ResearchSpace

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Now showing 1 - 5 of 11

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Exploring quality management processes in freight wagon manufacturing in South Africa: a case study of a railway company.
(2026) Tenza, Mfaniseni William.; Kimazi, Mathew Kimweli.; Gamede, Vangeli Wiseman.
This study investigates the critical role of quality management processes within the wagon manufacturing sector, focusing on a major South African railway company's Engineering Division. This division, known for its responsibility over various aspects of rolling stock, was selected due to its history of crashes and mishaps, which have significantly impacted the company's reputation. In a competitive market marked by evolving demands and stringent regulations, ensuring high product quality is essential for sustained business growth and customer satisfaction. Using a comprehensive case study approach, this research delves into the company’s quality management strategies, challenges, and outcomes. The study involved in-depth interviews with 15 staff members, observations, and document analysis to explore how quality concerns, defects, and non-conformities are identified and addressed in the manufacturing process. The qualitative data, analysed through thematic analysis, revealed five key themes: inspection procedures; testing protocols; employee involvement; continuous improvement initiatives; and root cause analysis. These findings underscore the importance of lean manufacturing and Kaizen events in maintaining high-quality standards and highlight the structured approach to root cause analysis and corrective actions for preventing quality issues. Furthermore, the study emphasises the integration of quality into all business processes, from design to production, ensuring adherence to industry standards like ISO 9001 and AAR M-1003. The research concludes with recommendations to leverage advanced manufacturing technologies and foster supplier collaboration to further enhance quality and operational efficiency.
Exploring the experiences and coping practices of home-based caregivers treating persons diagnosed with mental illness in Clermont township, KwaZulu-Natal.
(2025) Simelane, Londiwe Jabulile.; Nzuza, Nokwanda Yoliswa.
This study explored the experiences and coping strategies of home-based caregivers in Clermont Township, KwaZulu-Natal, who care for relatives living with mental illness. Guided by an interpretivist phenomenological design, the research examined how caregivers construct meaning around their caregiving roles. Data were generated through in-depth interviews, participant observations, and group discussions with 20 caregivers, and analysed inductively using thematic analysis. The study was informed by Social Constructionism, Feminist Theory, Social Identity Theory, and medical anthropology, which together helped illuminate how caregiving is shaped by cultural norms, gendered labour, relational identity, and local interpretations of illness. Caregivers reported exhaustion, fear, stigma, strained relationships, and disruptions to household roles. Despite these challenges, they demonstrated resilience through prayer and spiritual rituals, peer support, acceptance, distraction, routinised care practices, and the combined use of biomedical and traditional healing systems. Structural constraints such as unemployment, gendered expectations, limited social support, and fragmented mental healthcare intensified caregiver burden. Yet many caregivers also described pride, identity reinforcement, and personal growth arising from their caregiving responsibilities. This study contributes to the understanding of community-based mental health care in South Africa by foregrounding the often-invisible labour of township caregivers. It highlights the need for culturally responsive psychosocial support, improved integration between formal and informal care systems, caregiver training, and policies that recognise and support home-based mental health caregiving.
Exploring the availability, accessibility, and utilization of isiZulu academic resources at the University of KwaZulu-Natal.
(2025) Mawela, Mfundo Lwazi.; Neni, Buyani Gift.; Naidoo, Shamila.
The elevation of the South African indigenous languages encouraged universities to implement language policies. At the University of KwaZulu-Natal, a bilingual language policy was developed in 2006. It sought to advance the isiZulu language into an academic language. Numerous studies have investigated the development of language policy and explored the attitudes of staff and students towards it. The current study takes a different direction. It explores the availability, accessibility, and utilization of academic information written in isiZulu at the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s libraries. The study employed a mixed-methods approach. The qualitative component consisted of semi-structured interviews with subject librarians, while the quantitative component involved distributing an online questionnaire to a cohort of first-language (L1) isiZulu-speaking students. Qualitative data was analyzed thematically, and quantitative data was analyzed statistically. The two groups of informants in this study, librarians and students, provided critical insights into the availability, accessibility, and utilization of isiZulu resources. The librarians highlighted cataloguing challenges and the lukewarm attitude of students towards the utilization of isiZulu resources. Students, on the other hand, supported the call to have more academic resources available in isiZulu, explaining that much of what was available was outdated. Furthermore, students recognized that resources in isiZulu did not extend to all subjects, for example, Psychology. Carol Kuhlthau’s (1991) Information Search Process (ISP) informed the theoretical framework of this study. The results indicated that the University of KwaZulu-Natal students’ experiences of information search align with the stages of the model. The year 2026 marks two decades since the implementation of the UKZN bilingual language policy. This study revealed that the database of resources available to students in their native language needs to be expanded as a matter of priority.
Dynamic of procurement processes and application: the case of the University of KwaZulu-Natal.
(2026) Nxumalo, Precious Nosipho.; Kimazi, Mathew Kimweli.; Gamede, Vangeli Wiseman.
Public procurement in South Africa is constitutionally mandated under Section 217 of the 1996 Constitution, which stipulates that procurement processes must be conducted in a fair, equitable, transparent, competitive, and cost-effective manner. Although higher education institutions (HEIs) operate with institutional autonomy, their significant reliance on public funding subjects them to these constitutional provisions. Persistent non-compliance with procurement regulations and inefficiencies in service delivery, however, remain critical challenges in the South African context. This study investigates the extent to which universities comply with constitutional requirements and adopt procurement best practices that have been shown to enhance efficiency, reduce waste, optimize supplier relationships, and contribute to institutional sustainability. Procurement best practices are conceptualized as standardized approaches that support strategic spend management and supplier base optimization, thereby advancing long-term value creation. Employing a qualitative, exploratory, and descriptive design, the research was conducted in two phases: a review of relevant literature and an empirical investigation. Data was collected through virtual interviews with procurement staff at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, selected for their expertise in institutional procurement processes. Data saturation was achieved with seven participants. Findings highlight ambiguities within the constitutional framework, particularly the lack of alignment between Section 217 and Section 239 regarding the definition and scope of organs of state. While HEIs are not explicitly classified as organs of state, principles of good governance necessitate compliance with procurement regulations. The study further reveals that existing regulatory frameworks, both locally and globally, provide structural guidance but lack interpretive flexibility, rendering them inadequate for complex and time-sensitive procurement within universities. The study concludes that the effectiveness of procurement in HEIs depends on the integration of digital platforms, continuous capacity development, periodic policy review, and rigorous compliance mechanisms. Such measures are essential to advancing accountability, enhancing supplier performance, and supporting sustainable higher education development.
Stakeholders’ perspectives on the multiple pressures that affect tourism and hospitality businesses in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal.
(2025) Jele, Celumusa Lindelwa.; Gumede, Mabuyi.
The purpose of the study is to explore multiple pressures that affect tourism and hospitality businesses in Durban. This study also aims to offer advice to affected business in order to improve their performances. The research problem for the current study is that many employees in the tourism and hospitality industry in Durban lack specialised knowledge and necessary skills required for identifying and solving problems and formulating and interpreting policies. The study adopted a mixed methods sequential explanatory research design. Exactly 440 respondents participated in this study. The data collection process involved a questionnaire survey and semi-structured interviews. Data analysis of this study followed a thematic approach. This study is underpinned by the stakeholder theory. Major findings of this study are as follow: (a) too many employees in the tourism and hospitality businesses are unqualified; (b) deteriorating security issues; (c) worsening housekeeping issues; and (d) costly operational issues. Additional findings of this study are such that existing structures, which are meant to solve multiple challenges that affect tourism and hospitality businesses are not well coordinated, hence, employees receive conflicting messages, and this results in the duplication and multiplication of multiple pressures. A key recommendation of this study is that employees in the tourism and hospitality businesses in Durban must be equipped with the necessary skills, abilities and knowledge needed for solving multiple pressures that affect the delivery of services in the industry. In the wake of ever-demanding guests who make demands on tourism and hospitality businesses to improve services and satisfy their expectations, there is a great need for consistent refresher courses, which are designed to support employees, businesses and clients. Further research must be conducted into the role and impact of ever-demanding guests who make demands on tourism and hospitality businesses in Durban.