Weekly Highlights 30 June 2023

Weekly Dear Colleagues Highlights In July, South Africa celebrates former President Nelson 30 June 2023 - Issue No. 191 Mandela’s birthday. This year marks the 10th anniversary of Madiba’s passing in December 2013. To commemorate RAF Language Unit Celebrates the this, the Nelson Mandela Foundation has themed the 10- Decade of Indigenous Languages Year Remembrance call to action “The Legacy Lives on through You.” We are reminded to heed and answer the Xitsonga call that Madiba’s legacy truly lives through us. Proverb of the Week A global movement for positive change begins with small ‘Ku kulula nyuku u n’watseka..’ actions. As each person acts, they fuel momentum toward Translation: No gain without pain. positive change, raising awareness and expanding the reach of Mr Mandela’s values – fighting injustice, helping Meaning: To succeed in one’s pur- people in need, and practising reconciliation. suit, it is necessary to work hard Nelson Mandela once said, “What counts in life is not and sacrifice pleasures. the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the In this issue significance of the life we lead.” These words resonate with us as the RAF and are in line with our mandate to PROFILE FEATURE: on a JOURNEY TO being the provide care to victims of motor vehicle accidents. In first mailroom DOCTOr our quest to make a difference to the lives of others we have declared 2023 “The Year of the Claimant.’’ We PROtection of personal information act: what have also added Empathy to the RAF’s core Values, is a data subject? thus transforming them into Integrity, Compassion, Accountability, Respect, Excellence and Empathy DRUGGED DRIVING (ICARE2). Raf Change champions and agents Our claimants need our help to ensure that they can navigate the claims process more effectively and receive immunise now and fight the flu and covid-19 the compensation to which they are entitled. It is the same this winter with our colleagues, they need our care and support TAX SEASON STARTS ON 07 JULY: HERE’S WHAT YOU in dealing with stressful situations at work or in their NEED TO KNOW personal lives. To honour Madiba’s legacy, RAFzins are encouraged to embody our ICARE2 Values and use them rAF activations as a driving force to serve our claimants and stakeholders. Let us be customer-centric when executing our duties and the fun page put ourselves in the position of those we serve. Letters to the Editor Enjoy this week’s Highlights! We invite our readers to share their Kind regards comments, feedback, and suggestions with us. Readers are encouraged to submit Internal Communication their letters, of no more than 200 words, to [email protected], [email protected] and [email protected]. We are looking forward to hearing from you. Editor: Thabang Mahlatsi ([email protected]) Sub-editor: Tholakele Radebe ([email protected]) Senior Reporter: Naziphi Mpokela ([email protected]) Editor-In-Chief: Anton Janse van Rensburg ([email protected])

PROFILE FEATURE: on a JOURNEY TO being the first mailroom DOCTOr by Zama Ledwaba The pursuit of a doctoral degree is a transformative 1. What motivated you to pursue a doctoral degree, journey that has the ability to shape the future of and how did you decide on your field of study? any scholar that dares to undertake it. It represents a profound commitment to academic excellence, Working in Correspondence and Documents Manage- knowledge acquisition and most importantly, the ment Services will humble you. I realised when I joined advancement of human understanding and the ulti- the mailroom in December 2012 that this unit was (and mate bragging rights to the red gown. In this article still is) considered to be performing the “lowliest of ad- we explore the personal experience and insights of ministrative functions” in the entire Road Accident Fund. a doctoral candidate, shedding light on the chal- So much so that the people working in Correspondence lenges and wins on this journey. don’t want others to know that they work there due to The doctoral journey demands unwavering dedica- the misperceived lack of education associated with the tion and resilience. It’s a demanding endeavour that unit and its functions thereof. needs a substantial amount of time, effort, and mental strength. Throughout this article we will delve into the When I joined the unit, very few people had tertiary motivation that becomes the driving force of taking on qualifications. My former manager would say some- the doctoral journey. thing and then when it seemed like we disagreed she’d qualify the statement or instruction by saying, “I am Vanessa Mathope — Registration a lawyer, I have a law degree.” That motivated me to Officer, Menlyn Office pursue something bigger than just a bachelor’s degree in law. Hence I decided to pursue a doctoral degree in CLICK HERE FOR NEXT PAGE Information Science specialising in Records Manage- ment. I just want to be the first mailroom doctor, noth- ing would make me happier than to sit with the RAFzin lawyers who would have to address me as Dr Mathope. 2. How did you go about selecting a research topic for your thesis, and what were some of the factors that influenced your choice? I am one of those weird people, I flourish when I get disrespected. When I was doing the ‘Getting to Know the Registry’ feature in the staff newsletter (Weekly Highlights) last year, a lot of people were reading it. Even my favourite people: business analysts. Then one of them sent me a text message which read “Your views on IT people are so interesting that you even do research on them…I wonder if the perceptions that stakeholders have about IT people have an impact in the success of IT projects they are involved in.” A thesis that is examined by three professors, one of them inter- national cannot be just based on “views on IT people.” So, when I decided to take the PhD route, I thought to myself, “I have already established that the RAF’s Records Management practices were poor in my previ- ous papers. I know what we are doing wrong.” I have shared with you RAFzins how we can fix it through the ‘Getting to know the Registry’ feature. The only other avenue that was left for me to explore was “Adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to manage records in support of the claims management system at the Road Accident Fund in South Africa.” I know it is a very bold move, but I am looking forward to the dedication section in my thesis Continues to the next page 2

PROFILE FEATURE: on a JOURNEY TO being the first mailroom DOCTOr (CONT.) because had it not been for this text message, I’d be 6. What role does your supervisor and other men- studying Oral History right now. Thank you, moghurl tors play in your doctoral journey, and how do they (girl)! support you? 3. What are some of the biggest challenges you I have never seen anyone who is as confident in my have faced as you are pursuing your doctoral pro- work as Dr Modiba. When I was presenting my re- gramme, and how do you overcome them? search proposal, he invited international guests. I don’t know whether it is professional to say that he’s my big- So far, I have not encountered any challenges. My gest cheerleader, but that’s the only word that comes to doctoral journey is only two months old, so everything is mind now. What role does Dr Modiba play in my doc- still rosy. toral journey? He’s more excited about my topic than I am! He recently won the FaberLlull residency award 4. How do you balance your coursework, research, presented by the Society of Catalan Archivists and and other responsibilities? Records Managers in collaboration with the RamonLlull Institute and the International Research on Permanent I developed a routine in the past 10 years when I was Authentic Records in Electronic Systems (InterPARES). preparing for the doctoral programme and I stick to it. I don’t watch TV; I don’t watch Netflix. I have told The opportunity to scoop the award was open to 20 everyone who matters in my life that until this degree researchers focused on archives and AI. He’s always is conferred, I am not going to attend any weddings, out of the country because this project is in Spain but unveiling ceremonies, baby showers or anything of the that does not stop him from monitoring my work. He sort. I sent them a message that said, “This year I need sends me MS Teams meeting requests at 4am, and if friends who understand that I still need to be invited I respond quickly, he says to me, “Forget 6am and just to events, but I will not be coming.” Most of my friends log into the meeting now.” So, we have meetings in the are already PhD holders so they understand. Those early hours of the morning. I have the best research who are not are looking forward to my graduation party supervisor ever. He supports me and exaggerates my because as much as I have graduated many times to intelligence. If we ever fight it would be because of his date, I have never had a graduation party. I told them exaggeration about how intelligent I am. that we’ll only have a party when V is FINISHED! 5. What are some of the most important lessons you are learning during your doctoral programme, and how have they influenced your thinking or ca- reer trajectory? I am learning that when people insist that we address them with their earned title such as Dr or Prof., they are well within their rights. A PhD programme is a daunt- ing journey. I have only been at it for two months and I have lost 2kg already. I am also learning that Eng- lish doesn’t love me. As much as I am twanging in the Weekly Highlights, PhD English is showing me flames. CLICK HERE FOR NEXT PAGE Continues to the next page 3

PROFILE FEATURE: on a JOURNEY TO being the first mailroom DOCTOr (CONT.) 7. What is the most rewarding aspect of your doc- to Archives and Records Management, arguing that toral programme, and what are you most proud of robots can manage records better than Human Intelli- accomplishing? gence (HI). In my study I am arguing that AI can enable humans to collaborate with technology and to exploit I am the first person ever from the RAF’s mailroom in the strengths of each and compensate for their corre- the Pretoria Regional Office to be accepted into such a sponding weaknesses. programme. On days when I don’t feel like waking up to study, I remember that this doctorate is not only about Understanding where each actor (AI and HI) excels and me or for me. Testament to this, Selayi ‘Sly’ Kubjana, how humans and technology can collaborate, rather my best friend from the mailroom bought me an Orlan- than one replacing the other, is necessary to the suc- do Pirates jersey on my birthday with the words ‘Dr Ma- cessful adoption of AI. My study is aimed at finding thope’ printed at the back. Tebogo Serake who works in technology that will not take the jobs of humans but will CAFS is just as excited about this PhD as I am. alternatively enhance human capacity. I guess if I can pull it off, it will be one of those impactful studies, not The most rewarding aspect of this doctoral programme just for the RAF but for the entire Archives and Records for me is the confidence that I see in my Correspon- Management fraternity. dence and Documents Management Services col- leagues ever since I started advocating for them 9. How do you maintain your motivation and focus through the ‘Getting to know the Registry’ feature. Now, throughout the long and challenging process of whenever I go to CAFS everyone keeps calling me Dr earning a doctoral degree? Mathope. I keep telling them I haven’t graduated yet but no one seems to care. So now when someone calls me Dr Mathope, I accept it. The degree is just a formality, because there is no degree that could give these guys the confidence that I see in them now after the feature. Bro Sy (Simon Mtshweni) and Themba Kgomo always say I am ‘dokotela’ (which is an isiZulu word borrowed from the English word doctor). When they do, I always chuckle cause my Tswana ears just can’t get used to this ‘dokotela’ term. 8. What impact do you hope your doctoral research will have? I keep looking at that disrespectful text message. 10.What advice would you give to someone who is considering pursuing a doctoral degree, or current- ly in the midst of their own doctoral journey? My reasons for doing a PhD are all wrong. I just like be- ing the first at everything that I do. I was the first junior officer in the mailroom. I was also the first person to have a feature in the Weekly Highlights. I just want to be the first doctor to ever come out of the mailroom. I am terrible at giving advice, so I’ll skip this one. AI in Archives and Records Management is a fairly new Zama Ledwaba is an Officer: Marketing and concept in South Africa. My research supervisor was Communications, based at the Menlyn Office the first researcher to suggest that AI can be applied 4 CLICK HERE FOR NEXT PAGE

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DRUGGED DRIVING by Maurice Hlangwani recorded high number of road accidents. Drugged driv- ing is an area which may need the attention of the road traffic authorities. Of course, it is not yet practically possible for the traffic police to test for drug intoxication on the spot. But it could also be beneficial to ensure that those that are caught driving over the speed limit are searched and tested for possession and use of illicit drugs. The Department of Transport is very much con- Citing studies conducted by Drummer (1994), del cerned about the high number of road crashes, Rio and Alvarez (1999) state that drivers who when especially as it involves male, young male aspirant tested for drug abuse have confirmed drug concentra- professionals. It is well established that alcohol tions of medium and high levels are more likely to be abuse which seems to receive a lot of attention either responsible for or contributing to accidents. In from traffic law enforcement officers is one of the support of the claim, Liebenberg et al. (2019) provide primary causes of road crash fatalities in many evidence of tests conducted in the United States by countries including South Africa. Looking closer at the National Roadside Survey between 2013 and 2014 these deadly road crashes, other underlying fac- which showed that there was an intake of impairing tors in addition to alcohol do come to the surface. drugs among the 15.2% of weekend night-time drivers One of these hidden causes of road crash causes who were stopped and tested. Prior to these findings, is drug abuse. South Africa had in 2008 registered a 14% presence of impairing drugs (excluding alcohol) in routine roadblock The National Road Traffic Act 93 of 1996 is the ap- operations such as Tshwara Setagwa. Currently, this plicable legal instrument for prohibiting the driving of a percentage could have reached dizzying heights. motor vehicle whilst under the influence of alcohol or a drug with a narcotic effect. Therefore, there have to be The intake of illegal drugs has been found to disem- several supporting mechanisms flowing out from the power the psychotropic skills of the driver. Research Act that must be put in place to reduce road carnages. findings by the National Institute on Drug Abuse Road safety campaigns such as the well-known Arrive Alive and law enforcement in the form of roadblocks Continues to the next page 6 should continuously be embarked upon. At times road- blocks should be aimed at testing for the alcohol legal limit in the blood and breath of drivers and subsequent- ly serious penalties imposed. The rapid ascendancy of road crash fatalities has forced the Department of Transport together with its agencies to roll out a road safety programme that will run for 365 days a year. The road crash fatalities recorded over the Easter weekend call for more initia- tives such as Operation Tshwara Setagwa (Operation Arrest a Drunkard) that the department has introduced to bring down these concerning statistics. Members of the public should also exercise maximum discipline on or before their road trips. There is also another angle that may be worth explor- ing which could also be equally contributing to the CLICK HERE FOR NEXT PAGE

DRUGGED DRIVING (Cont.) (2019) show that drivers who take cocaine and meth- (traffic) police are said to currently not have a specific amphetamine tend to be aggressive and reckless in roadside test for drugs. Once a breathalyser confirms their driving. Marijuana (cannabis), which is one of the that the driver is driving under the influence of alcohol, commonly used drugs in South Africa, is said to result the police must effect an arrest immediately and pos- in the driver straddling lanes, reducing their concentra- sibly ask another driver to take over driving. Although tion level and hand-eye coordination as well as slowing this could be too costly, it would be very helpful to down their reaction time. A combination of alcohol and ensure that all the drivers who have surpassed the psychoactive drugs will certainly have an adverse ef- specified legal limit for alcohol are subjected to further fect on the performance of the driver. Driving under the tests for illegal drugs. The road traffic authorities must influence of drugs (DUIDs) puts the driver, passengers ensure that there are harsher sentences in place to be and other road users at risk. Therefore, overlooking the meted out to the drivers whose test results confirm the impact of drug abuse should receive the same atten- intake of illegal drugs. Such penalties may include but tion just as alcohol abuse. are not limited to, suspension of the driving licence for a period of not less than six months. If the war on illicit Whilst the effect of marijuana alone is unclear, it is drug manufacturing and trafficking is not yet won, the the combination of both marijuana and alcohol which number of road crash fatalities is more likely to con- is worrisome. The National Institute on Drug Abuse tinue to rise. (2019) states that marijuana contains a mind-altering ingredient called delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). As Team RAFzins, let’s spread the word of mouth to This ingredient in combination with alcohol makes the fellow drivers that a combination of illicit drugs and intoxicated driver to be twice as likely to be respon- alcohol increases the likelihood of fatal road accidents. sible for deadly crashes. The Minister of Transport is justified in her concern about the road crash fatalities Sources: of young aspirant male professionals. Further studies by the 2018 National Survey on Drug Use and Health 1. https://dms.dot.gov.za/share/s/ (NSDUH) show that men, especially between the ages liUc77RgS2a1CUsRuavNgg of 21 to 26 are more likely to drive under the influence of drugs or a combination of both drugs and alcohol. 2 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10661668/ This grim picture will persist for some time because the 3. http://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext& pid=S1991-38772019000100003 4 https://nida.nih.gov/research-topics/publications/drug- facts CLICK HERE FOR NEXT PAGE Maurice Hlangwani is the Xitsonga Language Specialist, 7 based in Eco Glades

CLICK HERE FOR NEXT PAGE 8by Change Management

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TAX SEASON STARTS ON 07 JULY: HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW Researched by Thabang Mahlatsi Tax season for South Africans starts on 07 July person taxpayer services through an investment in our and according to the South African Revenue Ser- people. vice (SARS) – taxpayers can look forward to a streamlined process with enabling technology and “These enabling and service improvements are in- better service. tended to ensure that there is no need for walk-in tax consultations and long queues at SARS offices during SARS says provisional and non-provisional taxpay- tax season.” ers, as well as trusts, can start filing their income tax returns on Friday, 07 July 2023, after 20:00 when tax Taxpayers can do an auto-assessment if SARS com- season starts. municates directly with them by SMS from Friday, 30 June 2023, to tell them they were selected to do an “The submission of accurate personal income tax re- auto-assessment. turns on time is important for a seamless filing season. This year, taxpayers must take control of their own tax These taxpayers can access the auto-assessment affairs to ensure they are aware of their obligations through any of SARS’s channels, such as the SARS and remain compliant,” SARS commissioner Edward MobiApp or SARS eFiling, to review and verify the Kieswetter says. completeness and accuracy of the information that resulted in the auto-assessment. Taxpayers who are selected for auto-assessment can choose to accept the assessment outcome without edits, or if there is justification, choose to edit their declaration and resubmit it along with the necessary supporting documents. Those who accept the assessment outcome without any edits and who qualify for a refund will receive it directly into their bank account within 72 hours after the notification. Taxpayers who are satisfied with the auto- assessment do not have to do anything further and the process terminates at this point. Taxpayers who submit an edited declaration will be assessed on the basis of their resubmission. If you owe SARS some money, you must pay it into its bank account or use eFiling or the MobiApp to pay by the stipulated date. Kieswetter urged taxpayers who are selected for an auto-assessment to exercise patience and not visit any SARS branches or call the contact centre to enquire about the progress. He says SARS will pro-actively communicate with these taxpayers. “SARS continues to provide enabling technology, the Continues to the next page 10 expanded use of data enhanced by machine learning, algorithms, and artificial intelligence. We also continue to make progress in various aspects of online and in- CLICK HERE FOR NEXT PAGE

TAX SEASON STARTS ON 07 JULY: HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW (COnt.) Declarations in tax season • Taxpayers who are not selected for auto-as- sessment are urged to wait for the email and All taxpayers who submit an edited declaration, or file a SMS and not to visit SARS branches during the declaration in the normal way, can submit it along with first week before 07 July 2023. any supporting or additional information through the SARS eFiling platform. Kieswetter says if all the information contained in a return is for the current year and accurate, the transac- SARS will process the return and issue a revised as- tion will take no more than 10 seconds. sessment for taxpayers from the auto-assessment group, which may result in a different financial obliga- He warns taxpayers not to inflate their expenses and tion, such as a reduced refund, increased refund, or under-declare their income to obtain impermissible payment due to SARS. All other taxpayers will receive refunds, as this will make the taxpayer potentially guilty an assessment. of fraud. Taxpayers who experience any difficulty with filing their “SARS will make it hard and costly for taxpayers who returns through eFiling or the Mobi-App must first book intentionally attempt to claim impermissible expenses an appointment to visit a branch. or understate their income, by imposing harsh pen- alties. In addition, there will be administrative non- compliance penalties for those taxpayers who do not adhere to the deadlines of this year’s filing season.” SARS will from this year allow taxpayers who did not agree with the auto-assessment outcome to file an amended return until the normal filing season deadline on 23 October 2023, a change from the 40 days al- lowed last year. Remember: Sources: https://www.sars.gov.za/latest-news/media-release-2023-filing-season-for- • Objections and appeals: If you do not agree individuals-and-trusts/#:~:text=SARS%20will%20endeavour%20to%20 with the revised assessment, you can initiate expeditiously,pm%20until%2023%20January%202024. an objection through the normal SARS objec- tions process. Thabang Mahlatsi is a Specialist: Internal Communication 11 based in Eco Glades • Non-provisional taxpayers: non-provisional taxpayers who did not get an auto-assessment and who are required to file a return can do so from 07 July 2023 after 20:00 until 23 October 2023. • Provisional taxpayers as well as trust submis- sions start with filing a return from 07 July 2023 after 20:00 until 23 January 2024. CLICK HERE FOR NEXT PAGE

rAF activations by The Marketing Unit RAF Wellness Bus Venue: Ermelo Local and Long-Distance Taxi Ranks, Mpumalanaga Date: 19 — 23 June 2023 CLICK HERE FOR NEXT PAGE Continues to the next page 12

rAF activations Spar Women’s Challenge (Marathon and Fun Run) Venue: Hollywoodbets Kings Park Outerfields, Durban, KwaZulu Natal Date: 25 June 2023 CLICK HERE FOR NEXT PAGE Continues to the next page 13

rAF activations by The Marketing Unit Transport Skills Expo Venue: Bergville Sportsgrounds, Bergville, KwaZulu-Natal Date: 28 June 2023 CLICK HERE FOR NEXT PAGE 14

THE FUN PAGE This week we take a look at the funny side of performance contracting. Enjoy! NOTNEOTTOE RTEOARDEEARDSE:RS: WhatWkhinadt koifndcoonftecnotnwteonut ldwoyuolud lyikoeu tloikeseteo osneethoisn pthaigsepiangefutiunrefuture eKdinitdiolKeyndisnsit?edionlWyndssey?eownWudoreuyslodwuugolroguvseldeusgtltioogovenhessettiatooorn:hfsirenoattmoer:rfnyirnoaotmluec!ronymaolmuc!oumnimquuen@[email protected]