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Talent management as an antecedent of organizational transformation in the South African banking sector
(University of the Western Cape, 2025-10-15) Poole, Philip Gary; Sibindi, Ntandoyenkosi
Globalization has transformed the banking sector, driving integration of services and products through technological, cultural, and human resource changes. In South Africa, these shifts, reinforced by legislative requirements and accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, have prompted banks to adopt talent management and organizational transformation management strategies. The Fourth Industrial Revolution and the need for multigenerational and diverse talent further shape this landscape. This study examined the strategies implemented by South African banks to manage talent and organizational change in response to these dynamics, focusing on the business banking segment in the Western Cape. Using a qualitative research design, this study used a multi-case study approach and semi-structured interview-based questionnaires with twenty-six participants representing six different South African banks, in Cape Town. Thematic analysis of empirical data revealed four important themes: (a) leadership commitment as a catalyst for transformation, (b) organizational culture and resistance to change, (c) generational and demographic diversity, and (d) strategic integration of talent management with transformation initiatives. Findings indicate that leadership drives the success of transformation, culturally embedded practices, legislative compliance and emphasize the mediating role of inclusion and transformation visibility. The resource- based view, the study presents insights into the effectiveness of talent management (TM) as a driver of organizational transformation .This research contributes to the theoretical knowledge by contextualizing talent management in a banking sector upon context-specific factors, leadership intentionality, cultural openness, and generational diversity .Limitations include the sector-specific focus, regional scope and the researcher’s limited interviewing experience, which may affect generalizability. Recommendations include broader studies across regions, compliance control, integrated diversity strategies, structure career pathways, leadership development for inclusive performance management, and retention frameworks that adopt engagement and reward. These insights contribute to theory development and offer practical guidance for aligning talent management with transformation goals in a rapidly evolving banking environment.
HETDEX public data release 1: source catalog 2 and data cubes from ∼90 deg2 of integral-field optical spectroscopy
(American Astronomical Society, 2026) Jarvis, Matt J.; Mentuch Cooper, Erin; Gebhardt, Karl
The Hobby–Eberly Telescope Dark Energy Experiment (HETDEX) is a wide-field, integral-field spectroscopic survey designed to map the large-scale distribution of Lyα-emitting galaxies (LAEs) at 1.88 < z < 3.52 and constrain dark energy at cosmic noon. Using the 10 m Hobby–Eberly Telescope and the Visible Integral-Field Replicable Unit (IFU) Spectrograph, HETDEX obtains >35,000 spectra per exposure over 3500–5500 Å at R ∼ 800 with (Formula presented) ∼1.″8 image quality, enabling an untargeted census of emission-line galaxies across 540 deg2. We present HETDEX Public Data Release 1 (PDR1), comprising 431,713 IFU observations covering 86.67 deg2 of noncontiguous sky in the Spring (13h, +51°) and Fall (1 (Formula presented) .h 5, 0°) fields, along with legacy regions (Cosmic Evolution Survey, Great Observations Origins Deep Survey North, North Ecliptic Pole, SA22). PDR1 includes the HETDEX Public Source Catalog 2 (HPSC2), an expanded and reprocessed version of E. Mentuch Cooper et al. (2023) incorporating four additional years of data, improved quality control, and new machine learning classifiers. HPSC2 contains 426,654 LAEs, 491,411 [O II] emitters, 19,457 low-z galaxies, 18,303 active galactic nuclei, and 150,608 stars, providing coordinates, redshifts or stellar velocities, and 1D spectra for each source. Because the data cubes use local sky subtraction optimized for faint emission-line detection, they are not suited for absolute surface-brightness measurements or very extended nearby galaxies. Appendix materials include the full detection catalog, the 1.6 million–candidate LAE sample, and raw detection databases. All products are publicly accessible through the HETDEX data portal (https://hetdex.org/data-results/), including access to a public JupyterLab. HPSC2 is also publicly available via Zenodo (doi:10.5281/zenodo.19581262).
3D modeling and carbon dioxide storage capacity estimation of the non-hydrocarbon Santa reservoir, onshore Zululand Basin, South Africa
(Springer Nature, 2026) Valentin, Awa; Opuwari, Mimonitu; Titinchi, Salam
Carbon dioxide (CO2) storage in geologic formations is a highly effective and promising strategy for significantly reducing CO2 emissions into the atmosphere. This study focuses on assessing the volume of CO2 that can be stored in a non-hydrocarbon reservoir located in the onshore Zululand Basin, South Africa. We utilised well logs and seismic data employing geostatistical methods to develop three-dimensional(3D) models. The petrophysical modeling has demonstrated favourable reservoir properties, indicating adequate porosity and permeability essential for effective CO2 storage. By applying the compressibility method, we estimated the CO2 storage capacity of the reservoir. The reservoir is predominantly composed of sandstone, exhibiting a mean effective porosity of 20% and a permeability value of 100 to 1000 mD. Three distinct facies were identified within the reservoir: sandstone, siltstone, and shale. In the northwestern, central, and southern areas of the reservoir, porosity and permeability are lower due to the presence of shale and siltstone. Our analysis of the shale volume model demonstrates a strong dominance in sandstone, with water saturation values of 10% and 20%. This makes the reservoir an ideal candidate for CO2 storage, due to its favourable petrophysical characteristics. The static storage capacity assessment indicates that the reservoir can store up to 0.54 million tons (Mt) and 0.1 Mt of CO2. Sensitivity analyses revealed that as water saturation increases, storage capacity decreases and declines with an increase in storage capability.
Contrasting storage security in closed and open aquifers: numerical modeling of CO2 sequestration in the Bredasdorp Basin, South Africa
(Elsevier Ltd, 2026) Opuwari, Mimonitu; Afolayan, Blessing Ayotomiwa; Mackay, Eric
Geological carbon storage is a critical pathway for reducing anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and achieving energy sustainability, particularly in fossil fuel-dependent nations like South Africa. This study presents a numerical simulation of CO2 storage in a saline aquifer within Bredasdorp Basin, offshore South Africa. Using a compositional reservoir simulator, we compared two end-member boundary scenarios, a closed aquifer (no fluid exchange) and an open aquifer (fully permeable lateral boundaries), under identical injection conditions (762,000 m3/day for 20 years, followed by 20 years of post-injection monitoring). Results reveal that boundary conditions fundamentally control storage performance. In the closed aquifer, rapid pressure buildup (a 115% increase to 56,100 kPa) restricted the CO2 plume to the wellbore vicinity, suppressed dissolution, and left 73.9% of the injected CO2 in a mobile supercritical state after 40 years, posing significant geomechanical and containment risks. In contrast, the open aquifer maintained near-hydrostatic pressure (24,900 kPa), enabling extensive lateral plume migration (2-3 times greater lateral extent) and enhancing dissolution; by 2070, only 57.9% of the injected CO2 remained mobile, with 35.7% dissolved in brine. The contrasting density anomalies (∼25 kg/m3 in the closed system versus ∼13 kg/m3 in the open system) imply divergent potentials for long-term convective mixing and mineral trapping. These findings demonstrate that open, hydraulically connected aquifers offer faster progression to secure storage but require larger monitoring footprints, while closed aquifers concentrate the plume but demand rigorous pressure management. This work provides a foundational framework for site-specific carbon storage assessments in South Africa's offshore basins.
The Rise of ‘Informal Local Government’ on the Back of Municipal Failures
(University of the Western Cape, 2026-01-09) Zamxaka, Nozuko; Chigwata, Tinashe
Local government is the sphere of government closest to the citizens. Tasked with both a service delivery and developmental mandate, local government is expected to deliver services such as the provision of potable water, sanitation and waste management services, electricity reticulation, and maintenance of municipal parks and roads. In practice, most municipalities are struggling to deliver effectively on this demanding mandate. In response, citizens and communities organise themselves to address such failures, giving rise to a phenomenon of ‘informal local government’. This thesis examined this phenomenon, focusing on factors enabling it, its characteristics, and its relationship with formal local government. The study established that ‘informal local government’ takes various forms, from loosely constituted groupings to formally organised organisations such as residents’ associations. Such groupings and organisations undertake municipal functions such as repairing potholes, cleaning streets, removal of waste and providing water to communities. Because they operate in a municipal space, the relationship between formal and ‘informallocal government' is mostly complementary but elements of substitution and competition between the two are also common. The study proposes a few recommendations on how ‘informal’ and formal local government can co-exist and how best to leverage the informality in view of the widespread municipal failures across the country.