Volume 16, Issue 04

OIDA International Journal of Sustainable Development
Open-access peer-reviewed journal

Student safety and security for sustainable and inclusive residences:  A Cross-Sectional Study

Jacob Tseko Mofokeng 1, Nozipho Nkosikhona Simelane 2 , Lerato Mofokeng 3
1,2,3 Tshwane University of Technology, Faculty of Humanities, Department of Safety and Security Management,
2 Aubrey Matlakala Street, Soshanguve − K, Soshanguve, 0001, Pretoria, South Africa.

Volume 16, Issue 04, Pg. 11-28, 2023.

Abstract: Whether a campus is rural or urban, large, or small, private or public, policy makers and administrators within higher education institutions (HEIs) globally, face difficult decisions about how to respond to the challenges brought by theft, robbery and violence as they arise in student residences. Even though campus officials may have grappled with similar questions for decades, they have done so with increasing urgency and scrutiny in the wake of student stabbings, gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF), robberies and sexual violence on and around campuses over the last decade. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development was adopted by all member states of the United Nations (UN) in 2015, which South Africa is signatory. The adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2015 signaled the local, regional, and continental commitment of governments and stakeholders in Southern Africa and the rest of the continent of Africa, together to confront challenges that must be successfully overcome if student safety and security to be realised on and around campuses, including residences. To this end, student safety and security, where safety applies to creating protection from risks or dangers and security refers to the state of being free from danger or threats. These concepts are not concerned with whether students co-exist or live amid violent or safer communities, rather challenges HEIs communities to provide an effective programming framework for promoting inclusive and sustainable student settlements. The shortage of safe student accommodations or settlements in South Africa and the high demand for student population indicate the potential of the impetus for more sustainable and safer residences. The aim of this paper is to report on the findings of student population’s perceived risk regarding safety in student residences. A quantitative approach following a cross-sectional design was employed. The data gathering instrument was a paper-based, self-administered structured questionnaire, which included a standardised measuring instrument using a five-point Likert scale. Approximately 260 questionnaires were distributed at a public university in the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality (also known as the City of Tshwane), Pretoria West Campus residences. A total of 60 students participated in this study. A random cluster sampling procedure was utilised to select potential respondents. The results of this study were that although most of the respondents in the exclusively female residences indicated that they felt reasonably safe in their residences, the responses from the mixed residences yielded conflicting responses. However, not all the respondents were willing to talk about their experiences and many were willing to talk off the record only about their experiences. Recommendations include ensuring that students receive adequate protection around and in the residences to help alleviate safety concerns they have as well as having campus security officials and other structures that practice campus safety concepts.

Keywords: Institutions of higher learning; residence; robbery, safety; security; student; security measures; residences

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Sustainable Online Payments by Preventing Payment frauds and Mistakes by Verifying Payment’s Beneficiary’s Name against Actual Account holder

Johnson Olumuyiwa Dehinbo
Department of Computer Science, Faculty of Information & Communications Technology,
Tshwane University of Technology, Soshanguve, Tshwane, 0152, South Africa.

Volume 16, Issue 04, Pg. 29-58, 2023.

Abstract: Towards sustainable development, it is important for any society to continually make progress in their endeavours. Progress in online and mobile banking is an example of important state of development that the whole world is currently enjoying and might want to continue to grow more into. This has ensured developmental progress now to a point when one can do banking transactions at any time of the day and using mobile electronic devices including laptops and mobile phones. But as the world enjoys this state of things in banking, online frauds and fear of mistakes are some of the factors that could be limiting the continued sustainable growth of adoption and use of mobile and online banking. Efforts should be increased to avoid online frauds and fear of mistakes as some of the factors that could be limiting the future sustainable continued growth of adoption and use of mobile and online banking. Imagine the fear of someone being fraudulently tricked into paying into someone’s personal account instead of to the account of an organization that one is transacting with? Also, imagine the fear of someone making simple mistake of mistyping a number e.g. 5 instead 6 on an account number. People would fear losing one’s money through such simple mistake if there is no likelihood of confirming account holders as one conducts the mobile banking transaction. This can negatively affect sustainable use of developments in the society. An important question then is why banks in South Africa are reluctant to leverage on the use and power on computing to provide such verification of account service that could give their customers peace of mind in using online, internet, or mobile banking transaction. One wonders why South African banks are failing to come to these realizations while those in other less developed countries like Nigeria are doing so freely. Such service could give their clients peace of mind by maximizing the benefits of ICTs for development while minimizing the risks of lack of sustainable continued growth of adoption and use of mobile and online banking due to the fear of online frauds and fear of mistakes when making mobile and online banking payments. This study adopts a qualitative research approach using a systematic literature study of various previous studies that we have done in the past which adopted prototyping research and related methods. More specifically, the multiple methods for the various component studies include literature study, survey, argumentation, prototyping, participatory design and the design science method in the development of various systems we considered necessary to stimulate or leapfrog developing countries into sustainable development. Most of the system development works presented thus serves as prototypes. Argumentations are then often used in reasoning about some aspects of developed prototype systems to justify how those aspects could fulfil certain user objectives. This study therefore proposes a requirements analysis and conceptual modelling with suitable architecture that can be used to develop a system for verifying account details when Internet or mobile banking is used for payments. This could then serve as input to a prototyping study to develop and implement the proposed system. If, and/or when adopted widely in the society, such system could lead to sustainable use of mobile and online banking payments for development in the society.

Keywords: Account Verification Systems, Information Systems Development, In-house development, Mobile Banking, Online payment systems, Sustainable Development.

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Sustainable solution to bad driving behaviour, driver road rage, and the incidence of road accidents in Pretoria-Mabopane Ipeleng, Gauteng Province (South Africa)

Phumzile P. Dlamini 1, Adewale A. Olutola 2, Nkhangweni J. Malange 3
1,2,3 Department of Safety & Security Management, Faculty of Humanities.
Tshwane University of Technology, Pretoria, South Africa.

Volume 16, Issue 04, Pg. 59-72, 2023

Abstract: Road accidents are caused by different factors, which include but not limited to drunk driving, speeding and weather. South Africa has an annual road death toll that is significantly higher than the world average. Therefore, there is a pressing need to understand the underlying cause of the problem. Moreso, the effectiveness of the interventions requires a multi-disciplinary approach, which includes enforcement, engineering, psychological and educational approaches. While the resources are limited, road safety interventions must not only address the sustainability of the outcomes but also the behaviour involved in vehicle crashes and how the driving behaviour can be improved.

The objectives of this paper among others comprise of, to identify the causes of bad driving behaviour in Ipeleng Traffic Department in the Tshwane area of Gauteng province. The objectives also include, to investigate the relationship between the causes of accidents and the driver’s behaviour, to investigate human behaviour behind the wheel and how it relates to the environment; to explain the role and impact played by the law enforcement agencies; and to analyse if the taxi drivers are educated enough about the importance of road safety.

Quantitative research design was adopted for this study, using simple sampling. Respondents included three categories, namely traffic officers (29.09%), taxi passengers (46.30%) and taxi drivers (23.90%). A univariate descriptive analysis was performed on all the original variables, displaying frequencies and percentages. Fischer’s exact tests for ordinal data was used. This was conducted to test for significant group differences. Significance level was set at p<0.05. Factor analysis: Factor analysis is used to reduce measurable and observable variables to fewer latent variables that share a common variance and are unobservable, which is known as reducing dimensionality. In this study, factor analysis was conducted to generate latent variables for the main variables. The p-value was set at p-value<0.05. Thus, we can say all these analyses were conducted using STATA version 14 statistical software. According to the findings, most of the study’s respondents either agreed or strongly agreed that speeding, drinking and driving, lack of patience, use of mobile phones while driving, bad weather, hastiness and heavy traffic are causes of road accidents. Findings revealed that 49% of respondents strongly agree that the use of mobile phones while driving causes road accidents. While drivers’ behaviour included speeding, drinking and driving and mobile phone use while driving. Exploration suggested that vehicle or road accident and drivers’ behaviour relationship did associate because when the driver drink and drive that is highly likely to cause or contribute to road accidents. More than half of the study respondents agreed that strict law enforcement is the solution to bad driving behaviour. 59.1% strongly agreed that arresting corrupt traffic officials and reporting corruption such as taking bribes will assist in reducing road accidents.

Keywords:  driver behaviour; road accidents; speeding driving, road rage,  law enforcement.

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