University of the Witwatersrand

Entrepreneurship and innovation in Africa: a resilience, institutional and informality conceptual convergence

Purpose This special issue (SI) puts into sharp focus prevailing conceptions of, and approaches to, research on African entrepreneurship and innovation. It signals a perceptual shift in research dominated by near-universal Western theories that are often singled out for their ins...

Bias in AI applications for audiology: cultural, linguistic and ethical considerations in Africa

Purpose To critically examine the sources and implications of bias in artificial intelligence (AI) applications for audiology in Africa, focussing on cultural, linguistic, technical and ethical dimensions, and their implications for equitable hearing healthcare delivery. Design/m...

The Impact of Donor Funding Disruptions Across the Paediatric HIV Care Cascade in Sub-Saharan Africa (2005–2025): A Scoping Review

Paediatric HIV outcomes in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) have significantly improved over the past two decades, largely due to donor-funded programmes that promote early infant diagnosis (EID), antiretroviral therapy (ART), and community-based service delivery. Despite these achieveme...

Emergency operation for penetrating thoracic non-cardiac injuries: A 10-year review at a major trauma centre in South Africa

Background and aims: Penetrating thoracic injury is relatively common and is encountered in most trauma centres in South Africa. This study focuses exclusively on patients who required acute operative intervention following penetrating thoracic trauma for a non-cardiac injury. Me...

Prevalence and clustering of major cardiovascular risk factors among community-dwelling older adults in rural Enugu State, Nigeria: a cross-sectional study

Abstract Background Cardiovascular disease and stroke remain leading causes of morbidity and mortality globally, with a disproportionate burden in low- and middle-income countries. Older adults in rural Nigerian communities may experience substantial cardiometabolic risk, yet loc...

Demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of men paying child maintenance in South Africa: a generalized estimating equation approach

Abstract Despite legal provisions that empower courts to enforce child maintenance payments in South Africa, many fathers do not consistently fulfil these obligations, shifting the burden of care to mothers and maternal relatives and limiting resources essential for children’s we...

Earning the right to ask: Corporate social marketing credibility as a necessary condition in fast fashion retail

Fast fashion retailers increasingly implement corporate social marketing (CSM) campaigns that encourage consumers to recycle clothing, reduce waste, and adopt more sustainable, responsible consumption practices. Yet their business models depend on the mass consumption these CSM c...

Effects of graphene nanoplatelets and carbon nanotubes on the mechanical–electrochemical performance and hydration evolution mechanisms of solid-waste-based cementitious structural electrodes

Abstract Building-integrated distributed energy storage offers a promising route toward energy self-sufficiency in buildings. In this study, industrial solid-waste-based composite structural electrodes were fabricated by incorporating graphene nanoplatelets (GNP) or carbon nanotu...

Development of a Self-administered Sexual Behavior Assessment Tool to Facilitate Self-reflection by Young Women in South Africa About HIV/STI Risk

Abstract Self-assessment of sexual behavior may empower adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) to reflect on HIV/STI risk and adopt prevention strategies. We developed a web-based sexual behavior self-assessment tool providing real-time feedback based on a numeric score and exam...

Exploring Healthcare Professionals’ Views on Effective Feeding Interventions for Mealtime Management in Autistic Children: A Delphi Study

Abstract Aim: This study aimed to identify consensus among healthcare professionals regarding feeding interventions and strategies for autistic children and to explore their experiences and perspectives on implementing these approaches in the South African context. Methods: An e-...

Evaluating System Reliability in South African Community Health Centres: A Quasi-Experimental Methodological Intervention

{ "background": "Community health centres are critical nodes in primary healthcare systems, yet robust methodologies for quantifying their operational reliability are lacking. This gap impedes evidence-based system strengthening and resource allocation.", "purpose and objectives"...

Evaluating System Reliability in South African Community Health Centres: A Quasi-Experimental Methodological Intervention

{ "background": "Community health centres are critical nodes in primary healthcare systems, yet robust methodologies for quantifying their operational reliability are lacking. This gap impedes evidence-based system strengthening and resource allocation.", "purpose and objectives"...

Reimagining quality assurance in African universities through UNESCO’s Futures of Education 2050: a critical policy analysis

Purpose This paper aims to examine how UNESCO’s Futures of Education 2050 vision can inform the transformation of quality assurance in selected African university systems. Design/methodology/approach It uses critical policy analysis and thematic document analysis to examine UNESC...

Geographical Provenance-Associated Differences in Lipophilic Phytochemical Fingerprints and Biological Activities of Peltophorum africanum from Two South African Collection Sites

Medicinal plants collected from different environments may yield chemically and biologically distinct preparations even when they share the same botanical identity. This study compared the lipophilic phytochemical profiles and in vitro antioxidant and antibacterial activities of...

Integrating Artificial Intelligence-Driven Principles in Enhancing Water Management: Assessing the Prospects and Challenges in Achieving Water Security in South Africa

Abstract Water management in South Africa is increasingly challenged by climate variability, ageing infrastructure, institutional fragmentation, and persistent inequalities in access to water resources. These factors have exposed limitations in conventional decision-making system...

Physics by Design: Additive Manufacturing for Reproducible Science

Additive manufacturing (AM) is usually framed as a production technology. We argue that it is more importantly a scientific instrument: the bundle of (script, STL, slicer profile, feedstock specification, printer family) can be made FAIR-aligned when archived with persistent iden...

Comparative cost analysis of community-based tuberculosis screening: Computer-Aided Detection (CAD) alone versus CAD with point-of-care C-reactive protein testing in South Africa and Lesotho

Community-based active case finding (ACF) for tuberculosis (TB) is recommended in high-burden settings, yet evidence on implementation costs from prospective programmatic data remains limited. We estimated and compared the costs of two community-based ACF screening approaches: Co...

Small Community Businesses in Slums: A Perspective on Kenyan Slum Networks

ABSTRACT Despite extensive research on networks, the relational dimensions and structures cocreated by small community businesses and cooperative societies through everyday entrepreneurship in slum neighborhoods remain undertheorized. Drawing upon 1166 small community businesses,...

Seasonal and interannual surface water variability in the Okavango River Basin using multi-satellite data and machine learning

Surface water resources in arid regions are increasingly vulnerable to climate variability and growing demand, which calls for accurate, timely, and spatially explicitly monitoring approaches. This study developed a machine learning-based framework for quantifying seasonal and in...

An evaluation of denecimig for bleeding prophylaxis in hemophilia A

Introduction Despite advances in factor VIII (FVIII) replacement and emicizumab prophylaxis, people with hemophilia A may experience breakthrough bleeding, progressive joint disease, treatment burden, and inhibitor-related limitations. Denecimig (Mim8) is a fully human, next-gene...