Wits School of Governance (ETDs)
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Item Perceptions and experiences of informal street traders on Covid-19 and its effect on sales and revenue in Pretoria(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023) Maphutha, Thakgalo Magauwane; Khumalo, JohnThe Covid-19 restrictions and strategies imposed in order to reduce the spread of the virus had dire consequences on the sales and livelihood of both the formal and informal sectors. The lockdown made it challenging for small and big businesses to operate as per normal, which included informal street traders. This study intended to find out the perceptions and views of informal street traders with the focus on their sales and revenue during Covid-19 lockdown. The research was designed as a phenomenological study as it was concerned with understanding the effects of Covid- 19 through the in-depth experiences of informal street traders. The study adopted a qualitative research design, with face-to-face interviews as the primary data collection method. In addition, previously published studies were reviewed as part of the secondary literature review. This study had a sample of 30 informal street traders from Pretoria working along Church Street. A key discovery in this study is that like many sectors, informal street traders were hit very hard by the pandemic, more especially during the lockdowns. The sales and revenue of informal street traders decreased drastically, leaving the participants with challenges that will take years to overcome. Most informal street traders participate in the sector as their primary source of income due to a lack of opportunities in the country and are the main breadwinners. To many, Covid-19 added to the already existing day-to-day challenges. Regardless of the significance of informal street trading, the government failed to provide them with any assistance to curb the negative impact of the pandemic on their livelihoodItem Collaborative Governance and the Social Compact during the Covid-19 pandemic(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023) Gilbert, AdeleSouth Africa has a strong history of tripartite co-operation and collaborative governance since democratic rule in 1994. As a democratic developing country, through the constitution, South Africa aims to follow the principles of good governance and promotes broad social actor (labour, business and civil society) inclusion as a means to develop a more equal and inclusive society. This form of governance is used across the various tiers of government in South Africa namely national, provincial and local, taking on a range of different institutional forms. It has also been used to tackle a diverse range of issues in sectors including but not limited to health, environment, economic and education. The purpose of this research study was to investigate collaborative governance in the local manufacture of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and the insights this has provided on the challenges, obstacles and prospects for establishing a social compact for a South African economic recovery post the COVID-19 pandemic. This was done by exploring the understanding of collaborative governance and social compacting and the perspective of different social actors to the success of using these forms as a means to achieve successful collaborative outcomes for society during the pandemic. The study then considered what insights this process of collaborative governance has provided to guide the development of a social compact. Lastly the study explored if social solidarity plays any role in collaborative governance and what this enables within such an institutional setting. The outcome of the research has revealed the importance major external shocks such as a global pandemic play in creating a context of shared risk, creating the potential for uniting social actors in the pursuit of solutions which serve the broader society. This has been contrasted by findings in relation to the effects of sectoral interests on the outcomes of collaborative governance, as well as the layered complexity of social actor groupings within South Africa and its impact on long term societal gains. It appears that this, along with a number of other challenges, poses significant obstacles to the development and implementation of a more society-centred social compact for South Africa, which is supported by implementation and accountability across social actors aimed at real societal transformationItem An exploration of possibilities for information and communications technologies in pursuit of enhanced public participation in lawmaking post Covid-19(2022) Cilliers, InaThe purpose of this project was to explore the nature and impact of public participation practice in the legislative processes of the Gauteng Provincial Legislature (GPL) during and after the Covid -19 pandemic. The disruption to social interaction brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic had an impact on the design, implementation, and evaluation of public participation (PP) in the province. The scope and extent of this disruption was uncertain, yet rapidly evolving and scaling globally. For the GPL to fulfil its constitutional mandate and its commitments citizens, new opportunities for PP had to be explored and threats to PP had to be ameliorated in the context of a “new normal”. The research question is: “How can the information and communications technology revolution be leveraged to enhance public participation in legislative processes.” The study examined historic practice of the institution as well as virtual public hearings and portfolio committee business conducted during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021.The sample population for this study was public participation specialists and participants in the legislative sphere in Gauteng Province, South Africa. A purposive sample was drawn from the GPL community, specifically PP Unit staff, researchers and committee support staff. Focus group discussions were conducted with 18 participants. The public participation events observed included 3 public hearings, 3 sector parliaments, 2 round table events and 1 legislative workshop. The document analysis focused on reports that was tabled for the legislation under scrutiny in the relevant portfolio committees. The study identified threats and opportunities for PP, spaces of disruption and contestation that would require new areas of practice and new skills to be learnt by PP practitioners. The institutions’ journey from traditional PP practice to fully virtual and the resultant pivot to digital innovation was explored. Recommendations were structured around the design, implementation and evaluation of PP in the post-pandemic future. The paradigms of digital marketing and traditional PP practice was assimilated to suggest new ways of conducting the PP mandate that advance deliberation, inclusivity, and quality of lawmaking