In the year 2021, the world was exposed to and is still facing a health pandemic, the Covid-19 pandemic. The modes of learning and teaching had to adapt to the unexpected challenges and multiple demands on education because of the turbulent waters of Covid-19. The situation remains fluid as there is an international and national escalation of the infection rates and as lockdown restrictions are lifted, institutions of higher education are having to re-shape and adapt the rigid learning and teaching approaches to be more flexible and provide solutions to these challenges. This article reports on the transformation of learning and teaching practices in higher education institutions in South Africa during the Covid-19 pandemic. The purpose of this article is to reflect on how the Covid-19 pandemic has changed the modes of learning and teaching, despite several challenges that are still prevalent in these spaces. The article employs a qualitative research methodology approach and uses desktop research as a data collection tool. The findings revealed that the learning and teaching spaces are evolving to adapt to the circumstances, irrespective of the challenges, as it is an ongoing transformative environment that should ensure that these challenges are not exacerbated.

Background: The purpose of this study is to assess the impact of digital technologies on local government service delivery with a focus on digitalisation and the digital revolution, in the wake of a global digital revolution which is transforming many countries across the globe. Aim: To understand the potential benefits and challenges of digital transformation in local government. Methods: The qualitative research methods are employed for this study, primarily through the application of systematic literature review as well as secondary data analysis. The secondary data were collected and assessed to examine e-governance initiatives. The study used Google Scholar, ISI, ProQuest and Scopus search engines to locate these studies using keywords such as e-government, local government, service delivery and digital transformation. Results: The findings of this study reveal that the digital transformation in local government provides greater accessibility to local government, improved service delivery and the improvement of overall citizen participation in South African municipalities. Conclusion: This study concludes that digital transformation presents chances to enhance service provision and good governance. However, achieving this will require addressing challenges related to the adoption of digital technology in local government. Therefore, local government must invest in infrastructure and the development of digital skills. Contribution: This article has the potential to add to theory, policy and practice in terms of e-government and digital technologies in local government in the South African context.

Background: Public–private partnerships (PPPs) have emerged as a new form of supply in an effort to improve the standard and value for finances of infrastructure as well as government services. However, the implementation of the Skills Development Goals through PPPs is hampered by a number of issues, including political and regulatory risks, a lack of capacity and expertise and dearth of trust and partnership. Aim: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of PPPs in achieving local government sustainable development. Setting: The setting of this article is in the local government municipalities. Methods: Qualitative research methods are employed for this study, primarily through the application of desktop research as well as secondary data analysis. The research critically reviewed studies, literature and online information between 2010 and 2023. The study used Google Scholar, ISI, ProQuest and Scopus search engines to locate these studies using key words such as PPPs, sustainable development goals (SDGs) and local government. Results: The findings of the study show that PPPs have been identified as a potential tool for achieving local government sustainable development. However, a major obstacle to the successful implementation of PPPs is the lack of trust and cooperation between public and private players. Conclusion: The study concludes that PPPs have the potential for SDGs but require trust and cooperation for successful implementation. Contribution: This article focused on providing an overview of how PPPs might assist local governments in meeting their goals for sustainable development.

Background: The power disparity between traditional leaders and councillors is a source of concern for the local government’s developmental focus, as the municipality and traditional leaders do not always agree, even though the service delivery is sorely needed by the people they serve. Although many scholars have written about the roles of traditional leaders and municipal councillors, the critical question that remains unanswered is how their relationship works in terms of service delivery.Aim: This article theoretically investigates the relationship between traditional leaders and municipal councillors and its adverse impacts on rural development.Setting: South African municipalities.Methods: The methodology for this article is a literature review guided by a hermeneutic framework. This article adopted a hermeneutic framework to integrate the analysis and interpretation of information collected from the literature.Results: The power dynamic between traditional leaders and elected councillors has surfaced as a source of concern, as it has the potential to delay and block development.Conclusion: The article concludes that all local government stakeholders must work to strengthen the relationship between traditional leaders and municipal councillors.Contribution: This article has the potential to add to theory, policy and practice in terms of strategies to address the relationship between traditional leaders and municipal councillors in local government.

Policy integration has emerged as a crucial concept in governance and policy literature to address and mitigate complex problems, which is also applicable in the South African context. However, the majority of existing literature on policy integration focuses on government-centred approaches, such as organizational and institutional or actor-based approaches, with limited attention to governance approaches, also referred to as policy product (content) integration, despite its significance for policy effectiveness. South African scholarship exhibits a similar trend, with minimal studies focusing on policy integration, and even fewer on policy content. Methodologically, this paper adopts a conceptual approach, drawing upon policy design literature and focusing on emerging methods for studying policy content to derive potential insights for theoretical adaptation and application of policy integration. This study identifies and proposes change in the level of analysis to explore new aspects of policy integration by introducing a new theoretical lens of policy design content as the analytical locus. By extending the focus of policy design-as-content to the analysis of policy integration, this study suggests methods to examine policy content as an abstractable unit of analysis to map the interactions between policies and construct policy landscapes for describing, analysing, and diagnosing policy product integration and its impact on policy coordination, governance arrangements, and policy performance. This paper presents theoretical and practical implications for policy and governance, including the potential for policy makers to iteratively evaluate new policies to the existing policy landscape in the policy integration process for optimal integration, along with promising avenues for future research.

Background: The quality of teaching and learning (T&L) has been a concern in South Africa and has received attention from global players such as the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the agenda of the Education for All (EFA) policy. In South Africa, quality teaching and learning (QTL) in secondary schools remains low and compromised despite the implementation of the EFA policy and the use of education development officers (EDOs). Aim: The study sought to investigate the effectiveness of EDOs in promoting QTL at selected schools in the King Williams Town (KWT) district. Setting: The units of analysis are selected schools in the KWT district in the Eastern Cape province, South Africa. Methods: The study employed an interpretivism paradigm with a case study design and a qualitative approach to investigate the role of Education Development Officers (EDOs) in supporting QTL in selected secondary schools in the King Williams Town (KWT) District, while the data was interpreted thematically from the ten participants. Results: Education development officers play a critical role in enabling School Management Teams in South Africa to achieve high-QTL. However, EDOs face a number of challenges such as a lack of human and material resources, teacher resistance, extracurricular activities, student and teacher absenteeism, programme alignment, and work overload. Conclusion: The major conclusion of the study indicates that the challenges faced by EDOs can be overcome by employing four main strategies: stakeholder engagement, leadership, monitoring and evaluation, and training. Contribution: This article has the potential to contribute to theory, concept, policy, and practice regarding the promotion of QTL in schools.