Thesis (MTech (Information Technology))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2016. / The delivery of healthcare services should be of a high standard for everyone. For people in the location of Mantunzeleni this is not the case as there are still challenges that they go through in order to gain access to sufficient healthcare services. The location consists of four villages and the other nine which surround the four, in total this makes thirteen villages that are served by one clinic. These villages are divided by forest, rivers and mountains, people have to cross these and walk long distances to get to the clinic. Gaining access to basic healthcare services in rural areas has never been easy, hence this study seeks to understand the role telehealth could play to help improve the situation. It has been reported in the literature that telehealth has potential to address some of the problems experienced by healthcare service providers located in the rural areas. Research questions were posed to address the problem of limited access to healthcare services of under-served communities in rural areas. The study adopted an interpretive approach to understand how the people using healthcare services in the setting attach meaning to their experiences of the healthcare service. The study therefore seeks to understand how telehealth could improve healthcare service delivery through the participants’ views, perceptions and experiences. The research strategy for this study is a single case study without attempting to generalise the findings. Qualitative data was gathered using unstructured interviews, observations and co-design methods. The current state of telehealth and challenges of healthcare services in rural under-served communities was established through a review of relevant literature. It was important to actively involve the respondents in the research process for them to feel a sense of ownership. Data was analysed using a thematic analysis. The findings revealed the challenges currently hampering the delivery of healthcare in the research setting include poor infrastructure, high cost, the shortage of medical professionals, travelling distance, time management and lack of communication about the services. It was also revealed the role telehealth could play a role to improve access to healthcare and the findings indicate that the nurses feel that extending the healthcare service to include alternative access methods to health information, education and expertise could lead to a sense of appreciation, knowledge gain, dealing with distance problems and improved referrals, cost saving to improve healthcare service delivery.

Wireless technologies, such as Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) and Wireless Fidelity (WiFi), are making it easier to provide the much needed telecommunications infrastructure in marginalized areas worldwide. These technologies enable the rapid deployment of network services as well as their redistribution throughout these marginalized areas. The ability to bring Internet connectivity to previously underserviced and marginalized areas has the potential to leap-frog socio-economic development and improve participation in the global knowledge economy. This study investigated how wireless access technologies, such as WiMAX and WiFi, can be integrated and used to deliver ubiquitous distributed Internet connectivity with increased capillarity in rural areas. The research was undertaken within an ICT for Development (ICT4D) intervention called Siyakhula Living Lab (SLL) which is based in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. The research further eliminated the accessibility constraints associated with long distances and remoteness from the Digital Access Nodes (DANs) and provided increased penetration in the network in contrast to the traditional Telecentre model which has been used extensively in ICT4D interventions. This was achieved by deploying WiFi hotspots around the DANs and extending the existing SLL WiMAX backbone to increase the network footprint to neighboring communities. The technical result of the research has been the provision of increased capillarity on the network and service redistribution throughout the entire Dwesa community. Consequently, this has given local community members an opportunity to access network services easily and ubiquitously. Finally, the research investigated and presented the benefits of such wireless network deployment configurations on ICT4D activities in marginalized areas.

More than one billion people, almost one in six of the world's population, are now using GSM mobile phones. The situation in South Africa is no different from that in the rest of the world. The rise of mobile telephone usage in South Africa has been driven by a combination of factors such as demand, sector reform, the licensing of new competition, and the emergence of major strategic investors, such as Vodacom and MTN. It was estimated that by March 2005 there should be approximately 20 million cellular customers in South Africa. The growth in the South African cellular market is proportionate to the potential risks in an environment where organisations are continuously seeking ways of improving efficiency, cutting costs, and staying abreast of technological advances. Elements of risk control such as Safety, Health, and Environmental Management can no longer be left out of the equation while organisations in the GSM industry are considering increasing their networks to meet the demands of growth. Although risk assessments are not specifically defined in the Occupational Health and Safety Act (85 of 1993); Section 8 does, however, stipulate under the general duties of the employer that the employer must establish, as far as is reasonably practicable, which hazards to the health or safety of persons are attached to any work which is performed. This situation has changed with the promulgation of the Construction Regulations, GNR.1010 on 18 July 2003; which state that every contractor performing construction work shall, before the commencement of any construction work and during construction work, cause a risk assessment to be performed by a competent person appointed in writing, and that the risk assessment shall form part of the health and safety plan to be applied on the site. This requirement under the Construction Regulations will have a major impact on organisations in the GSM industry. Integrated Health, Safety and Environmental risk assessments have now become a prerequisite before considering any further expansion of the GSM network in South Africa. The relationship between the operational risk sub-disciplines of health, safety, and environmental management, as part of the risk-management function, has been established, and an operational risk-assessment model for the Global Systems Mobile Telecommunications industry in South Africa that measures occupational health, safety, and environmental management risks on an integrated basis has been developed. The risk assessment model for the South African GSM industry is based on assessing the frequency of an activity in relation to the impact on the organisation's business processes, incident/accident potential, financial impact, legal status, and the nature of ecological impact. / Business Management / D. Com. (Business Management)

The constitution of the Republic of South Africa has mandated government to keep in touch with the citizens, by regularly updating them on the services available for the improvement of their lives, and further to constantly report back on progress made in implementing government policies. In recent years, the country has been experiencing sporadic service delivery protests especially at the local sphere of government (municipal level). The aim of the study was therefore to examine the success of the communication and information system of the South African government in disseminating information to citizens. The area of the study was the Province of Mpumalanga which is one (1) of the nine (9) provinces constituting the Republic of South Africa. For the study, quantitative research method in the form of a survey was adopted, the hypothesis tested and the findings generalised. In creating a sample frame for the study, both probability and non-probability sampling techniques were adopted. The type of data collection instrument adopted was a structured questionnaire. Single-stage cluster sampling was adopted for heads of government communication whereas judgemental or purposive sampling technique was adopted for citizens. Data was analysed utilising data tabulation, descriptives, and data disaggregation quantitative data analysis procedures. The key findings of the study, amongst others, are: (a) That the current communication and information system being utilised by the South African government has an impact (it has improved communication with citizens); (b) That the citizens prefer government to communicate with them in their own indigenous languages (communicating in all eleven (11) official languages); (c) That the citizens prefer face-to-face communication; (d) That citizens would like to receive government messages via social media (given its immediacy and interactivity); and (e) That the low status of the communication function at the local government level denies communicators access to information to be communicated. Amongst others, the study recommends that (1) communication should be recognised as a strategic management function in all spheres of government; (2) the use of radio as the primary channel of information should be strengthened; (3) face-to-face communication with citizens should be strengthened; (4) information dissemination should be done in all eleven (11) official languages, including in Braille and sign-language; (5) social media and SMS notification should be included in the government communication policy as one of its official information dissemination channels. / Communication Science / M.A. (Communication)

The constitution of the Republic of South Africa has mandated government to keep in touch with the citizens, by regularly updating them on the services available for the improvement of their lives, and further to constantly report back on progress made in implementing government policies. In recent years, the country has been experiencing sporadic service delivery protests especially at the local sphere of government (municipal level). The aim of the study was therefore to examine the success of the communication and information system of the South African government in disseminating information to citizens. The area of the study was the Province of Mpumalanga which is one (1) of the nine (9) provinces constituting the Republic of South Africa. For the study, quantitative research method in the form of a survey was adopted, the hypothesis tested and the findings generalised. In creating a sample frame for the study, both probability and non-probability sampling techniques were adopted. The type of data collection instrument adopted was a structured questionnaire. Single-stage cluster sampling was adopted for heads of government communication whereas judgemental or purposive sampling technique was adopted for citizens. Data was analysed utilising data tabulation, descriptives, and data disaggregation quantitative data analysis procedures. The key findings of the study, amongst others, are: (a) That the current communication and information system being utilised by the South African government has an impact (it has improved communication with citizens); (b) That the citizens prefer government to communicate with them in their own indigenous languages (communicating in all eleven (11) official languages); (c) That the citizens prefer face-to-face communication; (d) That citizens would like to receive government messages via social media (given its immediacy and interactivity); and (e) That the low status of the communication function at the local government level denies communicators access to information to be communicated. Amongst others, the study recommends that (1) communication should be recognised as a strategic management function in all spheres of government; (2) the use of radio as the primary channel of information should be strengthened; (3) face-to-face communication with citizens should be strengthened; (4) information dissemination should be done in all eleven (11) official languages, including in Braille and sign-language; (5) social media and SMS notification should be included in the government communication policy as one of its official information dissemination channels. / Communication Science / M. A. (Communication)

More than one billion people, almost one in six of the world's population, are now using GSM mobile phones. The situation in South Africa is no different from that in the rest of the world. The rise of mobile telephone usage in South Africa has been driven by a combination of factors such as demand, sector reform, the licensing of new competition, and the emergence of major strategic investors, such as Vodacom and MTN. It was estimated that by March 2005 there should be approximately 20 million cellular customers in South Africa. The growth in the South African cellular market is proportionate to the potential risks in an environment where organisations are continuously seeking ways of improving efficiency, cutting costs, and staying abreast of technological advances. Elements of risk control such as Safety, Health, and Environmental Management can no longer be left out of the equation while organisations in the GSM industry are considering increasing their networks to meet the demands of growth. Although risk assessments are not specifically defined in the Occupational Health and Safety Act (85 of 1993); Section 8 does, however, stipulate under the general duties of the employer that the employer must establish, as far as is reasonably practicable, which hazards to the health or safety of persons are attached to any work which is performed. This situation has changed with the promulgation of the Construction Regulations, GNR.1010 on 18 July 2003; which state that every contractor performing construction work shall, before the commencement of any construction work and during construction work, cause a risk assessment to be performed by a competent person appointed in writing, and that the risk assessment shall form part of the health and safety plan to be applied on the site. This requirement under the Construction Regulations will have a major impact on organisations in the GSM industry. Integrated Health, Safety and Environmental risk assessments have now become a prerequisite before considering any further expansion of the GSM network in South Africa. The relationship between the operational risk sub-disciplines of health, safety, and environmental management, as part of the risk-management function, has been established, and an operational risk-assessment model for the Global Systems Mobile Telecommunications industry in South Africa that measures occupational health, safety, and environmental management risks on an integrated basis has been developed. The risk assessment model for the South African GSM industry is based on assessing the frequency of an activity in relation to the impact on the organisation's business processes, incident/accident potential, financial impact, legal status, and the nature of ecological impact. / Business Management / D. Com. (Business Management)

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) projects are being initiated and deployed in marginalized areas to help improve the standard of living for community members. This has lead to a new field, which is responsible for information processing and knowledge development in rural areas, called Information and Communication Technology for Development (ICT4D). An ICT4D projects has been implemented in a marginalized area called Dwesa; this is a rural area situated in the wild coast of the former homelandof Transkei, in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. In this rural community there are e-Service projects which have been developed and deployed to support the already existent ICT infrastructure. Some of these projects include the e-Commerce platform, e-Judiciary service, e-Health and e-Government portal. Although these projects are deployed in this area, community members face a language and literacy barrier because these services are typically accessed through English textual interfaces. This becomes a challenge because their language of communication is isiXhosa and some of the community members are illiterate. Most of the rural areas consist of illiterate people who cannot read and write isiXhosa but can only speak the language. This problem of illiteracy in rural areas affects both the youth and the elderly. This research seeks to design, develop and implement software modules that can be used to convert isiXhosa text into natural sounding isiXhosa speech. Such an application is called a Text-to-Speech (TTS) system. The main objective of this research is to improve ICT4D eServices’ usability through the development of an isiXhosa Text-to-Speech system. This research is undertaken within the context of Siyakhula Living Lab (SLL), an ICT4D intervention towards improving the lives of rural communities of South Africa in an attempt to bridge the digital divide. Thedeveloped TTS modules were subsequently tested to determine their applicability to improve eServices usability. The results show acceptable levels of usability as having produced audio utterances for the isiXhosa Text-To-Speech system for marginalized areas.

PhD (African Studies) / Department of African Studies / Vanhu vo tala va vile xiphemu lexi endleke leswaku ndzavisiso lowu wu humelela. Ndzi khensa nghamu na vana lava va ndzi hlohloteleke no ndzi seketela hi mianakanyo. Ndzi tata ku khensa eka vatswari lava va nga phuphu ya mina. Vamakwerhu lava a va ndzi khutaza eka gondzo leri a ri nga olovi, kambe va ri olovisa leswaku ndzi kota ku rhelela. Ndzi ri, xandla eka henhla xin’wana xandla! Eka wena mudzaberi wa thesisi leyi, Dokodela Chauke M.T, namuntlha ndzi dya mihandzu leyi u tikarhateke swinene hi ku chela manyoro u cheleta yi kala yi vupfa. U bile comana swikwembu swi kala swi huma kutani namuntlha ndzi thwasile hikuva nyongwa se ndzi yi khomile hi mavoko ya mina. Dokodela Babane M.T na wena u vile mupfuneti wa mudzaberi hi vutshembeki. Tatana Maluleke (Ngwenya) Tinyiko na vapfuneti va wena hi tlhelo ra ku thayipa xitsariwa lexi wa khensiwa. Hakunene u ngwenya. Sesi Kudakwashe Chirobe, nseketelo na mitirho ya wena eka vuhumelerisi bya thesisi leyi swi khenseka hi xiheri (Zvakanaka shamwari!). buti Respect Mlambo na wena sesi Kudakwashe migingiriko ya n’wina ya ku ya hala na hala ku tiyisisa leswaku xitsariwa lexi xi tixaxametisa na swilaveko swa xihofisi swi tswarile mihandzu leyinene. I vanyingi lava hoxeke xandla ehenhla ka ndzavisiso lowu, ndzi ba mandla ndzi vuyelela eka n’wina hinkwenu handle ko mi hlaya hi mavito. Ndzi tlangela ku humelerisiwa ka mafumelo ya xidemokirasi laha Afrika-Dzonga. Swi ta va swi nga hetisekangi eka mina ku va ndzi vulavula hi xidemokirasi xa Afrika-Dzonga loko vito ra Dokodela Rolihlahla Mandela ri nga boxiwangi. Hi un’wana wa tinghanakana ta valweri va ndzingandzingano wa tindzimi eka swin’wana swa swona. Ingi moya wa yena wu nga wisa hi kurhula swinene. Eku heteleleni, ndzi khensa Muvumbi tanihileswi masungulo ya vutlhari ku nga ku chava Yehovha. Hi yena loyi a ndzi tsetseleleke no ndzi hletela ku kondza ndzi gwaza. / NRF

The dawn of democracy in South Africa ushered an increasing need for government to interact with the citizens. This study assesses the use of the state of the province address (SOPA) as a communication platform to keep the citizens abreast of the government programmes and deliverables in Limpopo province, South Africa. SOPA is broadcasted mainly from the legislature whilst the communities can view the proceedings in identified public viewing areas. Since SOPA’s inception, there is limited academic studies conducted on the effectiveness of SOPA in general and public viewing areas in particular. To fill this paucity of research, this study reviewed the government communication strategy with specific reference to government communication and information systems (GCIS) which emphasises on the need for government to interact with stakeholders at all levels. Using communication effectiveness and stakeholder theories (also called Izimbizo), this study evaluated the planning process of SOPA and citizens’ views on the effectiveness of the public viewing areas. In-depth interviews and survey were conducted with campaign planners and Mokwakwaila citizens respectively. Data was analysed using thematic analysis for interviews and descriptive statistics for survey. This study found that the internal planning process of the campaign (SOPA) is accordingly linked to the strategic objectives of the province, but inadequate funding hinders the longevity of the campaign. It is also this study’s finding that whilst citizens found SOPA to be effective they however feel that government does not do enough to source feedback after the campaign. This study recommends that there could be an exploration of the new media utility to produce more awareness about the campaign in order to accommodate audience that do not use radio and newspapers. The implications on campaign planners is that they should conduct feedback to improve public participation in future government programmes / Communication Science / M.A. (Communication)