Wits School of Governance (ETDs)

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Browsing Wits School of Governance (ETDs) by Faculty "Faculty Commerce, Law and Management"

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
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    Employee’s perceptions of information sharing for the delivery of services in the city of Tshwane’s customer relations department
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2022) Cooke, Henry; Pooe, Kagiso ‘TK’
    Information sharing is one of the fundamental tools that enables organisations to deliver services. Since information is such a broad topic, the information referred to in this study is limited to information that is needed to keep citizens informed regarding the delivery of services in the Customer Relations Management Department, regarded as the front office of the City of Tshwane (Tshwane, 2021b). Previous research has showed that lack of information sharing leads to inefficient and ineffective service delivery. It is for these reasons that this study aimed to explore employee’s perceptions of information sharing for the delivery of services in the City of Tshwane’s Customer Relations Department. The study was rooted in practice and social exchange theory, practical theory, and expectancy–value theory. The chosen research approach for this study was the qualitative approach. This study used semi-structured interviews and a non-probability purposive sampling method. Ten participants across the regions of the City of Tshwane took part in this study. Permission was received from the City of Tshwane to conduct the interviews and the Wits School of Governance provided the researcher with ethical clearance. The main research question, "what are employees’ perceptions of information sharing for the delivery services in the City of Tshwane’s customer relations department?” was answered. This study found that the perceptions of employees on information sharing for the delivery of services in the customer relations department in the City of Tshwane were not to the standard required by a local government organisation. Based on these findings, the researcher was able to provide recommendations to the City for Tshwane on information sharing for the delivery of services, and these findings opened up others areas for future research.
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    Examining coordination among stakeholders in implementing the OR Tambo special economic zone
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2022) Masinga, Kgothatso Anamelita; Pillay, Pundy
    South Africa has adopted the Special Economic Zone (SEZ) programme as a mechanism to attract Foreign Direct Investment and increase job creation. However, despite the country’s implementation of SEZs over the past years, the country continues to experience socioeconomic challenges such as poverty, unemployment, and inequality. In this regard, this study examined coordination among stakeholders in implementing the OR Tambo SEZ, particularly given that the OR Tambo SEZ was designated as an Industrial Development Zone in 2002, and the zone received its operating permit in 2010. This delay in the issuance of the permit signals that there might be coordination challenges among key stakeholders responsible for implementing the zone. The research adopted a case study design to examine the extent of coordination among stakeholders that are responsible for the implementation of the OR Tambo SEZ. A qualitative research method was adopted to collect the data using interviews and document analysis. The study found that key stakeholders such as the Department of Trade and Industry, Gauteng Industrial Development Zone and the Municipality of Ekurhuleni are involved in the implementation process of the zone. However, there is a need to improve on the coordination mechanism by clearly indicating the role and responsibility of each stakeholder and the rules and procedures for coordination. In addition, there is a need to involve other vital stakeholders who can contribute towards the successful implementation of the OR Tambo SEZ.
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    Institutional arrangements and rehabilitation of young offenders: a case study of the Leeuwkop correctional service facility.
    (2022) Macozoma, Mesuli
    The 1994 democratic transition in South Africa marked a break away from its repressive past, which included the creation of new institutions to exercise the rule of law in a democratic dispensation. Transforming the prison system to correctional services through policy, changed the outlook of the state in exercising punitive measures against those charged with breaking the rule of law. A key question that has emerged is the need to understand how the established correctional services system facilitates the rehabilitation of young offenders, who make the majority of people incarcerated in correctional facilities in South Africa today. The study employed a qualitative case study approach to establish interactions between institutionalised young offenders at Leeuwkop Correctional Service Facility which serves as a medium for rehabilitation. The objective of the study was to determine whether the institutional arrangements at this facility support the institutionalisation of rehabilitation as articulated in the 2005 White Paper on Corrections. Primary data was gathered using semi-structured interviews from a sample of 16 participants, inclusive of three first-time offenders, three repeat offenders, and two former offenders from the Leeuwkop Correctional Service Facility between the ages 21 – 35 years old. In addition, eight institutional actors associated with Leeuwkop Correctional Service Facility were interviewed to understand their perspectives on the administrative processes involved in services offered by the facility. Thematic analysis was employed to analyse the data sets which generated four key themes around the issue of order and discipline, factors contributing to offending, rehabilitation of offenders in a correctional environment, and the allocation and expenditure of financial resources. Research findings indicate that a lack of transformation and misalignment of the current institutional arrangements is obscuring effective rehabilitation of young offenders at Leeuwkop Correctional Service Facility. A significant finding that emerged was that the primary objective of the Leeuwkop Correctional Service Facility is the incarceration of young offenders, and rehabilitation is a secondary function; hence the institutional and structural arrangements emphasize achieving the primary goal Conditions at Leeuwkop Correctional Service Facility, reveal that institutions established with contradicting mandates tend to systematically resist change. Arguably, the institution has struggled to transform its secondary role into an actionable goal that aligns with the policy framework, rendering this space a constitutive element in engendering a vicious cycle of violence among those who interact with the institution. The research concludes that more work is needed at both institutional and administrative level to foster a culture of rehabilitation within correctional service facilities.
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    Mpumalanga secondary school teachers’ experiences of professional development initiatives for improved classroom practice
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2022) Magagula, Nephtal Dumisan; Pillay, Pundy
    In spite of the introduction of various teacher development policies and the investment of huge resources into professional and academic development of teachers in South African schools, poor learning outcomes still dominate the public schooling system. The purpose of this descriptive study was to describe the Mpumalanga secondary school teachers’ experiences of professional development initiatives in terms of usable and transferrable knowledge and skills for improved classroom practice. One of the main findings of the research was that the professional teacher development initiatives, as experienced by the sampled teachers, have positive developmental effects on the professional growth of teachers in general. It was also established that the two main challenges that discouraged teachers from attending the initiatives were their non-involvement in planning and facilitation of the initiatives. Therefore, their experiences, whether positive or negative, are dependent, inter alia, on them being involved at the initial conception and implementation of such programmes.