Inaug.-Diss.--Heidelberg. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (doctoral)--Uppsala universitet, 1996. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 226-231).

Thesis--Hamburg. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. 420-436).

Proefschrift Universiteit Maastricht. / Met lit. opg. - Met samenvatting in het Engels.

In this dissertation a study was undertaken of the function of the public sector manager at the central level of government and of the role which the public manager plays in the human resources management. South Africa is a three-tier state, which consists of the central, provincial and local levels of government. The central government is the supreme body of government entrusted with the responsibility of making policies, rules and giving direction to the entire citizenry. The central government is manned by politicians from different political parties who have to decide on behalf of their electorates. It is a given fact and a reality that politicians alone cannot deliver the services to the communities. So public officials are appointed to implement the policies enacted by Parliament. Public managers have to interpret policies and give direction to the various structures of government. Among the activities of government, public managers have also to give direction as to the management of human resources in the public sector. This study investigated the function of the public manager at the central government with a reference to the management of human resources. This research was necessitated by the fact that since the new constitutional dispensation in South Africa, many changes have taken place most of which implied that the management of human resources in the public sector would have to reflect such changes. Public managers perform various functions, including generic administrative functions, auxiliary functions and functional activities. These functions are performed at senior management level. Furthermore, these functions performed by public managers will be viewed from the human resource management. Particular, attention is focused on the staffing in the public sector and how public managers can best perform their function in absorbing proper personnel in the public sector. AFRIKAANS : 'n Studie is onderneem om die funksie van die openbare sektor bestuurder op sentrale regeringsvlak te ondersoek asook die rol wat die openbare bestuurder speel in menslike hulpbronbestuur. Die verantwoordelikheid van die openbare sektor is om dienste te verskaf aan die landsburgers en om dit suksesvol te bereik meet die openbare sektor oor goed opgeleide personeel beskik. Ten einde personeel te kan bestuur behoort openbare bestuurders kennis te dra van die behoeftes, vrese en verwagtinge van die publiek. Een van die vernaamste funksies van die openbare bestuurder is om leiding te gee aan andere. Suid Afrika is 'n driedelige staat, wat bestaan uit die sentrale, provinsiale en plaaslike vlakke van regering. Die sentrale regering is die hoogste regeringsliggaam verantwoordelik vir beleidmaking, die daarsteling van reëls en om rigting te gee aan alle landsburgers. Die sentrale regering word gevorm deur politici van verskillende politieke partye wat namens hul ondersteuners besluite moet neem. Dit is 'n onomstootlike feit en werklikheid dat politici nie alleen die dienste aan die gemeenskap kan verskaf nie. Daarom word openbare amptenare aangestel om die beleid wat deur die Parlement aanvaar is, te implementeer. Openbare bestuurders moet beleid interpreteer en leiding gee binne die verskillende strukture van die regering. Die aktiwiteite van die regering bring mee dat openbare bestuurders leiding moet gee rakende die bestuur van menslike hulpbronne in die openbare sektor. Hierdie studie het die funksie van die openbare bestuurder in die sentrale regering ondersoek met verwysing na die bestuur van menslike hulpbronne. Die navorsing was genoodsaak deur die feit dat sedert die nuwe grondwetlike bedeling in Suid Afrika baie veranderinge plaasgevind het waarvan meeste impliseer dat die bestuur van menslike hulpbronne in die openbare sektor sodanige veranderinge sal reflekteer. Openbare bestuurders voer verskeie funksies uit insluitende generiese administratiewe funksies, hulpfunksies en funksionele aktiwiteite. Hierdie funksies word op senior bestuursvlak uitgevoer. Verder word hierdie funksies wat deur openbare bestuurders uitgevoer word beskou vanuit 'n menslike hulpbron oogpunt. Spesifieke aandag is gegee aan die personeel in die openbare sektor en hoe openbare bestuurders hulle funksies tot die beste van hul vermoë kan uitvoer deur bekwame personeel in diens te neem in die openbare sektor. Die studie toon aan dat daar tydens die transformasie van die Suid-Afrikaanse staatdiens politieke oorweging geskenk sal moet word aan die vervanging van wit persone met swartes, vrouens en gestremdes. In partypolitieke terme beteken dit geensins 'n balans tussen diegene wat die waardes van die ou orde aanhang en diegene wat die waardes van die nuwe orde bevorder nie. Die Grondwet van die Republiek van Suid-Afrika, 1996 volg 'n humanistiese benadering, wat beteken dat die armes, werkloses, verwaarloosde en wanhopige mense gehelp moet word wat in sigself nie 'n partypolitieke kwessie is nie. Verder toon internasionale onderving dat die radikale transformasie van grondwette dikwels vrees, onsekerheid en paniek onder inwoners veroorsaak. Hierdie gevoelens word dikwels op verskillende wyses deur verskillende gemeenskappe tot uiting gebring. S.A. is daarom geen uitsondering nie. Die vermoë van die staatsdiens om dienste te lewer sal nie net afhang van die politieke leierskap en bestuursvaardighede van die politieke ampsbekleders nie, maar ook van die professionalisme van staatsamptenare. Copyright / Dissertation (MAdmin)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / School of Public Management and Administration (SPMA) / Unrestricted

Learners at the public schools of North West Province in the Dr Kenneth Kaunda Education region, within the Matlosana Local municipality’s municipal area of jurisdiction, are exposed to unhygienic health hazard conditions due to insufficient toilet facilities used by a large number of learners and poor health conditions resulting out of it, which might cause and spread health related diseases to the users of these toilet facilities. The primary objective of this research was to investigate the nature and extent of the provisioning and maintenance of toilet facilities in the public schools within the Matlosana Local Municipality’s municipal area. A questionnaire was designed and distributed to obtain information from 57 respondents who comprised of the 3 schools principals who constituted 5% of the research population, 18 educators who constituted 32% and 36 learners who constituted 63%, all totalling 100% of the research sample size, at Are-Fadimeheng; Dominion Reefs and Nkagisang public schools. The findings revealed that the majority, which is 85% of the research population (learners and educators) as users of these facilities are affected and were generally unhappy about the prevailing conditions of the school toilet facilities. This they attribute to lack of proper budgeting as the main cause. The most aggravating factor is the absence of a janitor with plumbing skills to look after the schools’ toilet facilities. Findings highlighted that school learners and educators deserve as their human right to live under acceptable health conditions and clean environment. However it is the responsibility of the Government to expand the existing schools toilet structures which are in line with the National Building regulation ratio of 1:25 of users per toilet as recommended by Department of Water Affairs (DWA), to ensure health for all. The results of this study can assist the government to embark on strategic intervention programmes that can improve conditions of public schools toilet facilities in the North West Province, South Africa to meet the Millenium Development Goals (MDG) target in addressing sanitation backlogs by half in 2015. Conclusions for the study were drawn and recommendations were made for the improvement of conditions in the Public Schools Toilet facilities. / Thesis (M. Development and Management)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.

Learners at the public schools of North West Province in the Dr Kenneth Kaunda Education region, within the Matlosana Local municipality’s municipal area of jurisdiction, are exposed to unhygienic health hazard conditions due to insufficient toilet facilities used by a large number of learners and poor health conditions resulting out of it, which might cause and spread health related diseases to the users of these toilet facilities. The primary objective of this research was to investigate the nature and extent of the provisioning and maintenance of toilet facilities in the public schools within the Matlosana Local Municipality’s municipal area. A questionnaire was designed and distributed to obtain information from 57 respondents who comprised of the 3 schools principals who constituted 5% of the research population, 18 educators who constituted 32% and 36 learners who constituted 63%, all totalling 100% of the research sample size, at Are-Fadimeheng; Dominion Reefs and Nkagisang public schools. The findings revealed that the majority, which is 85% of the research population (learners and educators) as users of these facilities are affected and were generally unhappy about the prevailing conditions of the school toilet facilities. This they attribute to lack of proper budgeting as the main cause. The most aggravating factor is the absence of a janitor with plumbing skills to look after the schools’ toilet facilities. Findings highlighted that school learners and educators deserve as their human right to live under acceptable health conditions and clean environment. However it is the responsibility of the Government to expand the existing schools toilet structures which are in line with the National Building regulation ratio of 1:25 of users per toilet as recommended by Department of Water Affairs (DWA), to ensure health for all. The results of this study can assist the government to embark on strategic intervention programmes that can improve conditions of public schools toilet facilities in the North West Province, South Africa to meet the Millenium Development Goals (MDG) target in addressing sanitation backlogs by half in 2015. Conclusions for the study were drawn and recommendations were made for the improvement of conditions in the Public Schools Toilet facilities. / Thesis (M. Development and Management)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.

Cancer is a potentially life-threatening disease, which affects millions of people worldwide. It is multifaceted in nature and can lead to impairment in a person‟s physical, social and emotional functioning (Beatty, Oxlad, Koczwara, & Wade, 2008). Multidimensional treatment, with highly specialised professionals, equipment and services is thus needed for the effective treatment thereof (Mathews, West, & Buehler, 2009). Patients treated within the private and public healthcare sectors of South Africa have vastly differing treatment experiences. Only about 20% of the South African population has access to and can afford treatment within the private healthcare sector (Somdyala, Bradshaw, Gelderblom, & Parkin, 2010). While private sector patients have access to information, social workers and support groups, those in the public sector face life-threatening waiting times and a lack of empathy by public sector staff, weighed down by patient numbers and a lack of resources (Pillay 2002; Bateman, 2011). A study previously conducted by the researchers highlighted cancer patients‟ perceptions and experiences of treatment as being one of the most prominent themes influencing patients‟ overall cancer experience (Venter, Venter, Botha, & Strydom, 2008). This, coupled with the fact that the majority of research studies previously conducted in South Africa generally focused on the biomedical aspects of cancer (Albrecht, 2009), make exploring patients and healthcare professionals‟ perceptions and experiences of cancer treatment in a South African context potentially valuable. The thesis consists of three sub-studies reported in three manuscripts. The aim of the first article was to provide a narrative literature review exploring cancer survivorship and management in the South African context by scrutinising research previously conducted on cancer treatment. The aim of the second and the third article was to explore patients and healthcare professionals‟ perceptions and experiences of cancer treatment in the private and public healthcare sectors in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. A 100 participants were purposively sampled from a government-funded hospital (n = 30 patients; n = 22 healthcare professionals) and a private treatment facility (n = 30 patients; 18 healthcare professionals). Data was collected by making use of both qualitative (self-report questionnaire consisting of open-ended questions; interviews) and quantitative (Needs Evaluation Questionnaire) measures. A qualitative content and statistical analysis was conducted. Findings indicate that despite the expressed need for treatment to move towards a more biopsychosocial approach, the majority of the healthcare professionals in the current study are still primarily following a biomedical approach. Findings also indicate that the majority of the difficulties and frustrations experienced could be seen as being contextual problems and were not necessarily related to cancer treatment per se. Poor availability of resources and the South African population‟s diverse characteristics were responsible for the majority of the difficulties reported. Differing cultural beliefs, language barriers, illiteracy and unemployment were al seen as negatively influencing the treatment process. This is consistent with Serin et al. (2004), who reported that there is a significant relationship between the systemic nature of medical issues and the social, material and psychological difficulties cancer patients‟ experience. The systemic nature of healthcare needs highlighted in the current study emphasises the necessity for cancer treatment in South Africa to employ a more biopsychosocial approach. True collaboration between healthcare professionals working towards a common goal should thus be considered as being the ideal. Considering the socioeconomic divide and resource discrepancy between the private and public healthcare sectors in South Africa, credence must be given to the allocation of resources in the public sector. If this incongruity is to be addressed, there would have to be cooperation at government level. Assistance with regard to the allocation of funds, as well as the meticulous monitoring of the distribution thereof, is needed. Funding should be used to increase human and technical resources, as well as for staff development. Equitable care for all cancer patients, regardless of their socioeconomic status, is the ideal. The following recommendations on how to improve overall cancer care, in both sectors, can also be made: existing treatment sites need to be updated and additional sites developed; continuous research needs to be conducted; funds need to be allocated towards the development of effective transport and translation services; cultural diversity should be taken into account when developing awareness campaigns and treatment plans; healthcare professionals need to adopt a holistic approach during which attention is given to communication, establishing rapport and patient participation; and lastly healthcare professionals should also be encouraged to pay attention to their own healthcare needs as well. / PhD (Psychology), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

Cancer is a potentially life-threatening disease, which affects millions of people worldwide. It is multifaceted in nature and can lead to impairment in a person‟s physical, social and emotional functioning (Beatty, Oxlad, Koczwara, & Wade, 2008). Multidimensional treatment, with highly specialised professionals, equipment and services is thus needed for the effective treatment thereof (Mathews, West, & Buehler, 2009). Patients treated within the private and public healthcare sectors of South Africa have vastly differing treatment experiences. Only about 20% of the South African population has access to and can afford treatment within the private healthcare sector (Somdyala, Bradshaw, Gelderblom, & Parkin, 2010). While private sector patients have access to information, social workers and support groups, those in the public sector face life-threatening waiting times and a lack of empathy by public sector staff, weighed down by patient numbers and a lack of resources (Pillay 2002; Bateman, 2011). A study previously conducted by the researchers highlighted cancer patients‟ perceptions and experiences of treatment as being one of the most prominent themes influencing patients‟ overall cancer experience (Venter, Venter, Botha, & Strydom, 2008). This, coupled with the fact that the majority of research studies previously conducted in South Africa generally focused on the biomedical aspects of cancer (Albrecht, 2009), make exploring patients and healthcare professionals‟ perceptions and experiences of cancer treatment in a South African context potentially valuable. The thesis consists of three sub-studies reported in three manuscripts. The aim of the first article was to provide a narrative literature review exploring cancer survivorship and management in the South African context by scrutinising research previously conducted on cancer treatment. The aim of the second and the third article was to explore patients and healthcare professionals‟ perceptions and experiences of cancer treatment in the private and public healthcare sectors in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. A 100 participants were purposively sampled from a government-funded hospital (n = 30 patients; n = 22 healthcare professionals) and a private treatment facility (n = 30 patients; 18 healthcare professionals). Data was collected by making use of both qualitative (self-report questionnaire consisting of open-ended questions; interviews) and quantitative (Needs Evaluation Questionnaire) measures. A qualitative content and statistical analysis was conducted. Findings indicate that despite the expressed need for treatment to move towards a more biopsychosocial approach, the majority of the healthcare professionals in the current study are still primarily following a biomedical approach. Findings also indicate that the majority of the difficulties and frustrations experienced could be seen as being contextual problems and were not necessarily related to cancer treatment per se. Poor availability of resources and the South African population‟s diverse characteristics were responsible for the majority of the difficulties reported. Differing cultural beliefs, language barriers, illiteracy and unemployment were al seen as negatively influencing the treatment process. This is consistent with Serin et al. (2004), who reported that there is a significant relationship between the systemic nature of medical issues and the social, material and psychological difficulties cancer patients‟ experience. The systemic nature of healthcare needs highlighted in the current study emphasises the necessity for cancer treatment in South Africa to employ a more biopsychosocial approach. True collaboration between healthcare professionals working towards a common goal should thus be considered as being the ideal. Considering the socioeconomic divide and resource discrepancy between the private and public healthcare sectors in South Africa, credence must be given to the allocation of resources in the public sector. If this incongruity is to be addressed, there would have to be cooperation at government level. Assistance with regard to the allocation of funds, as well as the meticulous monitoring of the distribution thereof, is needed. Funding should be used to increase human and technical resources, as well as for staff development. Equitable care for all cancer patients, regardless of their socioeconomic status, is the ideal. The following recommendations on how to improve overall cancer care, in both sectors, can also be made: existing treatment sites need to be updated and additional sites developed; continuous research needs to be conducted; funds need to be allocated towards the development of effective transport and translation services; cultural diversity should be taken into account when developing awareness campaigns and treatment plans; healthcare professionals need to adopt a holistic approach during which attention is given to communication, establishing rapport and patient participation; and lastly healthcare professionals should also be encouraged to pay attention to their own healthcare needs as well. / PhD (Psychology), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

The phenomenon of the public policy process, which encapsulates the public policy implementation, has been in existence long before the political transformation that took place in South Africa in 1994. However, the ushering in of the new dispensation saw the integration of the existing public policies. In addition, it inevitably heralded the introduction of the new public policies and national guidelines across all sectors of the South African public institutions. Public policy implementation, as an integral stage of the public policy process, emerged as indispensable towards effective and efficient public service. The basic education, as a public institution, could also not be exempted from such inevitability of heightened public policy implementation. The introduction of the new education related public policies included the developmental appraisal system (DAS), the whole school evaluation (WSE), the integrated quality management systems (IQMS) and the discipline and safety national guidelines (DSNG). This, consequently, bears testament to what became an inevitable transformation process in South African basic education. Using the DAS, the WSE, the IQMS and the DSNG as points of departure and Empangeni education district as a reference area, the focus of this study has been the public policy process, the internal organisational arrangements and structures for public policy implementation, the public policy implementation process together with its inherent challenges and an improved model aimed at alleviating or even eradicating such public policy implementation challenges. The theoretical models, both descriptive and prescriptive, suggest that the public policy process, which entails namely: public policy agenda, public policy formulation, public policy adoption, public policy implementation and public policy evaluation, is premised on the public policy models. Of all the above-listed public policy process stages, public policy implementation stands out as the pinnacle around which the public policy process revolves. The public policy implementation stage, therefore, suggests a point where the influence, the impact and the successes or failures of the public policy process unfold. In light of this inextricable link of the public policy implementation stage to the general public policy process that is influenced by models, the effective public policy implementation is, subsequently, embracive of attributes and lessons derived from the public policy models. Some of these attributes and lessons, inter alia, include; the mutual participation by all actors involved, rather than dominance by an elite group (derived from the elite/mass model), the identification of institutional structures responsible for the public policy implementation (derived from the institutional model) and the accommodation of the implementation review as well as feedback (all indicative of the systems model). The literature review and the empirical data analyses show convergent views that suggest that the effective public policy implementation is directly proportional to the extent of internal organisational arrangements and structures as well as to the basic functionality of schools as centres for the implementation process. This implies that where internal institutional arrangements and structures are evident and functional, the implementation of public policies is bound to be effective and efficient, while the contrary also holds. Given Empangeni education district being the focal point of the study, it has emerged that the use of personnel from other units and the absence of a district unit designated to solely oversee the coordination, the implementation and the evaluation of the education related public policies, inhibit the potential of adequately achieving the intended objectives of the education related public policies implemented. In case of schools as the institutional centres for public policy implementation, empirical data analyses have established an inter-connection between the public policy implementation and the schools‟ basic functionality. Consequently, it is in functional schools (i.e. schools where the school management teams and school governing bodies are visible, effective and work collaboratively), where public policy implementation thrives and is effective. The contextualisation of the empirical research analyses to the study focus area, Empangeni Education District (EED), established that its current implementation model faces public policy implementation challenges. The most evident challenges, inter alia, include: * the inadequate advocacy of the education related public policies to be implemented; * the two or three days, currently accepted as a capacity building period by those expected to implement education related public policies, are not proportional to the volume of work to be covered and it suggests an inadequate time-frame for capacity development in the EED's current model; * the material and mechanisms used to perform functional work do not accommodate all role-players (also called actors in this study) according to their demographical needs, like language, which renders them inept to perform to their optimum level; * the primary structure of the current EED's public policy implementation model is a top-down directional structure which underscores the top-down cascading model; * current communication technology employed, do not take advantage of the 21 century‟s information computer technology in order to make the work environment more user-friendly, efficient and effective; * the simultaneous implementation of education related public policies poses a challenge to internal organisational arrangements, such as public policy implementation (PPI) structures and personnel, for effective implementation of such policies; and * the evident inadequate continuous and deliberate monitoring of implemented education related public policies. Conclusions and inferences drawn from this study suggest that the EED's current public policy implementation model is inadequate to deal with the identified challenges. Finally, this study proposes a strengthened EED public policy model, which accommodates recommendations to EED's public policy implementation challenges. Inherently, the proposed strengthened public policy implementation model is not limited to dealing with the identified challenges only, but it radically embraces the introduction of systems and internal organisational structures that promote inclusive, collaborative and traceable implementation of education related public policies. / PhD (Public Management and Governance), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014