UWCScholar

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From optimism to action: navigating generation Z's technopreneurial engagement with drop shipping in South Africa
(Emerald Publishing, 2026) Maziriri, Eugine Tafadzwa; Mutyambizi, Gillian Jean
Purpose – This study empirically examined the relationships between technological optimism, perceived enjoyment, attitudes, intentions, and the actual use of drop shipping among Generation Z. Anchored in the theory of planned behaviour (TPB), the traditional behavioural reasoning model (TBRM) and the Hedonic motivation theory, this study proposed and tested a comprehensive conceptual model aimed at explaining technopreneurial behaviour within the South African Generation Z context. Design/methodology/approach – Adopting a positivist paradigm, the research employed a quantitative design, utilising a structured questionnaire administered to 359 Generation Z students from the University of the Western Cape and the University of the Witwatersrand. The measurement and structural models were analysed through partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). Findings – The results revealed that technological optimism significantly influenced attitudes and intentions, which, in turn, positively predicted the actual use of drop shipping as a technopreneurship business model. Perceived enjoyment of drop shipping positively and significantly moderated the nexus between intention and actual use of drop shipping. Overall, the findings validate the proposed model and underscore the importance of fostering technological optimism and positive attitudes to strengthen digital entrepreneurial engagement among young people. Practical implications – From a practical perspective, the study provides insights to universities, students and policymakers on promoting drop shipping and technopreneurship as tools for economic inclusion and youth empowerment. Originality/value – This study uniquely integrates the theory of planned behaviour and the traditional behavioural reasoning model to explain Generation Z's technopreneurial adoption of drop shipping in South Africa. By foregrounding the roles of technological optimism and perceived enjoyment, it advances existing theory and extends empirical evidence to an emerging market context. The findings provide fresh insights into youth digital entrepreneurship, offering a context-specific framework for universities, policymakers, and practitioners to foster inclusive technopreneurship.
Leveraging climate finance and environmental taxes for sustainable environmental outcomes in Africa
(Taylor and Francis Ltd., 2026) Kelly, Arsene Mouongue
Climate finance and environmental taxation are increasingly recognized as important policy instruments for advancing global sustainability objectives, particularly SDG 13 (Climate Action), SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), and SDG 7 (Affordable Clean Energy). However, despite Africa’s heightened vulnerability to climate change, growing ecological pressure, and continued dependence on natural resources, empirical evidence examining climate finance and environmental taxes within the same framework of environmental degradation remains limited and fragmented. To fill this gap, the present study investigates the relationship between climate finance, environmental taxes, and environmental degradation in 26 African countries over the period 2012–2021. Using both Driscoll and Kraay estimators and the two-step system Generalized Method of Moments approach, the study examines whether climate-related financial flows and environmental fiscal measures are associated with improved environmental outcomes. The findings reveal that increased climate finance inflows and stronger environmental tax effort are significantly associated with lower ecological stress across African economies, with the results remaining robust across alternative measures of environmental degradation and disaggregated policy indicators. By providing evidence on the links between financial and fiscal policy instruments and ecological outcomes, this study offers policy-relevant insights for supporting Africa’s transition toward a more sustainable and climate-resilient development trajectory.
Comparing the undergraduate dental curricula of four African dental schools: identifying commonalities and differences for mutual benefit
(John Wiley and Sons Inc, 2026) Maart, Ronel; Kutesa, Annet Mutebi; Boamah, Matthew Owusu
Background: In response to the growth of economic ties and migration across Africa, dental schools are exploring aligning curricula regionally to support graduate mobility and standardise dental training. This study aimed to compare the dental curricula in four African countries, share best practices, and explore the possibility of establishing common standards for dental graduates in Africa. Methods: Document analysis of curriculum contents was carried out by examining the formal curriculum handbooks, reports, and related documents from each dental school. The collected data were collated, mapped, and compared in tables to identify commonalities and differences. Results: All four dental schools incorporated components of community-based education, as well as horizontal and vertical integration, with clearly articulated consideration of local, societal, and contextual factors in their mission statements. Similarities were observed in teaching methods and assessment strategies, although variations existed in program duration and the description of graduate requirements and competencies. Furthermore, the description of curriculum content for the four schools revealed differences in the sequencing of preclinical and clinical subjects, as well as the scope of elective courses. Discussion: The shared inclusion of a community-based curriculum structure among all four dental schools presents an opportunity for future collaborations, facilitating the exchange of research resources and expertise aimed at addressing specific oral health diseases across Africa. This similarity further enables the dental schools to focus on interests with global impact collaboratively. While broad similarities were observed in teaching and assessment strategies, further interrogation is necessary to establish their actual implementation. Conclusion: A notable commonality observed among the four schools is the strong emphasis on community-based education deeply integrated into their respective societies. These results hold the potential to inform and promote the expansion of curricular reviews across the continent, an area that has not received adequate priority in the past.
Ambrosia beetle invasions are structured by inbreeding, intraspecific hybridization, and bridgeheads
(Oxford University Press, 2026) Huisamen, Elizabeth J; Schmidt, Thomas L; Terblanche, John S
When invasive populations establish in regions far from their origin, they may accumulate deleterious mutations that limit population viability and later expansion. Invasions stemming from such bridgehead populations may experience further sequential bottlenecks. However, deleterious mutations can be masked or eliminated when populations outbreed with other lineages. Here, we analyze global invasions of a species complex of persistently inbreeding ambrosia beetles, using genomic data (n = 247) from invasive populations in Africa, North America, and Australia, and from native populations in Asia. We mostly focus on one species of this complex (Euwallacea fornicatus), which poses a severe threat to tree species worldwide and is rapidly expanding its global range. We uncover a single lineage of this species across California, South Africa, and Western Australia, involving an invasive bridgehead and containing almost no nuclear genetic variation. In South Africa, we identify a second lineage that has repeatedly hybridized with the first lineage. Genetic patterns in the native range indicate that such opportunistic outbreeding may be common. Despite lacking nuclear variation, the first lineage contained two CO1 haplotypes that were also observed in every hybrid lineage, pointing to heteroplasmy and possible hybrid origins of this lineage. Native populations had fewer missense mutations than invasive populations, indicating that opportunistic outbreeding may help purge fixed deleterious mutations when local lineage diversity is high. These findings highlight the importance of outbreeding even when inbreeding is common, and they demonstrate the biosecurity threat posed by subsequent gene flow into invasive populations.
Tamme's country: an intertextual reading of the !kun-Lloyd archive
(Univesity of the Western Cape, 2012) de Villiers, Jaline; Bank, Andrew
I was first introduced to the Bleek-Lloyd Collection at more or less the same time that the Voices from the Past: /Xam Bushmen and the Bleek and Lloyd Collection conference was taking place. However, I did not learn about the !kun individuals who had also been part of the Bleek and Lloyd "Bushmen project" at the time. Reading the literature produced on the !kun-Lloyd archive left me with the impression that these notebooks were less valuable than those produced by the earlier [xarn narrators, containing only fragmented information. Also that the paintings and drawings produced by the four !kun informants were the most interesting part of this archive. After studying the !kun-Lloyd archive I now know that this is most certainly not the case.