Navigating workplace realities: A sector-specific analysis of administrative internship challenges in South Africa

Elsie Skeni Mfete, Mpho Yvonne Lerotholi, Solly Matshonisa Seeletse & Oratilwe Penwell Mokoena

Volume 6 Issue 4, December 2025

Abstract

Internships serve as an important bridge between academic learning and professional practice. However, their effectiveness varies across organizational settings. This exploratory study examines the sector specific challenges faced by administrative interns in South Africa, drawing on Human Capital Theory (HCT), Organizational Socialization Theory (OST), and the Job Demands-Resources model (JDR). Semi-structured interviews with seven interns revealed four dominant themes; bureaucratic and resource constraints, performance pressure and onboarding gaps, mentorship quality and learning curve, and cultural adaptation complexities. Public sector interns grapple with rigid hierarchies and slow decision making, while those in the private sector face high performance demands with limited support. Additionally, graduates interning in non-profit sectors, though exposed to diverse tasks, contend with resource scarcity and emotional fatigue. Across all sectors, inadequate mentorship, poor task-role alignment, and difficulty translating academic knowledge into practice emerged as critical barriers. The study advocates for structured, theory informed internship models that promote effective onboarding, inclusive cultures, and sustained mentorship. By addressing these systemic issues, higher education institutions and host organizations can enhance internship outcomes and better prepare graduates for workplace realities. This research contributes a multi-theoretical, sector specific perspective to the underexplored domain of administrative internships in South Africa.

Keywords

Author information & Contribution

Elsie Skeni Mfete. MSc. Research Administrator, Research and Innovation Directorate, Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University. Email: elsie.mfete@smu.ac.za

Mpho Yvonne Lerotholi. PhD. Senior Lecturer, Department of Human Resources, University of South Africa, Gauteng Province, South Africa. Email: lerotmy@unisa.ac.za

Solly Matshonisa Seeletse. PhD, DBA. Professor, Department of Statistical Sciences, School of Science and Technology, Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University. Email: solly.seeletse@smu.ac.za

Oratilwe Penwell Mokoena. Corresponding author. PhD. Lecturer, Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Faculty of Science, Tshwane University of Technology. Email: mokoenaop@tut.ac.za

"All authors equally contributed to the conception, design, preparation, data gathering and analysis, and writing of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript."

Disclosure statement

Funding

Institutional Review Board Statement

Data and Materials Availability

AI Declaration

Notes

Acknowledgement

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Cite this article:

Mfete, E.S., Lerotholi, M.Y., Seeletse, S.M. & Mokoena, O.P. (2025). Navigating workplace realities: A sector-specific analysis of administrative internship challenges in South Africa. International Journal of Academe and Industry Research, 6(4), 1-28. https://doi.org/10.53378/ijair.353281