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This chapter examines performance management, which has arguably been the kernel of New Public Management inspired version of public sector reform. The first part is a literature review that looks at experiences of performance management in both developed and developing countries. It looks at the difficulty in transferring public sector reforms from developed to developing countries. This is followed by the evaluation of performance management in the post-1994 public service in South Africa. Both the individual and organisational performance systems are highlighted, followed by an analysis of performance management reforms. There is a well-developed performance management system but the empirical data and qualitative reports found that it has not worked particularly well. There are concerns around a number of issues, including the measurement of targets; the signing of performance targets; a focus on outputs rather than outcomes; a lack of harmonisation between individual and organisational performance; a lack of capacity of managers, which in some cases is due to unskilled patronage appointments; a focus on compliance rather than performance; and a lack of accountability.

Stokvel is an African traditional credit system with initiatives that are typically situated in the informal economy and are easily accessible to alleviate financial challenges associated with micro and small enterprise financing, networking and product marketing. A wealth of research has provided an understanding of the entrepreneurial imperatives in this regard; however, knowledge of processes of setting up a successful Stokvel model to achieve this overarching benefit of scaling the initiative is still lacking. This study consolidates and examines the application and distribution of the model's four-building constructs established in a previous case study in a broader spectrum, providing requisite knowledge for its adoption in the contemporary entrepreneurial economy. Using a sample of 418 valid responses from the rural and urban areas of Limpopo Province of South Africa, findings reveal that the four building constructs (formation, operation, financial segment and disciplinary measures), are conformant to the study area, with no statistical evidence to support a difference between the ratings of the categories of location. This implies that Stokvel practices across areas of the province are similar, and a proper understanding of the building blocks that sustain its operations can enhance its applicability in other parts of South Africa, as well as other regions. The study, therefore, lays a foundation that can be used to develop a typical rotating Stokvel model for entrepreneurial success in Africa and beyond.

The purpose of this paper is to consider women in rural villages of Keiskammahoek in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. What the author discovered is that some women are carving out a space through a complex, triple relation to the state. The state is distributor of social grants, a midwife of economic activity, and a technocratic system of governance and “service delivery.” The paper asks whether post-wage livelihoods are simply survivalists or have emancipatory potential.

The paper is based on research conducted in 2013-2015 in the rural villages of Keiskammahoek. The author spent time in the villages informally speaking to women and conducted 39 in-depth interviews.

The author found that the women are finding ways to engender non-capitalist relations in new and creative ways within their rural communities. The three sources of state activity (and power) – grants, economic projects, and governance – are engaged and used in different ways, but together create an interesting nexus of livelihoods and survival. What is interesting is the survivalist livelihoods – even if not representing an alternative mode of production – are allowing women a degree of independence, dignity, and self-determination.

The research has not been published and this argument has not been made before. The manuscript is a new approach to understanding post-wage livelihoods.

The purpose of this paper is to present an overview of the history, current status and possible future directions for intellectual disability (ID) policy and practice in South Africa (SA).

The paper was developed by academics and practitioners in the field of ID in SA. A review of the literature, accompanied by a joint writing and discussion process was carried out to identify critical issues in the development of ID services, specifically facing the challenge of moving from racially based provision towards equitable services for all citizens with ID.

Progressive policy has replaced practices of scientific racism which were previously used to support the establishment of white supremacism. This positive move is still in process and has not resulted in the immediate establishment of human rights. A vibrant civil society is engaging with this task currently.

The findings point to the need for a human rights approach that takes into account the postcolonial context of SA.

There is a need for continued advocacy that is inclusive of people with ID and their families.

Continuing engagement between government and civil society is recommended to ensure the achievement of human rights for citizens with ID.

This paper is of value to ID researchers and practitioners from the global South as it describes a non-western context that might have resonance with other low and middle income countries.

The purpose of this study is twofold. The first was to explore the relationship between strategic planning (SP) and social enterprise performance (SEP). The second was to ascertain the mediation of value co-creation (VCC) to the relationship between SP and SEP.

This study followed a quantitative methodology using a survey conducted with 147 social enterprises (SEs). The location of the study was the Eastern Cape, a province in South Africa. Respondents to the study occupied the status of key decision-makers who either owned or managed a SE.

The findings show that a relationship exists between SP and VCC; VCC and SEP; and finally SP and SEP. Concerning the mediation, results show that VCC had a fairly weak positive and significant mediating effect on the relationship between SP and enterprise performance.

There are renewed calls for research that focuses on understanding issues related to the management of SEs, especially within the South African context. Such calls stem from the high dependence on state support to alleviate challenges experienced by communities. The role of SEs in such a context is thus heightened. The findings give support to issues that assist not only in understanding the decision-making capability but also in understanding the role of VCC.

This paper aims to present the process and results of a local‐level South African action research project on introducing foresight methods into a local government planning process.

The paper outlines the evolutionary process followed, and documents the practical insights gained and lessons learnt in relation to the concept of pro‐poor foresight.

Positive outcomes in the King Sabata Dalindyebo (KSD) foresight process included a high level of stakeholder engagement and senior management buy‐in, supported by positive evaluations by diverse participants. The learning was subsequently incorporated into long‐term development plans and proposals such as the ten‐year development plan for the region. The experience yielded key lessons about the recruitment of participants, policy alignment, communication in diversity, active participation, facilitation as learning, the influence of technical inputs, and the importance of integration.

Further academic research could build upon this case study to investigate longer‐term impacts of the initiative in KSD, tracking replications and adaptations of the KSD experiment, comparative research between contexts where foresight is used and where it is not in development policy and planning processes, enquiry into how foresight might be formally incorporated in the routine development policy and planning processes of municipalities, and undertaking more theoretical enquiry on the “localising foresight” concept and experience, including the development of guiding criteria and indicators for procedural and outcome success.

The case focuses on learning in a developing world context where foresight is less advanced than in other contexts. The results of the exercise in KSD suggest that it is possible to embed pro‐poor foresight in a large‐scale policy programme to enhance the resilience of communities, supported by appropriate plans and budgets.

The long‐term nature of foresight can create a “safe” platform for an otherwise difficult engagement, as is this case where three levels of government and various segments of civil society are to be beneficially engaged.

This was a unique action research project in South Africa, where foresight has tended to be mainly at a top or central level – that being the level of corporate executives, national government, or national‐level stakeholders.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the disconnect between policy intent and policy implementation in relation to regional/local (sub-national) TV deliverables in South Africa between 1990 and 2011, and evaluate the impact of this disconnect in pursuit of public interest objectives.

The article is based on a research case study in which data extracted from policy documents and interviews were qualitatively analysed via the Kingdon “policy streams” framework and the Feintuck and Varney public interest media regulation framework.

It was found that ruptures in deliberative policymaking, and policy implementation missteps, undermined sub-national TV delivery and, in turn, undermined pursuit of the public interest.

By combining a political science conceptual framework with a media policy conceptual framework, the article provides unique insights into South African TV policymaking in the early democratic era.

South African public archives have not been able to transform into active documenters of society. As a result, they cannot carry out their mandate of collecting non-public records of lasting value and national significance and recording aspects of the country’s experience that have previously been ignored by archives repositories. This paper aims to discuss efforts by the Gauteng Provincial Archives to transform the archival landscape in South Africa by collecting sports memories. This is because, in democratic South Africa, the archival landscape was expected to change and reflect the nation’s diversity, despite the fact that it still largely reflected the Western-dominated global mainstream.

This study is based on the authors’ personal experiences with the development and operation of the Gauteng Provincial Archives. The authors are also involved in the Gauteng Provincial Archives’ oral history project, which aims to build an inclusive archive by recording oral histories of sports memories across the province.

The construction of the Gauteng Archives Repository has ushered in a chance to decolonise South African archives by collecting sports memories. These are windows of opportunity through which ordinary people can include their own experiences, filling in the gaps left by colonial and apartheid archives.

This paper offers practical experience in transforming and decolonising archives through collecting sports memories.