnerable groups and the social protection programmes meant to ameliorate their sufferings. This study adopted the Human Rights Framework for social protection. This study used a qualitative exploratory case study approach. The study was conducted in the Orange Farm community. Furthermore, the study used a purposive sampling method to collect data from the primary source. The primary source of data was in the form of semi-structured interviews. This study found that the 350 grant beneficiaries in Orange Farm have faced challenges with this grant, but they favour the grant to be further extended and increased as it has helped them. The beneficiaries mostly use their grant on basic needs like food and toiletries. The participants expressed that they really needed food parcels, but they were deprived of getting them. Participants also revealed that they need jobs and are interested in starting businesses, but the main problem is access to funding
Reviewing labour market signals through the lenses of social sciences graduates from the University of the Witwatersrand
(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2022) Madubye, Mokgethwa; Chikane, Rekgotsofetse
Unemployment among social sciences graduates is often discussed as an issue of graduates lacking the required skills to enter the labour market. This research report sought to review labour market signals and unemployment experiences described and interpreted by social sciences graduates from the University of the Witwatersrand. This research aimed to analyse their perceptions of unemployment and their views on employability and signalling. It adopted the qualitative approach to collect data and analysed it using thematic analysis. The survey yielded twelve responses, and four of the twelve respondents returned for individual interviews. The research report aimed to understand whether there is a mismatch between what the labour market expects and requires versus what graduates perceive, and found that there is not. It was discovered, however, that while graduates of social sciences understand the requirements of signals, their unemployment experiences are rooted in various socioeconomic and political issues. This research report concluded that positively responding to labour market signals plays a significant yet minimal role in securing employment because an array of supply and demand factors determine unemployment and employment prospects among graduates. Higher learning institutions, employers, and government must collaborate to reform the social sciences curricula to align with the labour market’s demands and improve unemployment
Using Complexity to Unlock Emergent-Decolonial Development
(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023) Chikane, Rekgotsofetse
This thesis argues the need for a theoretical and philosophical understanding of emergent-decolonial development within development studies and decolonial thinking to formulate the notion of decolonisation within both fields as an ongoing developmental practice. As both a theoretical and philosophical framework, emergent-decolonial development functions as an economic, policy and philosophical analytic exercise to unravel the complex nature of the entanglement of political and economic notions of decolonisation that create an epistemological quagmire within developmental discourse, currently understood as coloniality. This quagmire is the result of the continued use of the dialectical relationship between the ideal and the non-ideal in the framing of development and decolonial thinking that has resulted in development viewing the idea of decolonisation as only the process of self-determination and limiting decolonial thinking to focusing on the epistemological and ontological expression of peripheral voices. This limitation allows for an understanding of coloniality and colonialism but denies researchers the ability to tackle both through continuous public policy interventions. The thesis argues the importance of untangling this relationship in a manner that would allow for the emergence of a new humanism in a manner that is replicable through policy interventions which would challenge the emergent nature of modernity/coloniality. In order to achieve the above, the thesis utilised a combination of two methodologies: an integrative literature review and a documentary analysis. The integrative literature review critically appraises the core theories of development, decolonial thinking and complexity to form the theoretical and philosophical framing of emergent-decolonial development. Thereafter, through the use of both thematic and content analysis of four liberatory texts from India, Tanzania, South Africa and Ecuador, respectively, the results were utilised to augment the framework where necessary. The results of the thesis indicate that the limitations of both development and decolonial studies inhibit decolonisation from being explored as an ongoing process meant to counteract coloniality and instead view coloniality as an emergent property of modernist approaches to development and decolonial thinking. Furthermore, the thesis found that development and decoloniality can be retooled through complexity science as emergent properties within complex adaptive systems that directly contend with the influence of coloniality. The colonial situation experienced by ‘the wretch’ has created an exceedingly complex and nuanced understanding of the coloniser and the colonised in the 21st century. As a result, the need to devise an approach to understanding decolonisation in this new world has become increasingly important. This framework provides the means to begin the resurgence of decolonisation and decolonial thought as an active public policy tool that others can adopt