Thesis (MTech (Human Resource Management))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2011 / This study explored perceptions of twenty managers at the City of Cape Town Municipality regarding the challenges facing talent management. A detailed study of the literature was conducted on variables that are relevant in talent management in organisations. These variables included definitions of talent management, pay satisfaction, job satisfaction, organisational commitment, tenure, motivation, employee engagement, turnover and intention to turnover. This study adopted a qualitative research method as it was found from the literature that managers often prefer face-to-face interviews instead of questionnaires. An interview guide was developed for the twenty managers that were internally chosen by the City of Cape Town management. Data collected from the interviews was subjected to content analysis method with different themes emerging. The results revealed that the City of Cape Town is well on course in implementing talent management with it’s approximately 25 000 employees. The study revealed a plethora of challenges facing talent management at the City of Cape Town. One huge challenge facing this municipality is its size, which makes implementation of a talent management system difficult to implement at the City of Cape Town. The findings support the assumption developed for this study that poor talent management practices in the public sector lead to ever increasing staff turnover rates. The findings of this study contribute to both theory and practice. Theoretically the study contributes to the literature, as it is the first empirical study to use managers in a local government municipality to explore challenges surrounding talent management. Furthermore, local government managers can use the findings of this research to design strategies and policies to enhance talent management in local government municipalities, and subsequently ensure talent retention.

The research problem that was investigated in this study was to identify, explore and confirm the problems and management obstacles encountered with the change process in the South African Police Service (SAPS) from the time when South Africa became a democracy in 1994. Although national legislation and SAPS policies and directives that encourage change in the SAPS indicated the movement towards change to implement transformation, it is questionable in what way these principles of transformation are successfully implemented, what the significance and implications of these legislation and directives are, and also the effect they have on transformation in the SAPS. Data was collected from questionnaires, a literature study, focus group interviews and interviews. Structured questionnaires concerning transformation in the SAPS were designed and distributed to 39 station commissioners in the Pretoria and Soweto policing areas. Furthermore, a literature study including material such as official SAPS documents, media and newspaper reports, library sources and national legislation regarding change has been presented. Data was also collected from non-commissioned officials who participated in four focus groups interviews, and four semi-structured interviews were conducted individually with four station commissioners in the Pretoria and Soweto policing areas. International best practices have also been consulted. The research conducted indicated that although progress has been made with transformation in the SAPS a breach exists between national legislation, SAPS policies and directives and the implementation thereof, which have an impeding influence on the transformation process in the SAPS. It is clear that internal communication is an essential and dynamic instrument in the SAPS, however, communication of the transformation process does not have the impact at ground level that it is supposed to have. It is also clear that members at ground level lack knowledge of the transformation process in the SAPS and the implementation thereof. In addition, conveying the sense of urgency to members at ground level need attention and must be communicated clearly and timeously. Training and development at the lower hierarchical levels of the SAPS also need priority to enhance service delivery, public relations, the morale and conduct of members. A high number of members also need to be motivated during transformation and their readiness towards the process has to be addressed to adapt to the changes. Reasons for resisting transformation in the SAPS need urgent attention as well because this has a negative effect on the daily functioning of members. The recommendations drawn from the conclusions made in this study may provide a number of solutions that can be implemented in the SAPS to reduce the obstacles impeding the transformation process in the SAPS to enhance and improve transformation in this organisation. / Criminal Justice / M. Tech. (Criminal Justice)

M. Tech. Business Administration / The City of Tshwane initiated and implemented a structural and infrastructural change process in recent years, by merging with Metsweding District, Cullinan and Bronkhorstspruit. One of the critical tools that influences the success or failure of a change process is communication. This study investigates how communication during the implementation phase was utilised and it impacted on the attitudes and behaviours of employees of City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality.

M. Tech. Business Information / Improved Data Quality Management is the desired outcome of managers for many government departments if not all. The constant use of manual systems, the utilization of legacy information systems, the results from departmental mergers and other agency acquisitions, by the South African government departments contributes significantly to poor data quality which leads to fruitless expenditure, fraud and corruption, duplication of processes, none-aligned departmental priorities and service delivery challenges. Literature reveals that there are documents that have been developed to manage the quality of data such as South African Quality Assessment Framework document, which guides and evaluates government organizations on how to achieve quality statistics focusing mainly on the meta-data; however they do not cover other dimensions of Data Quality Management. This research focuses into the strategy of Data Quality Management in government organizations and Data Quality Management tools applied using a conceptual model based on the Technology-Organization-Environment framework.

The thesis focused on how the advent of children's rights, in particular the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), has impacted on the subject of juvenile justice and embarked on a practical examination of law reform in this regard in an African context. The focus was placed on a number of African countries that have embarked on or completed child law reform in the aftermath of ratification of the CRC. The case studies in this thesis were Ghana (1998-2003), Kenya (1993-2001), Namibia (1994 to date), Lesotho (2003 to date), South Africa (1997 to date) and Uganda (1992-1996).

M. Tech. Language practice / At the centre of the messages and information disseminated to the public, there is language. This study investigated the role played by language when health awareness campaigns are planned by the Department of Health (DoH) in South Africa. The background and rationale of the project is discussed, with special reference to the language speakers in Pretoria, since the study was undertaken in this area. Pretoria is a city occupied by residents that are representative of all South African language groups; namely, English, Afrikaans, Sotho, Nguni, Venda, and Tsonga. This coming together of all languages in one small area of the country has indirectly led to the evolution of a language that has never stopped to grow over the years. This language that has evolved in Pretoria is unofficially called Sepitori (Pretoria Sotho); it has become a language of pride, and the communities in and around Pretoria see it as a compromise between Sepedi and Setswana. Since Sotho is widely spoken in Pretoria, the communities have become so attached to this language that anyone who speaks English around them is seen as snobbish, or an elite who normally doesn't get a warm welcome by the average Pretoria township resident, and they are often labeled 'coconuts'. In the health centres of the city and surrounding townships, health information is conveyed mostly in the English language. Through observation, one may say that important information might be ignored by the people visiting public clinics and hospitals, or they might have little or no interest in reading it. This might be because of various reasons which the study will try to find out, as guided by the language policy of South Africa in the DoH. The concern in this study is the language used for the displayed information. The study attempts to assess whether consideration is given to the language(s) of the locals when health awareness campaigns are prepared.

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Management, University of Witwatersrand, in partial fulfilment of the Degree of Masters of Management (in Public and Management Development) February 2017 / Accessibility in the built environment has always created barriers for persons with disabilities. Accessibility in public buildings is a key factor for persons with disabilities in achieving livelihoods and independence. However, inaccessible public buildings limits the rights of persons with disabilities to equal participation and prevents them from being equal citizens. Persons with disabilities are often faced with barriers that limit them from actively participating in social and economic life. Many of these barriers are related to accessibility in the built environment. This research report looked into the Department of Public Works’ Accessibility Programme. The accessibility programme intends to make all state-owned buildings accessible for persons with disabilities. The participants of the study were mostly implementers of the accessibility programme and participants from organisations of persons with disabilities. Most of the participants acknowledged the work the Department of Public Works has done. However, they also noted shortcomings in implementing the accessibility programme. The lack of knowledge on disability issues and understanding on how to address accessibility in the built environment was a contributing factor to the ineffective and efficient accessibility programme. The recommendations of the study include inclusive disability programmes in the built environment in the planning, policy development, designing and completion stages. Education and advocacy are highly recommended at all stages of the implementation of the accessibility programme. / MT2017

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, University of the Witwatersrand, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Management in the field of Public Policy / This study investigates oversight and accountability in the City of Johannesburg. The study explores the City of Johannesburg’s new governance model as implemented after the 2006 local government elections. The study is premised on establishing an understanding of the issues that the City of Johannesburg is grappling with since rolling out its oversight and accountability model as adopted by its Council in 2006. The Constitution of South Africa (1996) vests both the executive and legislative authority in the Municipal Council. This is in contrast to other spheres of government, namely National and Provincial, whereby there are specific chapters on what the Executive, the Parliament and Provincial Legislatures powers are. The study begins by discussing the cases of separation of powers in local government in the United Kingdom and the City of Johannesburg governance model and the rationale behind implementing such a model. The study then makes an analysis of the legislative framework in South Africa that gives expression to oversight and accountability in government broadly. The study discusses its research methodology and the rationale for such a methodology in investigating issues that the City of Johannesburg is faced with in implementing its oversight and accountability model. In this case study the researcher explores the functionality of the model. In doing so, the researcher then proposes ways of ensuring that the oversight and accountability could be more effective and whether there are any legislative impediments, and then propose to national law makers what needs to be done as informed by the research conducted

A report on a research study presented to the Department of Social Work School of Human and Community Development, Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Master of Arts in Social Work by coursework and research report in Occupational Social Work , August 2017 / In 2004 the Gauteng Provincial Government (GPG) introduced a health and wellness Programme to manage human risks that negatively influence work performance and the wellness of employees. A qualitative research study was conducted using phenomenology design to explore in-depth experiences of 13 EHWP Coordinators on the implementation of wellness management as one of the four pillars of the Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA) integrated Employee Health and Wellness Strategic Framework (EHWSF), (2008). The EHWSF was created to rapidly transform the nature of holistic support to employees so as to mitigate individual and organisational risks within the public sector. The method of data collection utilised was face to face interviews, with the use of a semi-structured interview schedule as a tool to gather data. Purposive sampling was utilised and the sample selected from a population of twenty nine (29) GPG EHWP Coordinators based on an inclusion criteria. The collected data was analysed utilising thematic analysis to identify themes and patterns in the data, to contextualise and describe the findings. The main findings were the inconsistent understanding in terms of the implementation of the DPSA EHWSF wellness management among participants, which suggest that the programme is not fully implemented in GPG. The lack of capacity, dedicated budge, inconsistent structure and positioning of the programme as well as management support were some of the deterrents in implementing the full scope of the wellness management pillar. Although DPSA EHWSF promotes the integration of four pillars, the study found gaps with the practical implementation of the framework in particular the wellness management pillar which was the focus of the study, there was less emphasis on organisational wellness. The study concludes that the findings will contribute towards review of policy, framework and programme development. / XL2018

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, University of the Witwatersrand, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Management (in the field of Public and Development Management), 2016 / Every organisation has a good or bad culture. One of the key factors in stable institutions is culture within organisation which plays a critical role in organisational operations. Culture affects most aspects of the organisations' planned life, such as how decisions would be made, who would make them, how would people be treated and how the entity would respond to its environment. This research report examines the nature and extent of the organisational culture, and the link between the organisational culture, leadership and problem solving practices within the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA). The report presents with the assumptions and ideological influences contained in the public sector reform, which remained entrenched by its legacy systems. This study has revealed that there is a lack of congruence between the organisational culture, leadership and problem solving practices in the NPA. The observed incongruence may inhibit performance and unconsciously remain the barrier of the effectiveness of the reformed institutions. The study concludes that the organisational culture should be one of inclusiveness, participation in decision making, and acquisition of new knowledge and skills which is more aligned to the reformed state institutions expectations. It is recommended that all organisations should diagnose desired organisational culture in order to establish gaps between current and future organisational culture. / XL2018