Abstract: The Auditor-General of South Africa (AGSA) has a constitutional mandate as the country's Supreme Audit Institution (SAI), and it strengthens democracy by providing monitoring, accountability, and governance in the public sector through auditing, hence increasing public trust. The AGSA, throughout the years, has been auditing municipalities throughout South Africa and giving them audit outcomes with the hope that the financial management and reporting in the local government sphere will improve. Unfortunately, the local government sphere in South Africa has worsened over the years, even though the AGSA has provided them with reports that speculate what is working and what is not working within the sphere, especially regarding the issues of using state funds. This paper examines the root causes of poor audit outcomes and proposes strategies the local government can implement to improve their audit outcomes. This paper will use a qualitative approach to review current literature and MFMA reports from 2014 to 2021 from the AGSA to meet its objectives and answer the research problem. The authors agree that AGSA has done outstanding work as an oversight and accountability enabler in the Local Government sphere and that the recent material irregularity process, which was implemented as an enforcement tool to compel municipal managers to take action, is making progress towards ensuring that AGSA fulfils its constitutional mandate as the Supreme Audit Institution (SAI). PubDate: 2024-06-11T00:00:00+00:00
Abstract: Zimbabwe grapples with a significant brain drain as many educated individuals seek better opportunities abroad. Given the decreasing number of highly educated individuals who remain in the country, their prospects of career advancement and wealth generation are expected to increase. This research aimed to investigate the impact of education on the employment status and income of individuals who stay in Zimbabwe. Cross-sectional data from the World Values Survey was used to characterize Zimbabwean respondents in relation to their employment status and income. To provide a comparative context, the results were juxtaposed with data from Australia and the United Kingdom (UK), popular destinations for Zimbabwean immigrants. Educated individuals in Zimbabwe face higher unemployment rates (22%) than those in Australia (2%) and the UK (3%). Additionally, educated Zimbabweans are more frequently self-employed (25%) than educated individuals in Australia (7%) and the UK (8%). Moreover, educated Zimbabweans are less likely to categorize themselves as high earners (10%) than Australians (38%) and UK residents (19%) with similar educational backgrounds. The significant disparities in employment rates, self-employment prevalence and perceived high-earning status between educated individuals in Zimbabwe and those in Australia and the UK underscore the challenges faced by educated individuals within Zimbabwean society. This research underscores the need for more job opportunities and the limited wealth creation prospects of highly educated individuals in Zimbabwe. If economic inclusivity is not fostered for the educated workforce, the brain drain will persist since opportunities will remain scarce, even for those who stay in the country. Targeted interventions to address structural issues and to promote a more inclusive economic environment in Zimbabwe are deemed necessary. PubDate: 2024-06-10T00:00:00+00:00
Abstract: Social innovation is one of the key drivers of the sustainable development agenda of the Republic of South Africa in the wake of the new global focus on sustainable development. Furthermore, it is within the agenda of sustainable development that community development, poverty alleviation and eradication and the improvement of the living standards of all South Africans can be realised in the current era of connectivity, advanced analytics, automation, and advanced-manufacturing technology that has been transforming global business for years. Through the extensive review of purposively selected written documents such as journal articles, books, book chapters and newspapers, the paper discusses the role that social innovation plays in pursuing and attaining sustainable development in and by South Africa within the context of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR). Succinctly, the focus of this manuscript is to analyse the role that social innovation in a 4IR context can be the conduit for improving how the government intensifies social and community development. The article indicated that lack of critical skills, scarcity of resources, poor accountability, poor organisational culture, lack of integrity, and low equity and inclusion, among others, were identified as the challenges to social innovation in South Africa. To this effect, the paper showed that the Fourth Industrial Revolution in South Africa can be used to drive social innovation and address urgent socioeconomic issues. It can also promote inclusive growth and build a more sustainable and equitable future for all South Africans. PubDate: 2024-06-06T00:00:00+00:00
Abstract: When olive mill wastewater is given directly to nature without being treated, natural waters become coloured, aquatic life is adversely affected, surface and underground waters are polluted, bad odours occur, and soil quality deteriorates. For these reasons, waste water is not allowed to be poured into soil and water without being discharged. This problem has become a problem that needs to be solved for the Mediterranean countries. With this study, acid cracking and chemical treatability studies achieved the conversion of the physicochemical pretreatment process of olive black water to an automation system. With the applied processes, removal efficiencies of 85% for Chemical Oxygen Demand, 99% for suspended solids, 97% for oil grease and 92% for phenol were obtained. Since the mixing processes of the tanks in the chemical additions are long, the heating chamber in the acid cracking process is designed larger than the tanks. Thus, when there is a black water density in the system, the heating tank in this system can be used as a heating and resting tank in sudden densities in this system. This waste separation process includes producing raw materials, protecting natural resources, and increasing sustainability. In particular, separating the phenol material and making it usable have been essential gains. PubDate: 2024-05-30T00:00:00+00:00
Abstract: This study examines the state of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) One, which is to eradicate poverty in Africa. This study was inspired by the reality that most African nations suffer from political unrest, tyranny, conflicts, and natural disasters caused by the climate, all of which harm socioeconomic development at both country-specific and regional levels. The study examines the extent of poverty in an African context from a holistic perspective before discussing trends and determining whether poverty has worsened or improved over time. The study also identifies barriers to SDG One implementation in the region. The study aims to investigate the different interventions needed to implement SDG One successfully. Finding answers to the guiding question involved adopting a qualitative desktop study and gathering data by analysing various secondary documents. The study aims to answer the following research questions: what causes poverty in African countries, and what interventions are required to achieve SDG One in the region' The study's framework was based on the human capabilities approach (HCA). The research examines the social, political, economic, and environmental variables that could impede the region's efforts to implement SDG One. The study discusses best practices and suggests interventions to improve the situation. PubDate: 2024-05-30T00:00:00+00:00
Open Access journal
[2 journals]
