Research Publications (Accounting and Informatics)

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/10321/212

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Integrated reporting in Sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review of outcomes, constraints and impacts
(2025-10-10) Abbana, Sharanam; Marimuthu, Ferina; Maama, Haruna
Integrated Reporting (IR) integrates financial and non-financial information to provide a holistic account of how organisations create and sustain value. While the International IR Framework provided a global reference point in 2013, IR in practice has evolved more broadly, encompassing diverse sustainability and governance disclosures beyond any single framework. Since its emergence, IR has attracted growing international attention, yet its adoption and effectiveness across Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) remain limited and uneven. This paper conducts a systematic literature review (SLR) of 40 peer-reviewed studies published between 2015 and 2024, guided by PRISMA guidelines, to synthesise evidence on the outcomes, constraints, drivers, and impacts of IR, with an emphasis on SSA. The review addresses four research questions linked to testable hypotheses. Evidence supports that IR enhances strategic outcomes such as transparency, trust, and legitimacy (RQ1/H1), but constraints including symbolic adoption, weak assurance, and fragmented regulation undermine its consistency (RQ2/H2 not supported). Adoption and quality are influenced by both internal capabilities and external pressures (RQ3/H3 partially supported) yet operate inconsistently across contexts. Organisational impacts (RQ4/H4) are mixed: while IR can improve valuation and capital access, outcomes are highly contingent on governance quality, assurance credibility, and institutional maturity. The findings highlight persistent spatial, methodological, and theoretical gaps, underscoring the need for context-sensitive approaches to IR in SSA. This study contributes to theory, practice, and policy by clarifying when, why, and for whom IR delivers meaningful outcomes in emerging markets.
Integrating a digital pedagogy approach into online teaching : are academic librarians at Universities of Technology in South Africa prepared?
(Emerald, 2025-2-24) Omarsaib, Mousin
Purpose This paper aims to explore whether academic librarians at the Universities of Technology (UoTs) in South Africa have the pedagogy and digital skills to implement a digital pedagogy approach for online teaching. Design/methodology/approach A mixed-method approach in the form of a sequential explanatory design was selected to explore the topic in which the quantitative was followed by the qualitative phase. Instruments used included an online questionnaire and semi-structured interviews to explore the pedagogy and digital skills of academic librarians at UoTs in South Africa. Findings The quantitative results and findings revealed that academic librarians lacked the pedagogy and digital skills for online teaching. Similarly, results and findings in the qualitative phase also showed academic librarians lacking these skills for online teaching. Consequently, the results and findings derived from both phases were triangulated and the cohesive nature of the data was absolute. Research limitations/implications (i) Library schools include an elective module covering pedagogy and teaching with technology for librarians; (ii) library professional bodies create opportunities for academic librarians to develop pedagogy and digital skills; and (iii) higher education libraries need to create knowledge-sharing opportunities to improve the pedagogy and digital skills of academic librarians with teaching portfolios. Practical implications Higher education libraries and library schools must promote the teaching identity of academic librarians by helping them improve their pedagogical and digital skills for online teaching. Social implications This topic requires further exploration as academic librarians are fast becoming integrated into the teaching and learning agenda of institutions globally. Originality/value The current study is novel in that it explores the pedagogical and digital skills of academic librarians at UoTs in South Africa for online teaching.
Exploring the integration of indigenous languages into teaching and learning practices at primary schools in South Africa
(Informa UK Limited, 2025-1-1) Omarsaib, Mousin; Matumba, Muvhulawa Romeo; Badenhorst, Patricia; Mohamed, Ghulam Masudh
This systematic literature review explores the integration of indigenous languages (ILs) into teaching and learning practices at primary schools in South Africa. The authors examine the current state and preparedness of teachers in integrating ILs to enhance learning. The PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines were followed to ensure transparency when reporting on the systematic review. Findings suggest that the use of ILs in education stimulates cognitive development, strengthens cultural identity and a sense of belonging, and improves academic performance among learners. Challenges such as insufficient teacher training, a lack of instructional materials and limited policy support hinder effective implementation. The review recommends comprehensive teacher training programmes, the development of culturally relevant educational materials, and robust policy frameworks to support the sustainable integration of ILs in primary education. The authors conclude that future research should explore the implementation of language policies and teaching practices using ILs in South Africa.
Evaluation and comparison of machine learning algorithms for effective image classification with fault-tolerance
(Advances in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, 2024) Dyubele, Sithembiso; Cele, Noxolo Pretty; Mbangata, Lubabalo; Monyeki, Phirime
Image classification is critical in computer vision, with numerous applications ranging from e-commerce to medical imaging. This study provides a comprehensive evaluation of traditional machine learning algorithms for image classification, implementing and analysing novel fault tolerance mechanisms amongst these algorithms. The authors compared the performance of K-Nearest Neighbors (KNN), Decision Trees, Random Forest, and XGBoost on both Fashion MNIST and CIFAR-10 datasets. The comparison was extended to include Support Vector Machine (SVM), Logistic Regression, and Naive Bayes classifiers in order to expand the evaluation of these models on the indicated datasets. Key findings demonstrated the superiority of ensemble methods, particularly XGBoost, which achieved 89.31% of accuracy on Fashion MNIST and 54.93% on CIFAR-10, consistently outperforming other models across various configurations. Random Forest exhibited robust performance as the secondbest model, reaching 87.42% and 51.64% of accuracy on the respective datasets. The significant performance gap between datasets demonstrated the challenges that traditional machine learning models face with complex image data. Implementing the fault tolerance framework in this study has also shown a remarkable effectiveness, achieved a 94.6% recovery rate while maintaining model accuracy within 0.1% of standard implementations. This was achieved with minimal computational overhead (2.3% of training time and 1.8% of memory usage), making it highly practical for production deployments. The system significantly reduced operational failures, decreasing crashes from 5.2 to 0.3 per day and increasing average uptime from 4.3 to 12.0 hours. The study also reveals important insights regarding model scalability and resource requirements, with memory usage varying significantly across models (325MB to 8,923MB). These findings provide valuable guidance for practitioners in selecting and implementing machine learning models for image classification tasks, particularly in scenarios where both performance and system reliability are critical. This research contributes to the field by demonstrating the feasibility of implementing robust fault tolerance in machine learning systems without compromising accuracy while also providing comprehensive performance comparisons across different model architectures and dataset complexities. The developed framework serves as a foundation for building more reliable machine-learning systems for real-world applications.
Bridging the gap between accounting theory and practice : a South African perspective
(CJEAS Ltd, 2024-8-30) Khumalo, Thembelihle; Mvunabandi, Jean Damascene; Chonco, Celumusa Makepeace
The traditional accounting teaching methods have struggled to prepare accountants for evolving demands of the industry as instances of misconduct by accountancy professionals have been reported from and outside South Africa. The aim of this study was to examine coexistence of accounting theory and practice and the complicated interplay between the theoretical accounting principles and practical implementation in the rapidly evolving and technologically driven digital accounting world. Scoping review of literature methodological framework was employed to examine a wide range of academic sources, which provided a solid foundation for the analysis. The findings shed light on several key factors that influence the alignment of accounting theory and practice, including regulatory compliance, educational reform, technological literacy, cultural sensitivity, socio-economic challenges, and ethical behaviour. The discussion addressed the multiple challenges faced by companies, accounting professionals and regulators and provided valuable insights to bridge the gap between theory and practice. The study suggests a paradigm shift in accounting students' thinking, promoting holistic practices and collaboration between accountants and academia for robust experiential learning and industry-relevant training. This study impacts on various stakeholders within the accounting profession, regulators, and South African companies.
Transforming internal auditing : harnessing retrieval-augmented generation technology
(The Science and Information Organization, 2025-1-1) Stumke, Olive; Ndlovu, Fanie
The advent of cloud-based Generative AI models, such as ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and Claude, has created new opportunities for improving education through real-time, adaptive learning experiences. Despite their widespread use globally, their application in South African higher education remains limited and underexplored, resulting in an application gap. This paper, as Phase 1 of a larger project, addresses this gap by focusing on the development of a Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) web application designed to enhance Internal Auditing education at the Durban University of Technology. This is achieved by integrating three powerful Generative AI models—OpenAI GPT-4o-mini, Google Gemini-1.5-flash, and Anthropic Claude-3-haiku—into a single educational platform that will enable lecturers to manage and augment lecture materials while allowing students to access personalized, AI-generated content. This paper presents the design considerations, architecture, and integration techniques employed in the development of the RAG web application, offering insights into the potential of adaptive learning, personalized learning, and AI-driven tutoring in South Africa’s educational landscape. This paper demonstrates how a RAG web application can provide the building blocks for future Generative AI applications that could enhance teaching and learning with minimal effort from lecturers and learners in the South African context.
An ERP implementation case study in the BRICs country South African BRICS South Africa economic tourism economic sector
(Cerebration Science Publishing, 2025-1-6) Aroba, Oluwasegun Julius; Rudolph, Michael; IJCISIM, Editorial Office
South Africa is one of the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) nations that is changing the area of BRICS South Africa's economic in tourism. The current theory holds that demand for BRICS South Africa economic tourism initially rises, but then declines once a certain level of corruption reaches a certain threshold. As means of computerized data storage helps management with a complete vision for their performance. In this paper, the analysis of fake travel agent sites shows that the B&B businesses in Soweto and Durban are experiencing huge glitches. They also have a slow booking process because they use only cell phone calls and walk-ins for bookings, which results in slow business growth and unorganized transactions. This journal will focus on how to implement ERP to address these problems faced by this B&B, short stay, or rather provide a set of propositions on the designed website. Nevertheless, the centralized management of information from ERP can have a huge impact on the company's services. The study concludes that it is very important for travelers to have an online website to prevent being scammed online and always make sure travelers are safe and carried to their destinations without problems.
The impact of COVID-19 on the financial performance of insurance companies in South Africa
(Prasetiya Mulya Publishing, 2025-4-25) Zungu, Sphesihle Charles; Maama, Haruna; Mvunabandi, Jean Damascene
The research aims to examine the influence of the Covid-19 pandemic on the financial performance of insurance companies in South Africa. The research sample comprises 37 insurance companies that are duly registered with the Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA). The research used a descriptive analytical technique, focusing on quantitative and numerical data from annual financial reports published by insurance companies. The data was used to assess financial performance indicators over a time period of six consecutive years (2017–2022). The study indicated that Covid-19 had diverse impact on the financial performance of insurance companies. The study demonstrates a positive and statistically significant correlation between COVID-19 and ROA. This conclusion indicates that, despite the obstacles posed by the pandemic, several insurance companies adeptly managed their assets to maintain profitability. Conversely, the findings demonstrate a negative correlation between COVID-19 and ROE, underscoring the strain on equity returns.
The role of financial literacy in improving the level of financial knowledge, financial skills and responsibilities among non-government organisations financial managers in KwaZulu-Natal
(Fundatia Institutul de Studii Financiare, 2024-11-5) Mvunabandi, Jean Damascene
The lack of empirical evidence on key drivers of financial illiteracy among financial managers within non-governmental organisations (NGOs) sector can be the trigger of the current rate of NGOs collapsing in South Africa. Using a quantitative research strategy, this study investigated the role of financial literacy in improving the level of financial knowledge, financial skills and financial responsibility among 53 NGOs finance staff who were purposively and conveniently sampled. The respondents comprise financial managers, accountants, and senior managers and project managers. Data generated were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The results of the study revealed that all the independent variables of the study correlated between .247 and .569. The findings of the study revealed that the ability to prepare a strategic business plan and the respondents’ capability to cope with their organisations’ financial shortfalls have a positive and significant relationship with their level of financial literacy. The study further found that (1) dealing with financial diversification (2) comparing their organisations’ financial performance against the financial objectives (3) writing financial objectives and (4) their ability to raise funds from different funders for their organisations have a positive and significant influence with their financial literacy. This article is the first to explore the financial literacy status among NGOs financial managers in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN). Relying on these empirical findings for the financial literacy variables. This study will fill a gap in understanding the variables identified that drive the financial literacy of NGOs financial managers. These findings will help NGOs financial managers to choose the financial literacy practices model to improve their financial knowledge, skills and responsibilities and eventually enhance the financial viability and sustainability of their entities. This study contributes to the current body of knowledge and further offer insight into constructs for measures of financial literacy among NGOs context.
A bibliometric analysis review: the emerging technology of artificial intelligence for non-bio inspired and bio-inspired algorithm of wireless sensor network from 2005–2022
(Machine Intelligence Research Labs (MIR Labs), 2025-02-26) Aroba, Oluwasegun Julius; Rudolph, Michael; Adeliyi, Timothy; Nalindren, Niacker; Ramchander, Manduth; Karodia, Khadija; Gupthar, Karodia; Bugwandin, Vinay
Rapid developments in technology, business, and social norms have been observed in the twenty-first century. The fourth industrial revolution has been brought about by most industries moving toward automation and reducing human intervention. Wireless sensor networks are incredibly important to the fourth industrial revolution since they help with modernization. WSNs are networks of sensor and routing nodes that can be integrated into a variety of control systems, such as those used for home automation, electric-power automation, and environmental monitoring. A key problem that typically afflicts wireless sensor networks is node localization (WSNs). As a result, several algorithms, to ameliorate the challenges WSNs confront, both bio-inspired and non-bio-inspired solutions have been presented. From 2005 through 2022, the Scopus database was searched for publications. WSNs are used in published research paper statistical analysis, Microsoft Excel 365, VOSviewer, RStudio, and Biblioshiny packages were used. For this seventeen-year study period, a total of 36,377 published documents were in the Scopus database. 765 papers in all were examined following the implementation of the exclusion criteria. This study highlights the global research production of bio-inspired and non-bioinspired algorithms in wireless sensor networks, together with their status and tendencies. It can assist IoT and wireless sensor network researchers in gaining a thorough understanding of the most advanced algorithms in this area
An ERP implementation case study in the South African retail sector
(2023-01-01) Aroba, Oluwasegun Julius; Chinsamy, Kameshni K.; Makwakwa, Tsepo. G.
The enterprise resource planning (ERP) is an ever-growing software used globally and in all sectors of business to increase productivity and efficiency, however, the south African market does not show any symptoms that it needs such facilities as we tangle the whys and how’s on this case study. We use previous studies from the literatures that show an ever-thriving sector such as the South African retail can continue to thrive in the absence of ERP and remain relevant and the biggest market contributors as they have been for the past decades. We focus our sources from year 2020 to 2022 to further influence our case to openly clarify the question of the implementation of ERP system. Our studies settle the unanswered question of the implement ability of an ERP system in the retail sector by exploring both functioning and failed installations and how those were resolved, the effectiveness, efficiency and productivity in the absence and presence of ERP system in place in similar economies such as the South African retail sector, both in the past and present times. The south African retail sector has adopted expensive and difficult to maintain ERP systems, which has a drastic increased improvement in the productivity together with the risks of failure. Such risks were witnessed with Shoprite closing doors in Botswana, Nigeria, and Namibia, this has been proof in failure of expensive and fully paid enterprise resource planning that still failed in more than one country. Our solutions consist of methodology contributed an easy to implement solutions to the retail sectors and can be adapted for different purpose, the integration between large retailers and our system would save millions, time and resources.
Developing a data lakehouse for a South African government-sector training authority : implementing quality control for incremental extract-load-transform pipelines in the ingestion layer
(IGI Global, 2024-12) Govender, Priyanka; Naicker, Nalindren; Patel, Sulaiman Saleem; Joseph, Seena; Moonsamy, Devraj; Akinola, Ayotuyi Tosin; Madamshetty, Lavanya; Govender, Thamotharan Prinavin; Ogunleye, Olalekan Samuel
The Durban University of Technology is undertaking a project to develop a data lakehouse system for a South African government-sector training authority. This system is considered critical to enhance the monitoring and evaluation capabilities of the training authority and ensure service delivery. Ensuring the quality of data ingested into the lakehouse is critical, as poor data quality deteriorates the efficiency of the lakehouse solution. This chapter studies quality control for ingestion-layer pipelines to propose a data quality framework. Metrics considered for data quality were completeness, accuracy, integrity, correctness, and timeliness. The framework was evaluated by practically applying it to a sample semi-structured dataset to gauge its effectiveness. Recommendations for future work include expanded integration, such as incorporating data from more varied sources and implementing incremental data ingestion triggers.
Assessing the challenges that are confronted rural-based SMEs on the implementation of cloud services
(ACM, 2020-09-24) Dyubele, Sithembiso; Cele, Noxolo Pretty; Mbangata, Lubabalo
The increase of contemporary technologies such as cloud-based services has attracted various institutions, especially in developing countries. Many businesses have started to show interest in migrating to the cloud to expand their businesses, particularly in urban areas. However, it has become challenging for rural-based Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to integrate themselves with ICT innovations such as cloud services as they are facing various challenges like poor development of ICT infrastructure. It is these difficulties that are facing SMEs located in rural areas that are at the core of this study, whose aim is to assess the challenges that rural-based SMEs are facing on the implementation of cloud services. A literature review from the previous studies was used to identify these challenges, which were later transformed into variables that ended up being tested in this paper. These variables include independent variables such as Security, Compatibility, Perceived usefulness, Perceived ease of use, and dependent variable, which are cloud services. A Likert-scale questionnaire-based survey of small business employees was conducted from a small town called Elliotdale, Eastern Cape, South Africa, to assess whether the challenges mentioned above, according to them, have an impact on the implementation of cloud services by SMEs. The data were analyzed to test the reliability and validity of the data-gathering instrument(questionnaires) and inferential statistics such as correlations between independent and dependent constructs, and Regression (predictor). The results indicate that the participants agreed that the challenges mentioned above, such as Security, Compatibility, Perceived Usefulness, Perceived Ease of Use, have a significant impact on the implementation of cloud services by rural-based SMEs.
An ERP SAP implementation case study in South Africa small medium enterprise sectors
(Springer Nature Switzerland, 2023) Aroba, Oluwasegun Julius
The use of technologies for enterprise resource planning (ERP) SAP has resulted in improvements to companies’ daily operations. This growth, however, has not been without its share of difficulties for the sector of small and medium businesses. First, the adoption and implementation of proprietary SAP ERP comes with a high expense for organizations, and second, it is problematic for organizations to guarantee that scalability is established owing to the dynamic shift in the SME sector. This indicates that the small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) sector in South Africa is not making use of the widely accessible cost-effective open-source SAP ERP that is now on the market. The scope of the investigation was broadened to include gathering information on open-source alternatives. This indicates that the small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) sector in South Africa is not making use of the widely accessible cost-effective open-source SAP ERP that is now on the market. The primary objective of the study was to assess the open-source ERP adoption trends of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the Durban area. The purpose of this study was to investigate both the drivers and the impediments to the adoption of SAP ERP systems. Qualitative and quantitative approaches were used in this study. The scope of the investigation was broadened to include gathering information on open-source alternatives. According to the findings of the study, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are aware of the advantages that may be gained by using ERP systems in their companies.
Evaluating the relationship between digital transformation and resilience of small and medium enterprises in the post-Covid-19 era in South Africa
(2024-09-01) Msomi, Thabiso Sthembiso; Ntuli, Lindokuhle Senamile
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between digital transformation and resilience of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the post-COVID-19 era in South Africa. The quantitative research approach was selected as the appropriate methodology for this study, while the purposive sampling approach was selected as the appropriate way for selecting the participants for this study. Primary data was acquired from business owners of retail SMEs establishments and then analysed, using SPSS. A total of 132 copies of a questionnaire were sent out for this study, with 128 of them being returned (for a response rate of 97%). Two statistical tests - regression and Pearson‘s correlation - were performed. According to the results, digital transformation has an absolute value (0.329) that explains the most variations in the regression model. The study recommended that entrepreneurs need to invest in digital infrastructure to ensure the smooth running of digital activities. Items like high-speed Internet, the cloud, and secure computing fall under this category.
Leveraging principal component analysis of crime trends to drive innovation in industry, policy, and society
(EnPress Publisher, 2025-01) Khanyile, Thabiso; Adeliyi, Timothy T.; Aroba, Oluwasegun J.
Given the multifaceted nature of crime trends shaped by a range of social, economic, and demographic variables, grasping the fundamental drivers behind crime patterns is pivotal for crafting effective crime deterrence methodologies. This investigation adopted a systematic literature review technique to distill thirty key factors from a corpus of one hundred scholarly articles. Utilizing the Principal Component Analysis (PCA) for diminishing dimensionality facilitated a nuanced understanding of the determinants deemed essential in influencing crime trends. The findings highlight the necessity of tackling issues such as inequality, educational deficits, poverty, unemployment, insufficient parental guidance, and peer influence in the realm of crime prevention efforts. Such knowledge empowers policymakers and law enforcement bodies to optimize resource allocation and roll out interventions grounded in empirical evidence, thereby fostering a safer and more secure societal environment.
Effect of working capital management on financial performance of a state-owned enterprise in South Africa
(Durban University of Technology, 2022) Ntuli, Sizwe Perfect Ayanda; Nzuza, Zwelihle Wiseman
South Africa’s state-owned enterprises (SOEs) have reportedly found it difficult to conserve their financial position in order to improve financial performance. Working capital management (WCM) is a significant component of financial management practices by which firms can be measured and improve financial performance. The study aims to examine the employees’ perceptions of the effect of WCM on financial performance of an SOE in South Africa. Cross-sectional, quantitative research and questionnaire approaches were used to collect data from 51 respondents. The study identified the gaps in cash management. The regression coefficient suggests that there is a strong causal relationship between WCM and financial performance of the firm (r=0.597; p<0.001). The F test indicates that the relationship is statistically significant (p<0.001). It was found that review of WCM accounts for 35.7% (R2 = 0.357) of the variance in finance performance F (1, 49) = 27.1560, p<.000 and it (review of WCM) is also a significant predictor of financial performance, where the relationship was positive (β = 0.597, p<.001). The study recommends that the SOE considers WCM as a tool for its economic growth.
Factors influencing equity financing within government entities in South Africa
(EconJournals, 2024) Ntuli, Sizwe Perfect; Nzuza, Zwelihle Wiseman; Mbambo, Mzwandile Atkins
Equity financing theorsuggests that firms favour equity financing over debt to mitigate potential external risks and reduce exposure to external scrutiny. The aim of this study is to determine the extent to which various factors influence equity financing decisions within South African government entities. This study investigates the critical factors influencing equity financing decisions within government entities in South Africa. Employing Stata for data analysis, the research utilizes a cross-sectional, quantitative methodology supplemented by questionnaire-based data collection from 51 respondents. The application of Panels corrected standard errors (PCSEs) regression reveals a positive and significant relationship between risk appetite of the company (RAF) and company size (SIZE) with equity financing evidenced by P = 0.000 and 0.037, respectively. The links between reliance on internal funds (RIF) and equity financing is positive and slightly significant at 0.051 level. Based on these results, it is recommended that government entities assess their risk appetite and internal financial resources carefully when considering equity financing, ensuring alignment with strategic objectives and market conditions.
Investing decisions and financial performance of a commercial government agency of South Africa
(Indonesia Strategic Sustainability, 2024-07-16) Ntuli, Sizwe Perfect Ayanda
The financial management of commercial government agencies in South Africa has been beset by challenges in achieving financial performance despite efforts to conserve financial position. Investment decisions present a potential strategy for improving financial performance. Guided by contingency theory, this study seeks to explore the perceptions of finance staff regarding the impact of investment decisions on the financial performance of a selected commercial government agency in South Africa. The study employs a cross-sectional, quantitative research design, utilizing a questionnaire to gather data from 51 respondents. Based on regression coefficients, the analysis reveals a strong positive causal relationship between investment decisions and financial performance. In particular, the beta coefficient indicates that investment decisions significantly predict financial performance (β = 0.827, p < .001). These findings suggest that firms should prioritize investment decisions to improve financial performance and promote growth. Accordingly, we recommend that commercial government agencies prioritize investment decisions to improve financial performance and achieve organizational goals.
Examining front-line administrative services in a selected public higher education institution
(MDPI AG, 2024-04-01) Luthuli, Mthokozisi; Nkomo, Ntando; Moyane, Smangele
The South African government’s commitment to people-friendly public service since 1994 has influenced the quality of service provided by front-line administrative staff in public higher learning institutions. This study explores the experiences of front-line administrative staff at the Durban University of Technology (DUT), focusing on the challenges faced and their impact on teaching, learning, and overall academic activities. Against the backdrop of public higher education institutions (HEIs) in South Africa, the study addresses the persistent challenges in service delivery and the crucial role of front-line administrative staff. Employing a post-positivist paradigm, the research adopts a hybrid methodological approach, combining qualitative and quantitative methods. A survey design is utilized to gather data from first-time entry students (FTENs) enrolled in the Business and Information Management program at DUT, employing convenience sampling and a self-administered questionnaire. The study’s findings illuminate the inefficiencies in front-line administrative services, elucidating their impact on diverse stakeholders and emphasizing the pressing need for enhancement. The study found that the majority of students perceived the services positively, with only a small number expressing dissatisfaction and nearly all participants noted the institution’s adherence to the Batho Pele Principles positively, though a few had contrasting experiences. The findings further revealed areas of improvement for the service. By focusing on the experiences of FTENs, the study contributes to the broader discourse on enhancing service delivery in public higher learning institutions. Addressing these challenges is crucial for the fulfilment of the core mission of HEIs providing quality education and fostering a positive learning environment.

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