Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Matabeleland (Zimbabwe) – Social conditions'

This study investigates the constructions of nationhood in two Bulawayo newspapers, the Chronicle and Newsday. Against the backdrop of the emergence of a secessionist movement, Mthwakazi Liberation Front (MLF), this research examines the discourses of nationhood in the secessionist debates raging in these two newspapers. This study is premised on a view that nationhood constructions cannot be understood outside the broader context in which these newspapers are embedded. Accordingly, it traces the roots and resurgence of Matabeleland separatist politics, exploring the political-historical forces that have shaped a distinctive Ndebele identity that poses a threat to the one, indivisible Zimbabwean national identity. Further, the study situates Matabeleland separatist politics within the broader African secessionist discourse challenging the post-colonial nation-building project on the continent. Informed by Hall’s (1992, 1996) constructivist approach to identity, it considers national identities as fragmented, multiple and constantly evolving. Thus, this study is framed within Hall’s (1997) constructivist approach to representation, as it examines the constructions of nationhood in and through language. The study uses qualitative research methods, as it examines the meanings of nationhood in key media texts. Informed by Foucault’s discourse theory, this research employs critical discourse analysis (CDA) to analyse 12 articles from the two newspapers. The findings confirm that the representations of nationhood in the two newspapers are influenced by their position within the socio-political context. The state-owned Chronicle legitimates the unitary state discourse advocated by ZANU PF. On the other hand, Newsday’s representations are informed by the discourses of the opposition political parties and civil society that challenge the dominant nation-building project. Thus, within this paper, secession and devolution emerge as alternative imaginaries that contest the authoritarian discourse of nationhood

The objectives of the study are to explore how women assess their situation in Matabeleland South with regard to their socio-economic realities; to find out the individual and community circumstances that these rural women in the drought prone region find themselves in; to explore the most important development challenges in relation to the impacts of climate change, access to water, food insecurity, poverty, education and health facilities; to examine the survival strategies that rural women adopt in the present situation and to ascertain the recommendations they make to the government and Non Governmental Organisations to improve their situation.

Migrant remittances have been cited as one of the most rising forms of development financing. Migration-development scholarly debates have often made comparisons between migrant remittances and some of the most popular forms of development financing such as development aid. The development-migration debates have often contended that migrant remittances are fast growing and surpassing the popular forms of development financing. This study sought to examine the developmental role of migrant remittances in the rural district of Tsholotsho in Zimbabwe. Given that there are millions of Zimbabwean migrants working in South Africa, the study sought to examine the possible use of migrant remittances in the creation of sustainable livelihoods. In addition, the study focused on examining the skills and opportunities that are necessary in the creation of an enabling environment for investment as well as assessing the multiplier effect that result from the inflow of migrant remittances within the local economy. The study followed a mixed methods methodological approach wherein a quantitative survey and qualitative in-depth interviews were used to gather data. The findings of this study revealed that migrant remittances are central in the livelihoods of poor people in Tsholotsho and they have potential to create sustainable livelihoods. While skills and opportunities to drive entrepreneurial activity exist, there is need to deal with structural barriers in order to create an enabling environment for the creation of sustainable livelihoods through savings and investment. The study recommends the prioritization of education, improved access to the credit system and the development of cooperatives. These could assist in achieving sustainable livelihoods through migrant remittances.

This study examined the relationship between social capital and utilization of HIV/AIDSrelated healthcare amongst people living with HIV in rural Matabeleland South province of Zimbabwe. It also explored barriers to optimal HIV/AIDS-related healthcare utilization among this rural population. Grounded on the Andersen and Newman model of healthcare utilization and social capital theory, the study employed a mixed method research design. Using time-location sampling procedure, a total of 399 people living with HIV were interviewed using a survey questionnaire. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were also conducted with 40 purposively selected key informants that included healthcare workers, HIV/AIDS service providers and community leaders. A statistically significant association was found between social capital and healthcare utilization. The binary logistic regression model was statistically significant, χ² (11) =129.362, (p < .005), it correctly classified 80.20% of cases and explained 59.3% of the variance in healthcare utilization (Nagelkerke R-Square =59.30%). The 16 items of the social capital scale were subjected to principal compoments analysis (PCA). Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) value of sampling adequacy was 0.645 and Bartletts's Test of Spehericity reached statistical significance (χ² (120) = 128, p < .001), supporting the factorability of the correlation matrix. Social capital was a significant predictor of HIV/AIDS-related healthcare utilization (p<0.001). The results indicated that for a unit increase in social capital the odds of utilization of HIV/AIDS-related healthcare increased by a factor of 59.84. Other significant predictors of HIV/AID-related healthcare utilization amongst the study participants were gender (p<.05, odds ratio=3.4), discrimination (p<.05, odds ratio = 7.7) and household headship (p<.001, odds ratio = 4.3). Enabling factors such as membership in health insurance schemes and household income had no significant effect on HIV/AIDS-related healthcare utilization. Major barriers to HIV/AIDS-related healthcare utilization were food insecurity and reliance on informal sources of medication. This study contributed to understanding of the influences of social capital on the utilization of HIV/AIDS-related health care and underscored the need to integrate social capital in designing interventions to improve HIV/AIDS-related healthcare utilization in rural contexts.

Includes bibliographical references (leaves 107-116).
The following study highlights the institutional failures in Zimbabwe which have resulted in social and economic underdevelopment. As such, poverty in Zimbabwe has manifested in various aspects, particularly food deprivation. This study focuses on the response of two Non-Governmental Organisations to food insecurity in the rural Matabeleland provinces. The research aims are to: define poverty and food insecurity; understand the reasons behind the food insecurity crisis; describe the extent of poverty and food insecurity; explore NGO responses to the food insecurity crisis and to discuss the impact of these interventions. This research is guided by Sen's (1999) 'development as freedom' approach as well as literature reviews from various researchers who offer definitions and theories on concepts such as poverty and food insecurity. The researcher also maps out the developmental path that the Government of Zimbabwe has taken through implementing strategies such as land reform, and how these policies have contributed to the food insecurity crisis. The impacts of the food crisis make citizens such as women and children increasingly vulnerable. They have been severely affected and rely on coping strategies to survive food deprivation. NGOs have stepped in to provide humanitarian assistance. Using a case study approach, ten key informants involved with the two NGOs were interviewed. The research findings are that poverty is multi-faceted and manifests through many interconnected deprivations. As such, food insecurity has become a chronic problem for the vulnerable. The organisations have answered to the food crisis mainly through relief programmes which give people short-term assistance. Rehabilitation strategies through livelihoods and micro-enterprise are medium-term strategies that have been constrained because of the political and economic instability. The two NGOs have not engaged in development-orientated programmes due to the instability in the country and the fact that the long-term development of any country ultimately lies in the hands of its Government. Recommendations are made to the two NGOs under study, to ,the government, as well as for further research.

This study investigates the role of social capital towards the realisation of the positive benefits of land through the A1 crop-based villagised model of the Fast Track Land Reform Programme (FTLRP), which has been largely viewed as successful in academic literature. The study emerges out of a large gap in scholarly literature, which largely side-lines social outcomes of the FTLRP while focusing mostly on material outcomes. The study contributes to limited research on the non-material outcomes in the Matabeleland North Province, an under researched area in the subject of land reform in Zimbabwe. Thus, social capital was selected to investigate these non-visible outcomes of FTLRP. A qualitative research design was used, with semi-structured interviews, informal conversations, observation, archives and secondary literature being the main sources of data. The study focused on a single case study, beneficiaries of Rouxdale (R/E) farm in Bubi District. The study brings the following insights: first, social capital played a pivotal role in accessing land. Second, ordinary people acquired land. Third, women were empowered through access to land. Fourth, land is an asset whose benefits far surpass livelihood creation. Fifth, land reform models have an impact on social capital. The main contribution of the study is that social capital promotes solidarity and the tackling of collective problems in land reform models with a communal component. The study illustrates that social capital creates a conducive environment for the attainment of the benefits of land. This is facilitated by beneficiaries’ effort to maintain healthy social network relationships. The study demonstrates that various decisions of the state have a potential of hindering social capital in resettlement areas through the destruction of social network relationships, such that its positive impact becomes limited. This portrays the fragile nature of social capital, which can easily be destroyed by external negative factors, regardless of the length of time taken in establishing it. Social capital can be applied in different spheres. However, its outcomes are directly informed by different contexts, thus making it context specific in nature. The study stresses that governments that use social capital in land reform should be conscious of local contextual dynamics before developing programmes that affect beneficiaries, in order to preserve existing social network relationships. The fragility and context specific nature of social capital is missing in the conceptualisation of its main scholars, yet they emerge as important aspects in this study. The study points to the need for these to be incorporated into the core elements of the concept of social capital to create a more holistic framework of analysis. The study therefore argues that social capital is vital in land reform and the post-settlement phase.

Following Bryceson&rsquo
s article, &lsquo
De-agrarianisation in Sub-Saharan Africa: Acknowledging the Inevitable&rsquo
, and other related writings in the volume Farewell to Farms, rural development has become a contested academic and policy domain. One side of the debate is characterized by &lsquo
agrarian optimism&rsquo
, mirrored in various state policies and advice from the World Bank
the other side is typified by the de-agrarianisation thesis, which is sceptical regarding the agrarian path to rural development, because it doesn&rsquo
t accord with dominant trends. The main reasons given for the trend of de-agrarianisation are: unfavourable climatic trends, economic adjustments, and population growth. While the de-agrarianisation thesis seems to be a sensible proposition, it has failed to attract many disciples, evidenced by the continuation of current policy directions towards the agrarian optimistic path. The purpose of this study was to assess the applicability of the de-agrarianisation thesis in the Gokwe-Kabiyuni area of Zimbabwe, during a time when the nation went through climatic, economic and political crises. The idea was to assess the influence of such an environment to smallholder farmers in terms of livelihood strategies by observing trends in climate, education, occupation, and crop yields over the period. Both qualitative and quantitative methods were used to establish whether the de-agrarianisation process can be noted in two villages over the period 1990-2008. A comparative analysis of the experiences of smallholder farmers in these two villages revealed the existence of a cultivation culture and differential agrarian resilience depending on natural resource endowment and levels of infrastructural development, notwithstanding the involvement of the villagers in non-farm activities to diversify their livelihood portfolios.

The population of Glen View, a high density residential area in Harare, Zimbabwe is increasing. The effects on area living conditions are deleterious. The situation is expected to deteriorate further due to projected population increases: This creative project presents strategic planning, through Recommendations and Guidelines, for the high density residential area of Glen View. This project involves recommending guidelines for innovative urban planning strategies to address the significant living difficulties existing in Glen View. The sources used were secondary and related published material along with the knowledge gained through my personal experience in the high density residential areas in Harare, Zimbabwe during the summer of 1990. It is intended that this project can serve as an example of how innovative planning can work to create a better quality of life for people living in high density residential areas in developing countries.
Department of Urban Planning

Thesis (MTech (Tourism and Hospitality Management))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2018.
A well-packaged tourism product is the deciding factor in the choice of tourists about which destination to visit. A tourism product can be bundled with many tourism elements such as accommodation, attractions, activities and tours, price, image and climate. The tourism elements that build up a tourism product are the principle factors that contribute to the decision to choose one destination over another destination. Tourists can put a number of tourism products on the table, based on their needs and wants. However, they opt for one tourism product that promises to satisfy their demands. Destinations that offer unique tourism products are the most successful in a competitive industry since tourists will visit such destinations to fulfil their needs. However, even though some destinations like Victoria Falls offer unique tourism products, it is important to understand the nature and trends of tourists visiting this destination and their perceptions of the tourism product. This will assist in planning how to address any areas of concern as well as maintaining areas that are performing well. Limited research exists on tourist perspectives of the Victoria Falls tourism product and hence this is the focus of the current research. It will help in broadening the knowledge of the relevant tourism bodies in Zimbabwe on how tourists view the tourism product, as well as aiding sustainable development and growth of the tourism product. This study followed a quantitative methodology design. The interviewer administered 377 questionnaires on face-to-face basis to tourists on a voluntary participation basis. Systematic sampling was used to collect the data.Key findings indicate that despite the increasing number of females visiting this destination, males still dominate the tourist numbers. The majority of tourists fell within the age bracket of 21-50 years. The findings further show that availability of attractions, price of the tourism product, and accessibility of the destination play a paramount role in influencing tourists to visit the destination. Most tourists’ expectations were met and they would visit again in future and recommend the destination to friends and relatives. The most satisfactory results were noted on the attractions, activities, tours, and tourist accommodation. Despite these positive results, tourists felt that prices of accommodation, activities, tours, as well as dining, was too high. Furthermore, too many police roadblocks and unnecessary fines were noted as being detrimental to the tourism product. The researcher noted all concerns and made recommendations to overcome these negative aspects. The experience of tourists at a destination is strongly associated with an amalgamation of different elements of a tourism product. It is crucial to understand the performance of each tourism element as this contributes significantly to the success of the tourism product. The results of this study will afford the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority and Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority an understanding of the Victoria Falls tourism product from a tourist perspective. These entities will be able to improve the product, make it more attractive to tourists, and hence grow future visitor numbers. In addition, the results of this study create a baseline for future research. Monitoring of tourist perspectives over time and an evaluation and assessment of the tourist demands can be done, which will help in the modification and upgrading of the tourism product to match the demands of the consumers (tourists).

In the period between the granting of self-government in 1923 and 1938, the 'native' policy formulated by Europeans in colonial Zimbabwe had three dimensions. The first was a land and agricultural policy designed to restrict competition from Africans in the produce market. The second was a labour policy addressed at the chronic labour shortages in the European mining and agricultural sectors. The third was a series of control measures seeking to impede black political organization. The goals of these policies were largely achieved by 1938 due to a combination of government initiatives and the impact of the depression. Part of this success was directly due to the effects of the depression; as economic conditions improved, Africans regained some of their economic autonomy and reasserted themselves politically.

The fast track land reform programme resulted in a fundamental reorganisation of rural relations in Zimbabwe, changing the landscape in an irreversible way with people from diverse backgrounds converging on former white-owned farms. This thesis tells the story of how the newly resettled land beneficiaries are organising themselves socially in response to various economic challenges. It makes a contribution towards understanding how redistributive land reforms and local government restructuring influence rural social organisation and agency. Furthermore the study examines local perceptions on the meanings of the „farm‟ and „land redistribution‟. An utterance by one war veteran “what used to be your farm is now our land and you are free to take your farm but leave our land” provides an alternative rendition to contestations of restitution versus a purely farm productionist discourse. The study, through an analysis of primary and secondary data, provides a fresh understanding of the social outcomes of fast track. It traces the evolution of land and agrarian reforms in post-independence Zimbabwe and the political and social economic context that led to „fast track‟. Through an analysis of field findings the thesis is able to define the dominant social groups that were resettled during fast track and the challenges they face in utilising the land. The findings show that the majority of the land beneficiaries were from the customary areas, with limited agricultural experiences. Local cooperation within informal networks and local farmer groups has been identified as one of the ways in which social reproduction is being organised. These groups are responsible for enhancing production capacity but they face a number of constraints. The study derives its theoretical foundation from the post 1980s debates on rural society dominated by Mafeje (1993, 2003), Rahmato (1991) and Mamdani (1996). The debates centred on how institutions of inclusion, authority and cooperation such as the lineage groups, local farmer groups and traditional authority remain relevant in the organisation of post-independent rural African society especially in a context of increased commoditisation of rural relations of production. Using theoretical insights derived from analysing the role of the lineage groups in the allocation of critical resources such as land and the influence of traditional authority (indirect rule) as a form of local government, the study examines how social organisation is emerging in areas where neither lineage nor traditional authority are not dominant. The thesis of rural cooperation through local groups as advanced by Rahmato (1991) and Moyo (2002) provides partial insights into the response mechanisms that land beneficiaries invoke in this instance. It is not necessarily an autonomous space of organisation but rather the state is actively involved through various functionaries including extension officers who invariably advance a very productionist approach. The state‟s monopoly through its local functionaries hides its political cooptation effect by emphasising organisation for production without questioning the manner in which that production is externally controlled through limited rights over land, the state‟s monopoly over inputs supply and markets for commodities. Whilst land reform has been driven by local participation through land occupations, local government reform has been technocratically determined through Ministerial directives. There is however little innovation in the form of local government that is being introduced. It expands the fusion of authority between elected Rural District Councils and unelected traditional authority functionaries. The forms of social organisation and agency that have emerged remain subordinated to the state with no links to other networks of rural producers‟ associations and urban civil society organisations. These developments form part of a longheld tradition within the Zimbabwean state where the legitimacy of local organisation and authority is usurped to service the interests of the state. Thus whilst land reform has to a certain extent accommodated the majority poor, the ensuing local government and agrarian reforms are more focused on limiting their participation in broader processes of political engagement around distribution and accumulation and their own governance.

The thesis seeks to understand how emerging communities borne out of the Fast Track Land Reform Programme in Zimbabwe have been able to ensure social cohesion and social service provision using farm level institutions. The Fast Track Programme brought together people from diverse backgrounds into new communities in the former commercial farming areas. The formation of new communities meant that, often, there were 'stranger households'living next to each other. Since 2000, these people have been involved in various processes aimed at turning clusters of homesteads into functioning communities through farm level institutions. Fast track land reform precipitated economic and political crisis in Zimbabwe characterised by a rapidly devaluating Zimbabwean dollar, enormous inflation and high unemployment figures. This economic crisis has impacted heavily on new farmers who find it increasingly difficult to afford inputs and access loans. They have formed social networks in response to these challenges, taking the form of farm level institutions such as farm committees, irrigation committees and health committees. The study uses case studies from small-scale 'A1 farmers‘ in Mazowe district which is in Mashonaland Central Province. It employs qualitative methodologies to enable a nuanced understanding of associational life in the new communities. Through focus group discussions, in-depth interviews, narratives, key informant interviews and institutional mapping the study outlines the formation, taxonomy, activities, roles, internal dynamics and social organisation of farm level institutions. The study also uses secondary data collected in 2007-08 by the Centre for Rural Development in the newly resettled areas in Mazowe. The major finding of the study is that farmers are organising in novel ways at grassroots levels to meet everyday challenges. These institutional forms however are internally weak, lacking leadership with a clear vision and they appear as if they are transitory in nature. They remain marginalised from national and global processes and isolated from critical connections to policy makers at all levels; thus A1 farmers remain voiceless and unable to have their interests addressed. Farm level institutions are at the forefront of the microeconomics of survival among these rural farmers. They are survivalist in nature and form, and this requires a major shift in focus if they are to be involved in developmental work. The institutions remain fragmented and compete amongst themselves for services from government without uniting as A1 farmers with similar interests and challenges.

In today‘s changing demographic, economic, political and environmental context the livelihood strategies developed by the rapidly growing older population deserve particular attention. Lack of support by the state coupled with economic crises and decreasing family availability has meant that older people are increasingly expected to find their own means of support into old age, develop their own strategies and rely on their own resources. Heterogeneity in old age means that while some older people are amongst the most vulnerable and socially down and out, others have accumulated resources that enable them to implement diverse and enterprising livelihood strategies to maintain their wellbeing in old age. This study uses an explorative approach in its quest to understand the various livelihood strategies of the elderly. In-depth interviews and life histories have been utilized as data collection instruments. In addition to this inductive and qualitative research approach, the dissertation uses the sustainable livelihoods framework to examine the different kinds of livelihood strategies employed by the elderly in Mubaira to stave off poverty in old age in the absence of social security systems. A comparative analysis with other regional countries reveals that old age pensions have been able to reduce poverty at old age significantly. By engaging in different livelihood activities, in the absence of old age pensions, the elderly in Mubaira community in Zimbabwe have been able to make a living. Agriculture is the dominant activity the aged people engage in as they try to avert food insecurity. Besides agriculture, aged people diversify their livelihoods through self employments that add income value to their households. The impact of cash and non-cash remittances has seen aged people being able to buy basic goods and a few essentials. Although the state has been dysfunctional, civil society has stepped in to address the livelihood challenges faced by the aged population and in v particular to provide an alternative solution to the needs of the elderly people within the sustainable livelihoods framework which remains one of the most important models for the analysis of rural livelihoods. Through the livelihoods approach‘s vulnerability approach the study also analyses the various impacts affecting the attainment of sustainable livelihood outcomes. Through the utilization of the livelihoods framework in addition to the qualitative research methodology as indicated above, the study found that livelihood activities of the aged require a stock of capital assets which include natural, human, physical, social and financial capital. The life histories of the aged in Mubaira revealed that through the years the aged did accumulate various assets that assist them even now. As the life course perspective suggests events in earlier life do have a bearing on later life, access to a range of capital assets helped old aged people in Mubaira to fully engage in livelihood strategies that ensured their survival and escape from poverty.

This thesis seeks to understand and analyze the livelihood strategies of urban women traders at Magaba in Harare (Zimbabwe) in the context of the contemporary economic and political crisis. The crisis emerged in the 1990s with the introduction of a structural adjustment programme and deepened further with the fast track land reform programme initiated by the Zimbabwean government in the year 2000. The crisis has involved a down-sizing of the Zimbabwean economy and a massive rise in the rate of unemployment in the formal economy. Consequently urban life became increasingly unbearable for poor blacks and informal economic activities blossomed and started to make a significant contribution to household income and livelihoods. The role of women in the informal economy was particularly pronounced. Theoretically, the thesis is underpinned by the sustainable livelihoods framework. In examining the vulnerability context of the Magaba women traders and the institutional interventions which complicate the lives and livelihoods of these traders, I identify and unpack their diverse livelihood activities and strategies and the resources (or assets) they deploy in constructing urban livelihoods. Though their livelihood portfolios complement any earnings from formal employment by household members and though they contribute to their household’s sustenance, there are a number of daily challenges which they face in their trading activities and which they seek to counteract through a range of often ingenious coping mechanisms. The thesis is important for a number of reasons. It fills an important empirical gap in the study of Magaba market specifically, it brings to the fore the gendered character of the informal trading activities in urban Zimbabwe, and it deploys the livelihoods framework in a manner which is sensitive to both structure and agency.

This study investigates the main causes of the present political crisis in Zimbabwe with particular reference to the crisis as a direct result of a crisis of authority or governance. The economy and the political environments in the former Rhodesia have been in a healthy state until the early 1990s when the ruling ZANU-PF had its rule under siege when the economy dwindled and the opposition became rife. The broad questions that the study sought to answer were: What have been the primary reasons for the political crisis in Zimbabwe between 1995 and 2005? What role has the political elite played in the country’s development? What contribution did the Economic Structural Adjustment Programme make to the economic development of Zimbabwe? Are there any other important factors that have played a role in the development process of Zimbabwe? As a way of investigation, this study uses qualitative research techniques to make a clinical examination of the main causes of the political crisis that has reduced the formerly self-sustaining and democratically highly rated country to a pariah citizen (state) of the world. A number of primary sources have been used and have had their responses/input supplemented by relatively reliable secondary sources that gave authenticity to the argument of the research. This study makes a ten year review of the political and economic situation in Zimbabwe, as this is the period whence the political crisis became apparent and restricts its investigation of the causes of the political crisis to this period albeit some of these reasons are connected to the past i.e. the period from 1980 to 1995. Since this is a deductive scholarly account, the study tests the theory of organic crisis as an explanation for state collapse in Africa with particular reference to Zimbabwe. Finally the study reveals that the major causes of the political crisis in Zimbabwe are the colonial legacy which seems to have had its negative on the politics of the country just ten years into democracy; the crisis of governance which led to political and economic decay as the ruling party tried by all means to solicit political support; the Lancaster House agreement and the land question which are related to the question of colonial legacy and among the primary reasons Zimbabwe has reached political impasse; the crisis of elites which this directly links to the political crisis; structural adjustment programmes and corruption and fraud.

This thesis employs Gramsci’s language of hegemony in order, firstly, to explore the role of civil society in legitimating and resisting state hegemony, and secondly, to examine the sociological basis of counter-hegemonic politics in post-2000 Zimbabwe. The thesis arose out of a critique of reductionist approaches in the theorising and study of changing state-society relations in post-2000 Zimbabwe that identifies civil society exclusively with opposition politics and excludes organisations aligned to the ruling party, and therefore resulting in functionalist discussions that view civil society as necessarily anti-state. This thesis demonstrates however that a dense hegemonic civil society also exists and it is organically aligned to ZANU-PF in its advocacy for a social change based on a radical transformed terrain of the relations of social forces of production, vis-à-vis land redistribution, albeit implementing this vision through coercive violence, persuasive but exclusionary discourses of radical nationalism, Afro-radicalism and nativism. Confronting it, is an equally militant counter-hegemonic civil society aligned to the MDC, and it deploys the discourses of constitutionalism and human rights to resist state hegemony and to unravel the violent nature of ZANU-PF’s nationalist project, but in ways devoid of a serious critique of the structural inequalities of a post-independent Zimbabwe.

The study focused on the exploration of the implication of partnership between the government and civil society organizations in the implementation of the Zimbabwe National Orphan Care Policy (ZNOCP). The study was carried out in Masvingo District in Zimbabwe to explore on the feasibility of inter-organizational interaction in policy implementation and how it affects the service delivery system. The study incorporated government departments, civil society organizations and ward councillors who stood as the custodians of the people. The study was intended on unveiling the different contextual aspects that exist between government departments and civil-society organizations (CSOs) as individual and separate entities and how the compromising of their values would affect the partnership. Looking at the hierarchical and bureaucratic features of government institutions, the study also intended to understand how this could be concealed and compromised with CSOs‟ open agendas in public policy implementation to ensure effective service delivery to the people. The 5C protocol, critical variables in policy implementation which are policy content, context, capacity, commitment of those entrusted with the implementation process and also clients and coalitions were used as the yardsticks. These variables acted as a yardstick on which to analyze the partnership between the Zimbabwean government and the civil society in the implementation of the Z.N.O.C.P, their different attitudes, bureaucratic settings, organizational culture, values, norms, and how their readjustments or failure affect the service delivery system. It also became imperative to look at the government legislations that govern the CSO space of operation and financial aspects to understand the implications of partnership between government and civil society. An understanding of these aspects leads to an increased understanding of the feasibility of state-CSO partnerships and its implications on policy implementation.

Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2004.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The downward spiral of Zimbabwe under President Robert Gabriel Mugabe and the slide into lawlessness has excited international opinion. Perhaps even more controversial, has been South African President Thabo Mbeki's obvious reticence to condemn Mugabe's increasing authoritarianism and breach of human rights and democratic standards. South Africa's foreign policy of 'quiet diplomacy' towards Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe has received strong criticism. Whilst both domestic and international audiences expected South Africa to take a stronger stance towards Mugabe because of his increasing violation of human rights and democratic standards, President Mbeki has been notably reticent to publicly criticise Mugabe. Consequently, the South African government has been criticised for condoning Mugabe's behaviour, which in turn has raised questions as to South Africa's commitment to the advocacy of human rights and its attempts to establish a leadership position in Africa. Although both internal and external pressures have given rise to South Africa's strong commitment to the international norm of human rights in 1994, this commitment seemed to weaken as the years passed. The commitment to human rights, that was especially prominent during the Nelson Mandela presidency, has given rise to foreign policy tensions and contradictions within the South African government. South Africa's turn to multilateral mechanisms as the main vehicle for South Africa's principled commitment to human rights has been accompanied by a decline in the priority placed on this principle. This loss of ardour in the commitment to the human rights advocacy, moreover, has seemed to increase during the Mbeki presidency. President Mbeki's desire to playa leadership role in Africa and his vision for African renewal and rebirth have been accompanied by a stronger emphasis on African solidarity as a foreign policy principle. South Africa's commitment to the norm of human rights, however, has thwarted South Africa's attempts to strengthen African solidarity since it required a rejection of the norms of 'state sovereignty' and 'not to speak out against each other'. Since high priority is attached to these norms in Africa, contradictions arose between the norms of human rights advocacy and African solidarity. This study argues that South Africa's policy of 'quiet diplomacy' towards Zimbabwe can only be understood by focusing on the role of norms and identity on South Africa's policy. It aims to illustrate how South Africa's aspiration for continental leadership has constrained its commitment to human rights advocacy, as accentuated by the Zimbabwean crisis. This study explores the role of norms and identity in South Africa's foreign policy decisions towards Zimbabwe by drawing on constructivism as a theoretical framework. The international relations theory of constructivism provides a framework for analysing the potential influence of norms in international relations. Constructivism illustrates that South Africa's freedom of action has been determined by the interplay between policy actors and social forces with very different ideological convictions about the country in the world, the pressures incumbent upon it and the extent to which it can influence world affairs.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Zimbabwe se toenemende ekonomiese en politieke agteruitgang onder die presidentskap van Robert Gabriel Mugabe, asook die geleidelike oorgang na wetteloosheid, het internasionale veroordeling voortgebring. President Thabo Mbeki van Suid-Afrika se ooglopende teensinnigheid om Mugabe se toenemende outoriteit en skending van menseregte en demokratiese standaarde te veroordeel, was selfs meer omstrede. Suid-Afrika se buitelandse beleid van 'stille diplomasie' teenoor President Mugabe van Zimbabwe het dus sterk kritiek uitgelok. Terwyl beide binnelandse en internasionale sfere van Suid-Afrika verwag het om 'n sterker standpunt teenoor Mugabe in te neem in die lig van Mugabe se toenemende skending van menseregte en demokratiese standaarde, was President Mbeki merkbaar teensinnig om Mugabe openlik te kritiseer. Die Suid-Afrikaanse regering is gevolglik daarvan beskuldig dat dit Mugabe se gedrag verskoon, wat weer aanleiding gegee het tot die bevraagtekening van Suid-Afrika se verbintenis tot die bevordering van menseregte en pogings om 'n leierskapsposisie in Afrika te vestig. Alhoewel beide interne en eksterne druk tot Suid-Afrika se sterk verbintenis tot die internasionale norm van menseregte in 1994 bygedra het, het hierdie verbintenis mettertyd geleidelik vervaag. Hierdie verbintenis tot menseregte was veral prominent gedurende die Mandela presidentskap en het spoedig aanleiding tot spanning en teenstrydighede in Suid-Afrika se buitelandse beleid gegee. Suid-Afrika se wending tot multilaterale meganismes as voertuig vir die bevordering van menseregte, het dus gepaard gegaan met 'n afname in die prioriteit wat aan hierdie beginsel geheg word. Hierdie afname in Suid-Afrika se dryfkrag in hul verbintenis tot die bevordering van menseregte, het gedurende die Mbeki presidentskap vergroot. President Mbeki se begeerte om 'n leiersposisie in Afrika in te neem, asook sy visie vir Afrika hernuwing en herlewing, het dus gepaard gegaan met 'n sterker klem op die belang van Afrika solidariteit as 'n buitelandse beleidsbeginsel. Suid-Afrika se verbintenis tot menseregte het egter Suid-Afrika se pogings om Afrika solidariteit te bevorder, verhinder, aangesien 'n verbintenis tot menseregte die verwerping van die norme van 'staatsoewereiniteit' en 'nie teenoor mekaar uit te praat nie' vereis het. Aangesien hierdie twee laasgenoemde norme steeds voorrang geniet in die Afrika konteks, het daar teenstrydighede tussen die norme van menseregte en Afrika solidariteit ontstaan. Hierdie studie argumenteer dat Suid-Afrika se beleid van 'stille diplomasie' teenoor Zimbabwe slegs begryp kan word deur op die rol van norme en identiteit op Suid-Afrika se beleid te fokus. Daar word gepoog om te illustreer hoe Suid-Afrika se aspirasie om 'n leiersposisie in Afrika in te neem, beperk is deur die verbintenis tot die bevordering van menseregte, soos beklemtoon deur die krisis in Zimbabwe. Hierdie studie ondersoek dus die rol van norme en identiteit op Suid-Afrika se buitelandse beleidsbesluite teenoor Zimbabwe met behulp van konstruktivisme as 'n teoretiese raamwerk. Die internasionale betrekkinge teorie van konstruktivisme bied 'n raamwerk vir die analise van die potensiële invloed van norme in internasionale betrekkinge. Konstruktivisme illustreer dat Suid-Afrika se vryheid van aksie bepaal word deur die wisselwerking tussen beleidsakteurs en sosiale kragte met verskillende ideologiese oortuigings oor die staat in die wêreld, die druk wat daarop inwerk en die mate waartoe dit wêreld gebeure kan beïnvloed.

Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs) have occupied a prominent role in the development of rural Zimbabwe since the time of its independence in 1980. NGO work in Zimbabwe currently takes place within the context of a tense and fluid political climate, an economy struggling to recover from crisis, international skepticism toward long-term donor investment in development, and global expectations about the methodologies and accountability measures carried out in intervention-based development work. In the light of the participatory methodologies and empowerment-based development frameworks that dominate the current global expectations for work within the NGO sector, this thesis focuses on the work of one particular NGO working in Zimbabwe, namely, World Vision. The main objective of the thesis is to understand and explain the participatory methods, accountability and effectiveness of World Vision in Zimbabwe (with particular reference to Umzingwane District) and, in doing so, to deepen the theoretical understanding of NGOs as constituting a particular organizational form. World Vision is a large-scale international NGO that has a pronounced presence in Zimbabwe and it is specifically active in Umzingwane District in Matabeleland South Province. The thesis argues that NGOs exist within a complex and tense condition entailing continuous responses to pressures from donors and states that structure their survival. Ultimately, in maneuvering through such pressures, NGOs tend to choose directions which best enable their own sustainability, often at the cost of the deep participatory forms that may heighten the legitimacy of their roles. World Vision Zimbabwe responds to donor trends, national and local expectations of the state and its own organizational expectations by building local government capacity in order to maintain the longevity and measureable outputs of its projects. In doing so, it redefines the concept of participation in pursuing efficient and practical approaches to ‘getting things done’. This compromises deep participatory methodologies and, in essence, alters the practices involved in participatory forms in order to maintain World Vision’s own organizational sustainability and presence in Zimbabwe.

This study investigates the Zimbabwean women listeners of a gender-focused radio programme Nguva yevanhukadzi (Time for Women) to find out what meanings they take from the programme. Located within the broad theoretical framework of cultural studies and drawing on audience reception theories, the study focuses on the ways in which Shona-speaking women bring their understandings of their social roles, derived from their lived socio-cultural experiences of patriarchy, to their decoding of the text. The study was set in Harare’s high-density suburb of Mbare and used the qualitative research methods of individual and focus group interviews. The study was conducted against the backdrop of the signing of the Global Political Agreement (GPA) of September 2008, which ended the impasse among the warring political parties, ZANU PF, MDC-T and MDC and introduced a new era of collectively tackling socio-economic development, including redressing gender disparities through women’s empowerment. This study examines the factors shaping the audiences’ readings of the programme and seeks to establish whether the mass media has determining power on its audience in the reception of messages or if the audiences (women) have interpretive freedom. Using Hall’s (1980) Encoding/ Decoding model, the study examines the factors that influence the audiences’ choice in making preferred, negotiated or oppositional readings and the arguments they advance in line with those readings. While the interviews revealed that most of the female listeners “negotiated” the dominant encoded meanings, seeking their relevance to their varied situations and contexts (O’ Sullivan et al. 1994:152; Ang 1990: 159), of interest is the manner in which the women dealt with the discourse of patriarchy within the context of promoting women empowerment. The contestation between women empowerment and addressing patriarchy reflected the subverted notions of maintaining the status quo, while applauding the women’s commitment and ability to interrogate the practicality of issues under discussion and drawing lessons relevant to their day to day lives prior to making the preferred reading. As such, the study revealed that preferred readings are not always automated, but can be a result of intense interrogation among media audiences.

Thesis (DTech (Marketing))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2013.
During the past few decades, nation branding has emerged as one of the key strategies for national economic development. Many nations across the world, both developed and developing, have embraced the concept as they compete against each other for export markets, foreign direct investment, tourists, scarce human resources and international leverage and influence. Nation branding has now become one of the critical drivers for country differentiation and the creation of sustainable competitive advantages for nations. This thesis explores the concept of nation branding and investigates its applicability to Zimbabwe, a country which has been riddled with various socio-economic and political challenges during the past two decades. The main purpose of the thesis was to develop a model that can be used to re-brand Zimbabwe. This research study adopted a mixed-methods approach through the amalgamation of both qualitative and quantitative research methodologies. A survey questionnaire was administered to respondents who included Zimbabweans as well as people who are not Zimbabwean citizens. The qualitative phase of the research study consisted of depth interviews with various branding practitioners, managers in both the private and public sectors and academics inside and outside of Zimbabwe. Four summarised case studies were also carried out in order to draw lessons from cases of successful and unsuccessful nation branding programmes in different parts of the world. According to the research findings, Zimbabwe has a negative image on the global map. The country needs to be re-branded and the majority of Zimbabweans are willing to be part of this process. However, for the re-branding initiative to be successful there should be a comprehensive transformation of the country's socio-political, economic and legal systems in order to create an enabling environment that is conducive for the effective application of nation branding strategies. The findings further reinforce the notion that re-branding should be part of a broader national economic development strategy for the country. The thesis concludes with the propagation of two models viz, the transformative process model for the re-branding of Zimbabwe and the re-branding as a transformative learning process model.

Death and bereavement are prevalent in Zimbabwe due to HIV/AIDS and other illnesses. It is estimated that a large population of school going learners have lost one or both parents and have become orphans. The aim of the study was two-fold: to understand the bereavement experiences of orphaned learners and to examine how such experiences can inform school counselling services. A multiple case study involving 13 school children and four school counsellors from two secondary schools in Harare Metropolitan Region was conducted. Each of the 17 participants was viewed as a bounded case due to his or her individual unique experiences. An interpretive phenomenological approach was employed to collect and analyse the data. All the cases were purposively selected as they were bearers of crucial information on bereavement experiences and bereavement counselling. The study established nine (9) key findings. First, it was found that the type of attachments and support systems the child had were contributory to the way the child experienced bereavement. Second, it was established that although learners manifested emotional pain, they found it difficult to verbalise it. Third, the study found that cultural practices either exacerbate or work for the better for bereaved children as some were seen to enhance their livelihood whilst some were detrimental and oppressive. Fourth, it was established that bereavement triggered philosophical and reflexive reactions on the part of bereaved children. The deaths of the parents resulted in them reflecting on the three phases of their life trajectories: life before death; at the time of death; and after death. Fifth, it was also established in the study that there was a mismatch in what children and counsellors claimed to be happening in secondary schools pertaining bereavement counselling provisioning. Sixth, the study found that most children did not receive any bereavement counselling in schools. Only three out of the 13 learner cases interviewed in this study had a teacher in the school talk to them about loss of their parents. In some instances, a child’s bereavement was only discovered through the grapevine or when this researcher got to the school. Seventh, it was established that although counsellors were qualified as both teachers and counsellors, they lacked confidence in dealing with sensitive issues such as bereavement. Eighth, the study also found that although there is a lot of death in Zimbabwe the counselling syllabi lacked focus on bereavement counselling. Ninth, it was also discovered that teachers who were not assigned to counselling duties had negative attitudes towards counselling, a matter which has serious consequences for the bereaved learners. Based on the above findings, the study concludes that bereaved children experienced a variety of circumstances that impacted both positively and negatively on their schooling and rendered them in need of bereavement counselling. It also concludes that bereaved learners in selected Harare schools were not receiving adequate bereavement counselling; schools neither had policies nor laid down procedures on bereavement counselling. For further research, the study recommends that there should be research focusing on methodologies designed to access children’s innermost feelings of emotional pain. There should be further research on the nature of the relationship between a child’s bereavement and educational experiences. Studies involving other bereaved populations, such as, children from rural areas and primary school children should be carried out in order to gain insights on how the phenomenon is experienced by different age groups in different contexts. To improve counselling practice in schools, the study recommends that there should be capacity building programmes aimed at assisting teachers to deal with bereavement counselling. School bereavement counselling should explore collaboration with other stakeholders such as peers, care givers and government as well as non-governmental organisations. Above all, the study recommends that schools should be proactive and have school bereavement policies and procedures on bereavement counselling.

This study critically interrogates representations of the San and Tonga in the Chronicle and the NewsDay Southern Edition/Southern Eye newspapers in 2013. It makes sense of how these representations and the journalistic practices that underwrite them position the ethnic groups as ‘minorities’ - in relation to other ethnic groups - within the discourses of Zimbabwean nationalism. Underpinned by a constructionist approach (Hall, 1997), the study makes sense of the San and Tonga identities otherwise silenced by the “bi-modal” (Ndlovu- Gatsheni, 2012: 536; Masunungure, 2006) Shona/Ndebele approach to Zimbabwean nationalism. In socio-historic terms, the study is located within the re-emergence of ‘ethnicity’ to contest Zimbabwean nationalism(s) during debates for the New Constitution leading to a Referendum in March 2013. The thesis draws on social theories that offer explanatory power in studying media representations, which include postcolonial (Bhabha, 1990, 1994; Spivak, 1995), hegemony (Gramsci, 1971), and discourse (Foucault, 1970, 1972; Laclau and Mouffe, 1985) theories. These theories speak to the ways in which discourses about identity, belonging, citizenship and democracy are constructed in situations in which unequal social power is contested. The thesis links journalism practice with the politics of representation drawing on normative theories of journalism (Christians et al, 2009), the professional ideology of journalism (Tuchman, 1972; Golding and Elliot, 1996; Hall et al., 1996), and the concept of journalists as an ‘interpretive community’ (Zelizer, 1993). These theories allow us to unmask the role of journalism’s social power in representation, and map ways in which the agency of the journalists has to be considered in relation to the structural features of the media industry in particular, and society in general. The study is qualitative and proceeds by way of combining a Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) (Fairclough, 1992; Richardson, 2007) and ideological analysis (Thompson, 1990) of eight news texts taken from the two newspapers and in-depth interviews with 13 journalists from the two newspapers. This way we account for the media representations journalists produced: sometimes reproducing stereotypes, at other times, resisting them. Journalists not only regard themselves as belonging to the dominant ethnic groups of Shona or Ndebele, but as part of the middle class; they take Zimbabwean nationalism for granted, reproducing it as common-sense through sourcing patterns dominated by elites. This silences the San and Tonga constructing them as a ‘minority’ through a double play of invisibility and hyper visibility, where they either don’t appear in the news texts or are overly stereotyped.

Thesis (PhD (Education Policy Studies))--University of Stellenbosch, 2010.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The decentralisation of power in education is part of a global process that has become part of the education reform policies of most countries. Decentralisation, which is typified by the redistribution of power to local levels, is claimed to serve a variety of ends from democratization to efficiency, empowerment of stakeholders to improved quality of education. It is, however, a complex process that is difficult to capture as power is seen to manifest in multiple ways. During the nineties Zimbabwe, against the background of a massive increase in enrolments, for a variety of reasons including the improvement of the quality of education, embarked on the re-distribution of administrative and financial power in the Ministry of Education, Sport and Culture. The implementation of this policy revealed major discrepancies between the intentions of government and the way it translated in educational sites. The aim of this study is to explore how the intentions of decentralisation in education as a policy aimed that the improvement of the quality of education is experienced by school principals. An interpretative methodology with in depth interviews, focus groups, some observations and document analysis were employed to engage in the debates about decentralisation. Although this was a small study the findings concurred with studies of decentralisation in other countries where it was found that the re-distribution of power in education manifests differently in different contexts in the same country. In countries such as Zimbabwe where resource limitations and restructuring concomitantly took place the experience of principals revealed that conditions arose that could not be seen to be conducive to the improvement of the quality of education such as the ambiguity of the meaning of who is responsible for what, the power struggles as government was seen to recentralise crucial roles, increased workloads of principals due to the devolving of administrative and supervisory functions to school level, loss of teachers and other specialist functionaries conducive to a drop in standards and the challenge to parents who had to contribute increasingly to enable schooling of their children. These findings are indicative of the claims from studies in other countries that decentralisation as a policy for whatever reason is seldom more than political rhetoric to decentralise conflict. Exploring the intersection between the literature on decentralisation and parental involvement of education, however, revealed the opening up of other spaces that enabled local power relations to develop in creative ways as parents got increasingly involved in schools. Apart from the challenges related to the redistribution of power as authority delegated, devolved or deconcentrated from government, this study revealed that power manifests in relations and interactions not necessarily ascribed to the intentions of policy, neither as a substance or function only.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die desentralisering van mag in die onderwys maak deel uit van ʼn wêreldwye proses van onderwyshervorming. Desentralisasie, wat deur die herverspreiding van mag na plaaslike vlakke gekenmerk word, is veronderstel om aan ʼn verskeidenheid doele te beantwoord – van demokratisering tot die verhoging van doeltreffendheid, die bemagtiging van belanghebbendes, en die verbetering van onderwysgehalte. Desentralisasie is egter ‘n komplekse proses waaraan moeilik uitvoering gegee kan word, aangesien mag in verskeie gedaantes voorkom. In die negentigerjare het Zimbabwe, teen die agtergrond van ʼn drastiese toename in inskrywings, die herverspreiding van administratiewe en finansiële mag in die Ministerie van Onderwys, Sport en Kultuur onderneem. Dié stap is aan verskillende redes toegeskryf, waaronder die verbetering van onderwysgehalte. Die toepassing van die beleid het egter groot teenstrydighede aan die lig gebring tussen die regering se voornemens, en hoe dié voornemens uiteindelik prakties in onderwysinstellings ten uitvoer gebring is. Die doel van hierdie studie is om skoolhoofde se ervaring van onderwysdesentralisasie as beleid te ondersoek. Die studie is vanuit ‘n interpreterende benadering gedoen met diepte-onderhoude, fokusgroepe, ʼn paar waarnemings sowel as dokumentontleding. Ongeag die beperkte omvang van die studie, stem die bevindinge ooreen met dié van navorsing oor desentralisasie in ander lande, waar bevind is dat herverspreiding van mag in dieselfde land in verskillende kontekste verskillend realiseer. In lande soos Zimbabwe, waar herstrukturering te midde van hulpbronbeperkinge plaasgevind het, het skoolhoofde bepaalde omstandighede ervaar wat nié die verbetering van onderwysgehalte sou kon bevorder het nie. Dít sluit in onsekerheid oor die onderskeie partye se verantwoordelikhede; die magstryd toe die regering kernrolle sentraal beheer; swaarder werklaste vir skoolhoofde nadat administratiewe en toesigfunksies na skoolvlak afgewentel is; ʼn verlies aan onderwysers en ander spesialisamptenare, wat op sy beurt standaarde laat daal het, en ouers se groter verantwoordelikheid om al hoe meer by te dra ten einde hulle kinders se opvoeding te verseker. Hierdie bevindinge strook ook met dié van studies in ander lande, naamlik dat desentralisering as ʼn beleid om watter rede ook al selde meer is as politieke retoriek ten einde konflik te desentraliseer. Nadere ondersoek van die verband tussen navorsing oor desentralisasie, en dié oor ouerbetrokkenheid by onderwys het egter daarop gedui dat desentralisering wel nuwe moontlikhede kan ontsluit vir die skeppende ontwikkeling van plaaslike magsverhoudinge namate ouers al hoe meer by skole betrokke raak. Buiten die uitdagings met betrekking tot die herverspreiding van mag namate regeringsgesag gedelegeer, afgewentel of gedekonsentreer word, dui dié studie daarop dat mag soms ook in verhoudinge en wisselwerkings geopenbaar word wat nie noodwendig met die voornemens van die beleid verband hou nie, en dit mag voorts nie as net substansie of net funksie tot uiting kom nie.

This study assessed the implementation of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Programmes for primary school teachers in Zomba Rural Education District in Malawi. The study arose from a concern that, despite the Government of Malawi putting in place structures to facilitate the implementation of CPD for primary school teachers, research has shown that teachers have not improved their classroom practice. As a result, there has been poor learner performance at all levels of the primary education system to the extent that learners scored the lowest in the 2005 international examinations for the Southern Africa Development Community. From the literature, it appears that no thorough and conclusive studies to look into the issues behind the implementation of CPD programmes in Malawi have been conducted. Hence the researcher was motivated to assess how the CPD programmes are implemented with the view to explore better ways of implementing CPD programmes for teachers that can result in teacher change. The study was placed within the post-positivism paradigm and used a mixed method research design that incorporated concurrent procedures in the collection, analysis and interpretation of the data. Questionnaires were used to collect quantitative data while qualitative data were collected through interviews, focus group discussions, CPD observations and document analysis. A total of 798 teachers filled the questionnaires. This figure represented 47% of the total number of teachers in the district. The researcher conducted 34 focus group discussions with teachers from various schools. She also held interviews with 34 head teachers and CPD programme facilitators (12 Primary Education Advisors and 3 CPD facilitators from organizations). Other interviews were held with the District Education Manager, the Coordinating Primary Education Advisor, the Coordinator of the New Curriculum, and the Coordinator for the Department of Teacher Education and Development. Further, the researcher made 3 CPD observations. The study revealed weaknesses in the implementation of CPD programmes for teachers in the district. Generally the study noted that there was much emphasis on the transmissive model of CPD implementation, to the neglect of transitional and transformative models such that the personal, social and occupational aspects of professional learning were not holistically considered in the programme designs. Specifically, the duration of the programmes was found to be inadequate for meaningful assimilation of new knowledge and skills; the expertise of facilitators was sometimes questionable; and the use of the cascade mode left teachers unsure and with knowledge gaps. Further, the study noted that the monitoring and support mechanisms for the programmes were weak; the consultation processes for teacher inputs in the CPD programme designs were dismal; and the welfare of teachers at the CPD venues was poorly handled.. At school level the study revealed that the teaching and learning environment compounded the problem of teachers’ difficulty in implementing what they learnt from CPD training. Large classes, inadequate teachers, lack of teaching and learning resources, limited infrastructure, lack of accommodation for teachers, lack of support from colleagues and learner absenteeism were some of the factors hindering implementation of CPD programmes at school level. The study has put forth recommendations for the effective implementation of CPD programmes for teachers in the district. Furthermore, based on the findings of the study and an extensive literature search, the researcher has suggested an alternative model for CPD implementation that can result in teacher change. Overall there is need for collaborative effort among stakeholders in education to ensure effective delivery of CPDs and their subsequent translation into practice at classroom level.

The focus of this study is to explore and expand farmer learning processes in sustainable agriculture workplace contexts. It examines change oriented learning processes in the context of three sustainable agriculture practices. The study begins by discussing the history and emergence of environmental discourses and approaches; sustainable agriculture; and the histories of three kinds of sustainable agriculture practices: Permaculture, Organic Farming and Machobane Farming System. It also traces the evolution of agricultural extension approaches within the wider context of education for sustainable development. The main focus of the study is an exploration of how farmer learning can be mediated through an expansive learning process. The study methodology surfaces some of the contradictions in sustainable agriculture and learning activity systems that farmers encounter in learning and practising sustainable agriculture. It uses these contradictions as sources of expansive learning in and between the respective activity systems of farmers, sustainable agriculture facilitators, agricultural extension workers (conventional) and organic entrepreneurs. As shown in the study, the expansive learning processes result in the modelling, implementation and reviewing of solutions to contradictions being faced in the learning and practice of sustainable agriculture. The study also proposes a number of tools that can be adapted and used by development farmers and agricultural trainers to examine and expand learning as well as build farmer agency. The study was conducted in three case study sites in Lesotho, South Africa and Zimbabwe. In Zimbabwe the study is located in Hwedza district in the St Margaret Primary School and community that learn, practise and facilitate the learning of Permaculture within the Schools and Colleges Permaculture Programme (SCOPE). The second study site is in South Africa: Durban urban and peri-urban areas where a community of organic farmers, facilitators and entrepreneurs coordinate the marketing of their produce through Isidore Farm and Earth Mother Organic and support each other to learn and practise organic farming. The third study site is based in the Mafeteng and Mohale‟s Hoek districts of Lesotho where the focus was on farmers who learn and practise the Machobane Farming System (MFS) and are supported in this by the Rural Self Development Association (RSDA) and the Machobane Agricultural Development Foundation (MADF). Drawing on three sensitising concepts of dialectics, reflexivity and agency, the study worked with Cultural Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) underpinned by critical realism to reveal how farmer learning is mediated and expanded. The theory of practice/habitus also provided a useful theoretical lens with which to examine data generated. Using a two-phased, multiple embedded case study approach, the study worked within the broad framework of social learning. It used semi-structured individual and group interviews, observations and document analysis to explore learning processes and generate „mirror‟ data. This data was then used in Change Laboratory Workshops, within the Developmental Work Research methodology, where double stimulation and focus group discussions contributed to expanding learning processes. Drawing on critical realism the study used inductive, abductive and retroductive modes of inference to analyse data in each case study as well as across case studies. The findings of the study reveal that farmer learning is influenced by both intrinsic motives, such as identity, and extrinsic motives which are primarily associated with economic, ecological and health benefits. Farmers learn through scaffolding and mediating tools that link everyday and scientific knowledge. They also learn from fellow farmers through observation, practising and experimentation. Some of the issues that were raised in connection with farmer learning processes are: language; time to learn, practice and appropriate concepts; time to improve the natural resource base while at the same time improving income generation; and responses to climate change. The study also found that farmer learning and practice of sustainable agriculture in the case studies investigated, is influenced by past and current agricultural and educational policies; societal values and attitudes; social and cultural backgrounds; work affordances and gender relations; quality of training offered; poverty; and, HIV and AIDS. In the second phase of the study, which built on the problematic situations being encountered by research participants (sustainable agriculture farmers, sustainable agriculture facilitators, extension workers, and organic marketers) to surface contradictions, the main finding was that the expansive learning process has potential to enhance farmer learning and practice of sustainable agriculture. It does this by mobilising distributed cognition among participants as well as their preparedness to act. Through the expansive learning processes in each case study, research participants were able to question their practices, surface contradictions, model solutions and implement them, and thus build individual, collective and relational agency reflexively. Observation of this required micro-analysis of agentive talk and reflective talk. The study contributes in-depth insight into participatory research and learning processes, especially within the context of people-centred learning and innovation in the agricultural development arena. It provides empirical and explanatory insight into how change oriented social learning can emerge and be expanded in Education for Sustainable Development, explaining learning and change relationships in three sustainable agricultural practices. It also provides learning and extension tools to work with contradictions that arise from intentionality, experience, context and history in farming and training activity systems. Its key contribution lies in providing in-depth insight into mobilisation of human agency and reflexivity in change oriented sustainable agriculture learning and development, processes that are critical for responding to contemporary socio-ecological issues and risks.

Thesis (MA (Political Science))--University of Stellenbosch, 2010.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This thesis is a study of the South African government‘s response toward Zimbabwean immigration, focusing on the period from 2000 to July 2009. The aim is to shed light on why the government has acted in the manner that it has, using a human security framework. South Africa‘s legal obligations under international, regional, and domestic law are investigated and the ethical debate concerning issues of entrance and borders is explored. Concepts of morality, universality, and human dignity are central to this discussion. Against this backdrop, the Zimbabwean migration is briefly analysed in terms of push and pull factors and numbers; and the legal debate concerning the classification of Zimbabweans is explored. The challenges Zimbabweans face in South Africa and how the government has dealt with the Zimbabwean immigration is covered. Key actors from civil society and government are interviewed in an attempt to engage opinions about the government‘s response. The main opinions as to why the government has responded in the manner it has are then discussed and other factors are considered. Issues of solidarity, land reform, and South Africa‘s involvement in the Zimbabwean mediation process are some of the factors considered. The conclusion of this study is that the South African government has not succeeded in meeting its legal obligations nor acted ethically concerning Zimbabwean immigrants. The particular sentiments of ex-president Thabo Mbeki, the solidarity amongst national liberation movements, regional considerations, and the capitalist interests of some South Africans are factors that carry the most weight in explaining the South African government‘s response to the Zimbabwean crisis and its subsequent migrants.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie tesis is 'n studie van die Suid-Afrikaanse regering se reaksie op die immigrasie van Zimbabwiërs na Suid-Afrika, met die klem op die tydperk tussen 2000 en Julie 2009. Die doel is om lig te werp op die regering se optrede in dié tydperk aan die hand van 'n menslike veiligheidsnetwerk. Suid-Afrika se regsverpligtinge onder internasionale, streek- en plaaslike reg, sowel as die etiese debat rakende kwessies soos die binnekoms van immigrante en grense, word ondersoek. Konsepte van moraliteit, universaliteit en menslike waardigheid , staan sentraal tot hierdie bespreking. Teen hierdie agtergrond word die Zimbabwiese migrasie kortliks ontleed in terme van die stukrag-en-trefkrag faktore en getalle; en word die regsdebat oor die klassifisering van Zimbabwiërs onder die loep geneem. Die uitdagings wat Zimbabwiërs in Suid-Afrika in die gesig staar en hoe die regering Zimbabiese immigrasie hanteer het, word bekyk. Onderhoude is gevoer met sleutelspelers in die burgerlike samelewing en die regering in ‗n poging om agter die kap van die byl te kom met betrekking tot die regering se reaksie op Zimbabwiese immigrasie. Die belangrikste standpunte ten opsigte van die regering se optrede word dan bespreek in die lig van faktore soos solidariteit, grondhervorming, en Suid-Afrika se betrokkenheid by die Zimbabwiese mediasieproses. Die gevolgtrekking van hierdie studie is dat die Suid-Afrikaanse regering nie daarin geslaag het om sy regsverpligtinge na te kom nie, en nie eties korrek opgetree het nie met betrekking tot Zimbabwiese immigrante. Die sentimente van oudpres. Thabo Mbeki, die solidariteit onder die nasionale bevrydingsbewegings, en die kapitalistiese belange van sekere Suid-Afrikaners, is van die belangrikste faktore aan die hand waarvan die Suid-Afrikaanse regering se reaksie op die Zimbabwiese immigrasie-krisis verklaar word.

A dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of a Master of Arts (MA) in Migration and Displacement by research and coursework, School of Social Sciences, Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand, March 2018
In this paper, I argue that the denationalization project which occurred in Zimbabwe between 2001 to 2013 brought with it new forms of citizenship, with the stateless persons engaging in network-building in order to navigate space and claim rights. Through a ‘mini-ethnographic study’ involving six participants who stayed in Zimbabwe despite being rendered stateless, this paper argues that spatial navigation and rights claiming is done through the assertion of agency akin to Ranciere’s ‘dissensus’, with stateless individuals fulfilling their revolutionary potential. This paper goes further to rebut current international and state centric strategies when dealing with statelessness. I suggest that a more community-based approach will assist in ensuring that statelessness and its inimical effects are addressed at the appropriate level.
XL2019

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Arts.
This paper analyses the music of Oliver Mtukudzi in order to ascertain how he uses his music as a means of addressing the socio-political issues in Zimbabwe. Mtukudzi's music has, for decades now, been thought to reflect and voice the realities of life in Zimbabwe. Particular emphasis has been placed on the lyrics because they contain the messages of the songs. An evaluation of the music and its addressivity in conjunction with the lyrics is also examined to determine how Mtukudzi uses them both as ways of enhancing the message in the songs. Using the theory of addressivity the paper looks at the nature of this address within the songs chosen for evaluation within the paper. Similarly the virtual audience, as distinguishable from real audiences, of Mtukudzi' s address is taken cognisance of in order to, not only verify the addressivity already discussed, but also to assess how extensive the audience's influence is in determining the songs that the artist writes. Using songs from recordings from the last five years I look specifically at how he deals with themes about women, children, HIV/AIDS and politics in his music and how this is used to address and reflect the social realities of Zimbabwe.
Andrew Chakane 2019

A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, February 2017
This study is about the ways Gukurahundi memory is invoked by Zimbabwean migrants living in Johannesburg, South Africa. The research focused on inner city Johannesburg residents who are actively speaking about the Gukurahundi. Participants were drawn from three main migrant groups; Zimbabwe Action Movement, Mthwakazi Liberation Front and Ithemba leSizwe. Two artworks produced to document the atrocities; a film, The Tunnel, written and produced by an ‘outsider’ white South African filmmaker and music, Inkulu lendaba, written and performed by victims of the violence, were used as case studies; to answer questions about the meaning, role and appropriate form for remembering Gukurahundi in Johannesburg today. The Tunnel has enjoyed a global audience whereas Inkulu lendaba, remains within the victims’ locality. Findings of this study are drawn from participant observation of victims’ community events, in-depth interviews, focus group discussions and, an analysis and comparison of the artworks and their reception by victims. One of the key findings of this study focusing on contestation over how a history is narrated is that translation plays a significant role in maintaining global inequality and continuing forms of colonialism. The memory of Gukurahundi is invoked, partially translated, in the music to critique continuing forms of colonial inequality in the ways narratives of victimhood are received by the global audience highlighting a shortcoming in the film, which translates the story of Gukurahundi for a global audience yet causing it to lose its authenticity for the victims. The music by victims narrates the experience of being a victim of Gukurahundi, a migrant in xenophobic South Africa and black in a racist global community. In this way it postures the socio-economic location of the victims in the global community as the reason for their victimhood and its lack of acknowledgement. This socio-economic location is therefore pivotal to their healing. The study contributes to literature on post conflict transition mechanisms and foregrounds the role of acknowledgement in healing however; specific forms of narration are required for healing. Furthermore the study shows the role of music in the transmission of trauma across generations, facilitating the domestication of politics into the everyday and fostering ‘safe’ political participation in repressive contexts. The thesis also presents the potential of creative methodologies in disrupting the researcher-participant relationship power dynamics by presenting research in poetic form and facilitating participant engagement with research output; Poetic transcription similarly does this by creating transparency in the meaning making process of research analysis.
XL2018

Abstract With Harare, Zimbabwe, as my reference city, the aim of the study was to explore and substantiate how architecture and landscape can work together to facilitate platforms for the interaction between ‘‘people and nature’’ and ‘‘amongst the people’’. The theoretical themes that helped guide the investigation are phenomenology, place attachment, ecotherapy, healing environments, environmental psychology and sustainability. Over the years Harare has suffered economic downturn which has led to a rapid disintegration of its socio-economic and biophysical systems including physical infrastructure. This has negatively affected the people, creating an atmosphere of disconnection and apathy towards their environment and to each other. The study pursues the objective of a sustainable antidote for the city through development of a healing environment that would rejuvenate, reconnect and inspire the people of Harare to pursue sustainable life styles. Through renewed and reinvigorated relationships, the people can then begin to build one another and in turn develop a positive attitude towards their environment. No matter what the circumstances we are constantly drawn and connected to nature and to each other in a manner similar to what is often captured under the African spirit of Ubuntu. The design intervention developed into a Therapy Performing Arts Centre embedded in the landscape of an open public space in the city. The spaces engage with nature in order to create a sensual experience that seeks to tone down the pace of the people and get them to appreciate their surroundings and one another. The driving concept for the design was reconnecting through moments of pause and motion. The spaces were inspired by the existing paths as guidelines thus allowing the building and nature to be woven together through experiential journeys within the spaces provided. Embedding the building in the landscape allowed for the creation of an intimate connection to nature in order to re-ignite the humannature relationship and thus restoring balance, development and renewal to the health circle. In turn, and over time, this would begin to heal the human-to-human relationships as well.
MN (2016)

In partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Master of Arts (Migration and Displacement) by Coursework and Research Report, August 2017
In Zimbabwe, the past two decades have been characterized by a growing flow of refugees into the country from other parts of the continent such as Burundi, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Rwanda, and Somalia. Drawing from the biomedical model, prevailing discourses about mental health posit that after going through traumatic experiences in the wartorn regions of the world, refugees and asylum seekers are particularly vulnerable to developing mental health problems and are, therefore, in need of counselling and psychosocial services. This assumption has guided, and has subsequently been supported by, several studies conducted in the Global North, and there is generally a lack of local literature and research that either confirm or challenge the assumption in Southern Africa. This research was prompted by such a substantial research gap and therefore seeks to examine the perceptions of refugees regarding mental health and access to care. The study identified Tongogara Refugee Camp as the study site and targeted adult individuals aged 18 and above, residing in the camp, as well as officials from the Zimbabwean Ministry of Public Service, Labor and Social Welfare, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Christian Care, Jesuit Refugee Services (JRS), International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), clinic officials as well as faith-based leaders. The access to health care framework (McIntyre, Thiede, & Birch, 2009), was used as the basis and theoretical framework for this research to explore the various factors determining availability, affordability and acceptability. The overall methodology employed was the qualitative approach and the case study research design. Respondents were recruited through the purposive sampling method and semi-structured interviews were used for data gathering. Thematic content analysis yielded participants’ perceptions of mental health and access to care through their descriptions of pre-migration trauma and post-migration stress as the major causes of mental illness, and expressions of mental illness such as sadness, worrying, wandering aimlessly through the camp, talking too much and violence. The study sheds light on the problems of medicalizing distress and human suffering, particularly the limitations of the biomedical model of mental health treatment. Camp residents mainly rely on spirituality and social support for coping with mental health. Several issues, relating to all the dimensions of the concept of access were identified, including language barriers, temporary solution to a permanent problem, lengthy waiting times, as well as ill-treatment at the camp clinic. Recommendations include the key need to be cautious about the importation of Western biomedical approaches, the need to pay more attention to the prevention of mental health problems and the promotion of mental health through action on the social determinants of health, the need for language interpreter services at the camp clinic, the need for improved engagement with refugee families, and the need for resettlement. Such information may help add to the body of available literature on refugee and asylum seekers’ access to health services and to literature that is exploring the development of appropriate responses to mental wellbeing in the Southern African context.
XL2018

Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Management Science: Public Management (Peace-building), Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa, 2016.
The purpose of the study was to assess or investigate the forms, causes and effects of violence towards lone women from Pumula Township, Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. In finding these it seeks to prevent violence towards these lone women. It is noted that structural male dominant culture and inequality are the major causes of violence towards lone women in Pumula; this is also similar in Sub-Saharan Africa. Many studies on lone women have been done worldwide and to the best of my knowledge, none that seeks for substantive solutions has been done in Bulawayo. This study was exploratory and qualitative in nature. This was done through a forum, focus group interviews and personal interviews. The data in the forum was collected by an advisory team and the researcher was the facilitator in all interviews. The major method of data collection was the focus group interviews. Also for triangulation purposes, and to complement the focus group interviews, individual interviews were done. Stakeholders’ workshops and lone women workshops were conducted to propose the means that could be used to reduce violence against lone women. Ethical standards were observed during the study. The findings of the study indicate that violence towards lone women is caused by a patriarchal culture and the social norms that make lone women to be stigmatised, ostracised and discriminated against because of their status. The confiscation of their property after the death of their spouses, or divorce, the struggle to shelter and care for their children often causes lone women ill-health and low self-esteem. They also find it difficult to find time for self as they are the breadwinners. It was proposed that the community and the lone women work together to curb violence against lone women and to combat all the injustices that are happening within society. Women empowerment and development can eradicate violence against the lone women.
M

Lolu cwaningo luhlose ukuhlola izingqinamba zezenhlalo nezomnotho abesifazane basemakhaya abaseZimbabwe ababhekana nazo. Abesifazane basemakhaya bakhishwa inyumbazane emphakathini futhi bakhishwa inyumbazane ezinhlelweni zokuthuthukisa umphakathi, ngenxa yalokho izindima zabo zicekelwa phansi namazwi abo ezintweni ezibathintayo ayenziwa buthaka. Izici ezifana nesomiso esiqhubekayo, ukungabi bikho kwezinsizakusebenza, isiko nesimo sezulu esingesihle seziqhubekile nokubeka isikhundla sabesifazane basemakhaya engcupheni. Ukuziphilisa ngokulima kube ngomunye wemisebenzi emikhulu eyenziwa ngabesifazane basemakhaya ekukhiqizweni kokudla emakhaya, kepha lokhu bekungalethi imiphumela elindelwe kakhulu ngenxa yokuntuleka komanyolo nemishini yokukhuthaza isivuno esingcono. Ucwaningo lusebenzise indlela ephathelene nesimo futhi kwaqoqwa nemininingwane ngezingxoxo zocingo ngokuya ngamaphrothokholi woKhuvethe Alert Level 3. Lolu cwaningo luveza izinselelo eziningi zezenhlalo nezomnotho abesifazane besemakhaya eZimbabwe ababhekana nazo. Imiphumela yalolu cwaningo ikhombisa ukuthi abesifazane basakhishwa inyumbazane emikhakheni eminingi yemisebenzi yokuthuthukisa umphakathi ngenxa yezinqubomgomo ezingazinaki izidingo zabo. Ucwaningo lukhombe ukuthi abesifazane basemakhaya bahlala besengozini futhi bavuleleke kumazinga aphezulu obuphofu njengoba behluleka ukuthola ukwesekwa okudingeka kakhulu kubayeni babo, abaholi bomphakathi kanye nohulumeni kazwelonke ngezinqubomgomo zabo ezibahlukanisile. Ngendlela yokukhishwa ngaphandle kwezenhlalo, amalungelo abesifazane aphuliwe futhi isithunzi sabo sonakalisiwe futhi sancishiswa, ngoba nje benganikwanga ukwesekwa okudingekayo ukuze babandakanyeke ekuthathweni kwezinqumo kwezepolitiki. Amagama asemqoka afana nokuba sengozini, ubuphofu ngokuphelele nokuvalelwa ngaphandle emphakathini kuchazwa njengezinye zezinto ezibe nomthelela ebuphofini besifazane basemakhaya. Izinhlelo zomphakathi iv ziqhubekile nokubeka abesifazane enhluphekweni futhi bahlala njengeqembu elizimele elihluleka ukubamba iqhaza ngokugcwele futhi lisizakale ezikhungweni zomphakathi. Okutholakele ocwaningweni kunikeza ezinye izindlela ezihlukile njengezindlela zokubhekana nabesifazane basemakhaya okudingeka bazilandele ukuze benze kangcono ngokwesimo sabo sobumpofu. Izisombululo ezahlukahlukene ezingaba khona njengoba amasu okubhekana nazo nezinhlelo zokungenelela zichaziwe ocwaningweni. Ukuze ekugcineni ngikwazi ukusho ukuthi igebe lobuphofu kubantu besifazane selivaliwe, kuzodingeka izinqubomgomo ezinamandla ezingekho lapho ngenjongo yokuhlobisa kuphela kepha ezifuna ukubhekana nokwenza ngcono amazinga okungalingani osekuyisikhathi eside kuthinta abesifazane basemakhaya. Lezi zinqubomgomo kuzofanele zisetshenziswe ngendlela efanele ukubhekana nezidingo nezinselelo zabesifazane basemakhaya.
Lolu cwaningo luhlose ukuhlola izingqinamba zezenhlalo nezomnotho abesifazane basemakhaya abaseZimbabwe ababhekana nazo. Abesifazane basemakhaya bakhishwa inyumbazane emphakathini futhi bakhishwa inyumbazane ezinhlelweni zokuthuthukisa umphakathi, ngenxa yalokho izindima zabo zicekelwa phansi namazwi abo ezintweni ezibathintayo ayenziwa buthaka. Izici ezifana nesomiso esiqhubekayo, ukungabi bikho kwezinsizakusebenza, isiko nesimo sezulu esingesihle seziqhubekile nokubeka isikhundla sabesifazane basemakhaya engcupheni. Ukuziphilisa ngokulima kube ngomunye wemisebenzi emikhulu eyenziwa ngabesifazane basemakhaya ekukhiqizweni kokudla emakhaya, kepha lokhu bekungalethi imiphumela elindelwe kakhulu ngenxa yokuntuleka komanyolo nemishini yokukhuthaza isivuno esingcono. Ucwaningo lusebenzise indlela ephathelene nesimo futhi kwaqoqwa nemininingwane ngezingxoxo zocingo ngokuya ngamaphrothokholi woKhuvethe Alert Level 3. Lolu cwaningo luveza izinselelo eziningi zezenhlalo nezomnotho abesifazane besemakhaya eZimbabwe ababhekana nazo. Imiphumela yalolu cwaningo ikhombisa ukuthi abesifazane basakhishwa inyumbazane emikhakheni eminingi yemisebenzi yokuthuthukisa umphakathi ngenxa yezinqubomgomo ezingazinaki izidingo zabo. Ucwaningo lukhombe ukuthi abesifazane basemakhaya bahlala besengozini futhi bavuleleke kumazinga aphezulu obuphofu njengoba behluleka ukuthola ukwesekwa okudingeka kakhulu kubayeni babo, abaholi bomphakathi kanye nohulumeni kazwelonke ngezinqubomgomo zabo ezibahlukanisile. Ngendlela yokukhishwa ngaphandle kwezenhlalo, amalungelo abesifazane aphuliwe futhi isithunzi sabo sonakalisiwe futhi sancishiswa, ngoba nje benganikwanga ukwesekwa okudingekayo ukuze babandakanyeke ekuthathweni kwezinqumo kwezepolitiki. Amagama asemqoka afana nokuba sengozini, ubuphofu ngokuphelele nokuvalelwa ngaphandle emphakathini kuchazwa njengezinye zezinto ezibe nomthelela ebuphofini besifazane basemakhaya. Izinhlelo zomphakathi iv ziqhubekile nokubeka abesifazane enhluphekweni futhi bahlala njengeqembu elizimele elihluleka ukubamba iqhaza ngokugcwele futhi lisizakale ezikhungweni zomphakathi. Okutholakele ocwaningweni kunikeza ezinye izindlela ezihlukile njengezindlela zokubhekana nabesifazane basemakhaya okudingeka bazilandele ukuze benze kangcono ngokwesimo sabo sobumpofu. Izisombululo ezahlukahlukene ezingaba khona njengoba amasu okubhekana nazo nezinhlelo zokungenelela zichaziwe ocwaningweni. Ukuze ekugcineni ngikwazi ukusho ukuthi igebe lobuphofu kubantu besifazane selivaliwe, kuzodingeka izinqubomgomo ezinamandla ezingekho lapho ngenjongo yokuhlobisa kuphela kepha ezifuna ukubhekana nokwenza ngcono amazinga okungalingani osekuyisikhathi eside kuthinta abesifazane basemakhaya. Lezi zinqubomgomo kuzofanele zisetshenziswe ngendlela efanele ukubhekana nezidingo nezinselelo zabesifazane basemakhaya
Lolu cwaningo luhlose ukuhlola izingqinamba zezenhlalo nezomnotho abesifazane basemakhaya abaseZimbabwe ababhekana nazo. Abesifazane basemakhaya bakhishwa inyumbazane emphakathini futhi bakhishwa inyumbazane ezinhlelweni zokuthuthukisa umphakathi, ngenxa yalokho izindima zabo zicekelwa phansi namazwi abo ezintweni ezibathintayo ayenziwa buthaka. Izici ezifana nesomiso esiqhubekayo, ukungabi bikho kwezinsizakusebenza, isiko nesimo sezulu esingesihle seziqhubekile nokubeka isikhundla sabesifazane basemakhaya engcupheni. Ukuziphilisa ngokulima kube ngomunye wemisebenzi emikhulu eyenziwa ngabesifazane basemakhaya ekukhiqizweni kokudla emakhaya, kepha lokhu bekungalethi imiphumela elindelwe kakhulu ngenxa yokuntuleka komanyolo nemishini yokukhuthaza isivuno esingcono. Ucwaningo lusebenzise indlela ephathelene nesimo futhi kwaqoqwa nemininingwane ngezingxoxo zocingo ngokuya ngamaphrothokholi woKhuvethe Alert Level 3. Lolu cwaningo luveza izinselelo eziningi zezenhlalo nezomnotho abesifazane besemakhaya eZimbabwe ababhekana nazo. Imiphumela yalolu cwaningo ikhombisa ukuthi abesifazane basakhishwa inyumbazane emikhakheni eminingi yemisebenzi yokuthuthukisa umphakathi ngenxa yezinqubomgomo ezingazinaki izidingo zabo. Ucwaningo lukhombe ukuthi abesifazane basemakhaya bahlala besengozini futhi bavuleleke kumazinga aphezulu obuphofu njengoba behluleka ukuthola ukwesekwa okudingeka kakhulu kubayeni babo, abaholi bomphakathi kanye nohulumeni kazwelonke ngezinqubomgomo zabo ezibahlukanisile. Ngendlela yokukhishwa ngaphandle kwezenhlalo, amalungelo abesifazane aphuliwe futhi isithunzi sabo sonakalisiwe futhi sancishiswa, ngoba nje benganikwanga ukwesekwa okudingekayo ukuze babandakanyeke ekuthathweni kwezinqumo kwezepolitiki. Amagama asemqoka afana nokuba sengozini, ubuphofu ngokuphelele nokuvalelwa ngaphandle emphakathini kuchazwa njengezinye zezinto ezibe nomthelela ebuphofini besifazane basemakhaya. Izinhlelo zomphakathi iv ziqhubekile nokubeka abesifazane enhluphekweni futhi bahlala njengeqembu elizimele elihluleka ukubamba iqhaza ngokugcwele futhi lisizakale ezikhungweni zomphakathi. Okutholakele ocwaningweni kunikeza ezinye izindlela ezihlukile njengezindlela zokubhekana nabesifazane basemakhaya okudingeka bazilandele ukuze benze kangcono ngokwesimo sabo sobumpofu. Izisombululo ezahlukahlukene ezingaba khona njengoba amasu okubhekana nazo nezinhlelo zokungenelela zichaziwe ocwaningweni. Ukuze ekugcineni ngikwazi ukusho ukuthi igebe lobuphofu kubantu besifazane selivaliwe, kuzodingeka izinqubomgomo ezinamandla ezingekho lapho ngenjongo yokuhlobisa kuphela kepha ezifuna ukubhekana nokwenza ngcono amazinga okungalingani osekuyisikhathi eside kuthinta abesifazane basemakhaya. Lezi zinqubomgomo kuzofanele zisetshenziswe ngendlela efanele ukubhekana nezidingo nezinselelo zabesifazane basemakhaya
Ngudo i ṱoḓa u wanulusa khaedu dza ikonomi ya matshilisano dzine vhafumakadzi vha vhuponi ha mahayani kha ḽa Zimbabwe vha livhana nadzo. Vhafumakadzi vha vhuponi ha mahayani a vho ngo katelwa kha matshilisano na u siwa nnḓa kha mbekanyamushumo dza mveledziso ya tshitshavha, nga nṱhani ha zwenezwo mishumo yavho i dzhielwa fhasi na musi vha tshi amba zwine zwa vha kwama zwi thudzelwa kule. Nyimele dzi ngaho sa gomelelo ḽi sa gumi, u shayea ha zwiko, mvelele na mihumbulo ya poḽotiki i sa takadzi zwo ḓi bvela phanḓa na u vhea vhafumakadzi vha vhuponi ha mahayani kha vhuimo ha khombo. Vhuḓilimeli ho vha muṅwe wa mishumo mihulwane ine vhafumakadzi vha vhuponi ha mahayani vha ita kha mveledzazwiḽiwa muṱani, fhedzi hezwi a zwo ngo bveledza mvelelo dze dza vha dzo lavhelelwa zwihulu zwo itiswa nga nṱhani ha u shaya zwishumiswa na manyoro u bveledza khaṋo dza khwine. Ṱhoḓisiso yo shumisa kuitele kwa ngona ya khwaḽithethivi ngeno data yo kuvhanganywa nga kha inthaviwu dza luṱingo u ya nga matshimbidzele a u Dzhiela nṱha Vhuimo ha 3 ha Covid-19. Ngudo yo wanulusa khaedu dzo vhalaho dza ikonomi ya matshilisano dzine vhafumakadzi vha vhuponi ha mahayani kha ḽa Zimbabwe vha livhana nadzo. Mvelelo dza ngudo dzo sumbedzisa uri vhafumakadzi vha kha ḓivha vho siwa nnḓa kha masia manzhi a mveledziso dza tshitshavha nga nṱhani ha mbekanyamaitele dzine dza sa dzhiele nṱha ṱhoḓea dzavho. Ngudo yo topola zwauri vhafumakadzi vha vhuponi ha mahayani vha dzula vhe khomboni na u ṱanea kha vhuimo ha vhushai vhuhulwane musi vha tshi kundelwa u wana thikhedzo khulwanesa ine vha i ṱoḓa u bva kha vhafarisi vhavho, vharangaphanḓa vha zwitshavha na muvhuso wa lushaka nga kha mbekanyamaitele dzawo dze dza vha khethelula. Nga kha u siwa nnḓa kha matshilisano, pfanelo dza vhafumakadzi dzo pfukekanya ngeno tshirunzi vi tshavho tsho tsitsela fhasi na u hoṱefhadzwa, ngauri a vho ngo ṋetshedzwa thikhedzo yo teaho u dzhenelela kha tsheo dza zwa poḽotiki. Maipfi a ndeme a ngaho sa u vha khomboni, vhushai ha vhukuma na u sa katelwa kha matshilisano zwo ṱalutshedzwa sa dziṅwe dza nyimele dzo shelaho mulenzhe kha vhushai ha vhafumakadzi vha vhuponi ha mahayani. Sisiṱeme ya matshilisano yo bvela phanḓa na u ṱana vhushai ha vhafumakadzi na u dzula vhe tshigwada tsho khethululwaho tsho kundelwaho u dzhenelela tshoṱhe na u vhuelwa kha zwiimiswa zwa matshilisano. Mawanwa a ngudo o ṋetshedza nḓila dza u ṱhaḓula dzo fhambanaho sa zwiṱirathedzhi zwa u tshila zwine vhafumakadzi vha vhuponi ha mahayani vha ṱoḓa u zwi tevhela u itela u ita zwa khwine kha vhuimo havho ha vhushai. Khonadzeo dzo fhambanaho dza thasululo sa zwiṱirathedzhi zwa u tshila na mbekanyamushumo dza u dzhenelela dzo bviselwa khagala kha ngudo. U swikela hune ra kona u amba uri gake ḽa vhushai kha vhushai ḽo ṱumanywa, mbekanyamaitele dzo khwaṱhaho dzi ḓo ṱoḓiwa dzine dza sa vhe henefho fhedzi u itela u khavhisa fhedzi u itela u amba na u khwinisa vhuimo ha u sa lingana he ha kwama lwa tshifhinga tshilapfu vhafumakadzi vha vhuponi ha mahayani
Ngudo i ṱoḓa u wanulusa khaedu dza ikonomi ya matshilisano dzine vhafumakadzi vha vhuponi ha mahayani kha ḽa Zimbabwe vha livhana nadzo. Vhafumakadzi vha vhuponi ha mahayani a vho ngo katelwa kha matshilisano na u siwa nnḓa kha mbekanyamushumo dza mveledziso ya tshitshavha, nga nṱhani ha zwenezwo mishumo yavho i dzhielwa fhasi na musi vha tshi amba zwine zwa vha kwama zwi thudzelwa kule. Nyimele dzi ngaho sa gomelelo ḽi sa gumi, u shayea ha zwiko, mvelele na mihumbulo ya poḽotiki i sa takadzi zwo ḓi bvela phanḓa na u vhea vhafumakadzi vha vhuponi ha mahayani kha vhuimo ha khombo. Vhuḓilimeli ho vha muṅwe wa mishumo mihulwane ine vhafumakadzi vha vhuponi ha mahayani vha ita kha mveledzazwiḽiwa muṱani, fhedzi hezwi a zwo ngo bveledza mvelelo dze dza vha dzo lavhelelwa zwihulu zwo itiswa nga nṱhani ha u shaya zwishumiswa na manyoro u bveledza khaṋo dza khwine. Ṱhoḓisiso yo shumisa kuitele kwa ngona ya khwaḽithethivi ngeno data yo kuvhanganywa nga kha inthaviwu dza luṱingo u ya nga matshimbidzele a u Dzhiela nṱha Vhuimo ha 3 ha Covid-19. Ngudo yo wanulusa khaedu dzo vhalaho dza ikonomi ya matshilisano dzine vhafumakadzi vha vhuponi ha mahayani kha ḽa Zimbabwe vha livhana nadzo. Mvelelo dza ngudo dzo sumbedzisa uri vhafumakadzi vha kha ḓivha vho siwa nnḓa kha masia manzhi a mveledziso dza tshitshavha nga nṱhani ha mbekanyamaitele dzine dza sa dzhiele nṱha ṱhoḓea dzavho. Ngudo yo topola zwauri vhafumakadzi vha vhuponi ha mahayani vha dzula vhe khomboni na u ṱanea kha vhuimo ha vhushai vhuhulwane musi vha tshi kundelwa u wana thikhedzo khulwanesa ine vha i ṱoḓa u bva kha vhafarisi vhavho, vharangaphanḓa vha zwitshavha na muvhuso wa lushaka nga kha mbekanyamaitele dzawo dze dza vha khethelula. Nga kha u siwa nnḓa kha matshilisano, pfanelo dza vhafumakadzi dzo pfukekanya ngeno tshirunzi vi tshavho tsho tsitsela fhasi na u hoṱefhadzwa, ngauri a vho ngo ṋetshedzwa thikhedzo yo teaho u dzhenelela kha tsheo dza zwa poḽotiki. Maipfi a ndeme a ngaho sa u vha khomboni, vhushai ha vhukuma na u sa katelwa kha matshilisano zwo ṱalutshedzwa sa dziṅwe dza nyimele dzo shelaho mulenzhe kha vhushai ha vhafumakadzi vha vhuponi ha mahayani. Sisiṱeme ya matshilisano yo bvela phanḓa na u ṱana vhushai ha vhafumakadzi na u dzula vhe tshigwada tsho khethululwaho tsho kundelwaho u dzhenelela tshoṱhe na u vhuelwa kha zwiimiswa zwa matshilisano. Mawanwa a ngudo o ṋetshedza nḓila dza u ṱhaḓula dzo fhambanaho sa zwiṱirathedzhi zwa u tshila zwine vhafumakadzi vha vhuponi ha mahayani vha ṱoḓa u zwi tevhela u itela u ita zwa khwine kha vhuimo havho ha vhushai. Khonadzeo dzo fhambanaho dza thasululo sa zwiṱirathedzhi zwa u tshila na mbekanyamushumo dza u dzhenelela dzo bviselwa khagala kha ngudo. U swikela hune ra kona u amba uri gake ḽa vhushai kha vhushai ḽo ṱumanywa, mbekanyamaitele dzo khwaṱhaho dzi ḓo ṱoḓiwa dzine dza sa vhe henefho fhedzi u itela u khavhisa fhedzi u itela u amba na u khwinisa vhuimo ha u sa lingana he ha kwama lwa tshifhinga tshilapfu vhafumakadzi vha vhuponi ha mahayani
Development Studies
M.A. (Development Studies)

This research study employs explorative and descriptive qualitative research conducted in a naturalistic environment to identify factors that drive children from their homes to the streets of Bulawayo city suburban in Zimbabwe. The research study answers the question: How do children`s experiences drive them from their homes and why do they decide to live on the streets of Bulawayo city centre? Literature search was conducted after data collection to confirm findings. Data collection was conducted at Thuthuka Street Children`s project where an increase in the number of registered street children has been observed. Purposive sample selection of street children was conducted. Selection criteria was based on the participant being registered with Thuthuka Street Children`s Project, for one year being on and off the streets and volunteer to participate. Ethical consideration such as fairness justice and honest were observed. Soundness to establish trustworthiness rather than validity, the following alternative constructs were applied, credibility, transferability, dependability, conformability and authenticity. Focus group discussions using a guide with open-ended questions were conducted to collect data from 12 street children, which was then analysed by coding into themes, notably forms of abuse such as emotional, physical, and sexual and neglect, poverty, deviant behaviour and future plans. Children went onto the streets because they suffered abuse, and/or wanted freedom without parental dominance and to acquire fast riches in the streets. Based on the conclusions, the research makes recommendations from the participants and the researcher to policymakers, non-governmental organisations, parents and social workers, to address this deep-seated problem.
Health Studies
M.A. (Public Health)

This study concerns the contribution that the church can make to small businesses in Zimbabwe through the development of an appropriate holistic training programme for entrepreneurs. Through a case study on the situation in Masvingo undertaken through participant observation and interviews with various role players, this thesis first identifies the fundamental reasons that lead to the lack of viability of the small businesses in Zimbabwe. To develop a response for the church, this study adopts a three pronged approach. Firstly, the theological basis for freedom is laid through a reading of four biblical stories: the creation story, the Exodus story, the prophets' story and the Messianic story. It is argued that these stories can influence and challenge the church to be meaningfully engaged in a freedom centred development process that can foster the freedoms and values that small businesses need in order to grow and flourish. Secondly, Amartya Sen's theory of freedom as development was engaged in a bid to find an interface between economic and development theory and the theological vision of freedom for socio-economic freedom in Zimbabwe. Thirdly, having established a linkage between a theoretical and a theological essence for freedom the research then examined the role the church can play in enhancing the freedoms for the operators of small businesses in Zimbabwe. The study suggests a freedom-centred entrepreneurial training model that is based on Paulo Freire's dialogical education model. A formal proposal of the key elements of such a training programme is explored. The study recognises that the socio-economic situation in Zimbabwe continues to deteriorate so rapidly that all research seems out of date; but it has proceeded with the hope that when the economic situation improves this study would become an important tool through which the church can begin to contribute to development and the revival of small businesses in Zimbabwe.
Thesis (M.Th.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2007.

Since the colonial period, Zimbabwe has been a territory characterised by contestation. In the 2000s, Zimbabwe entered a period of severe socio-economic conditions; this period was also marred with several cases of human rights abuses and political violence. This period also saw the emergence of a new opposition party, the Movement of Democratic Change (MDC). In the mid-2000s, South Africa was vested with the task of resolving the political crisis in Zimbabwe by the Southern African Development Community (SADC). Former South African President Thabo Mbeki managed to facilitate a Global Political Agreement (GPA), which was signed on 15 September 2008. This led to an Inclusive Government (IG) being formed on 3 February 2009. The IG brought the three main opposition parties in Zimbabwe into a power-sharing government with the Zanu-PF. This dissertation explores the role played by South Africa in brokering a power-sharing deal in Zimbabwe, it also assesses whether “power-sharing” is an effective peace-building model. At the core of this dissertation is an assessment of the impact of the IG on the politics in Zimbabwe. Three themes are used to assess the politics, namely socio-economics in Zimbabwe, the rule of law in Zimbabwe and the perceived legitimacy of the government. The dissertation uses content analysis as the research method to analyse three newspapers, a South African newspaper, the Mail & Guardian and two Zimbabwean newspapers, the Sunday Mail and the Standard Newspaper. The period of analysis will be from 2005 to 2011. The dissertation offers a substantive analysis of the reporting of the three newspapers. The findings of this dissertation reveal that the socio-economic situation in Zimbabwe has improved since the implementation of the IG but is still in a dire situation. It also reveals that, despite the decrease in reports of human rights abuses and the cases of political violence, Zimbabwe is still devoid of the rule of law. It reveals that the legitimacy of the government is in Zimbabwe has slight improved since the implementation of the IG. The dissertation offers recommendations to the political crisis in Zimbabwe from the discipline of conflict transformation scholarship.
M.Soc.Sc. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 2013.

The study into the socio-economic challenges of HIV and AIDS on widowed women in rural communities of Zimbabwe was carried out in the village of Mukadziwashe. The main aim of the study was to find out the socio-economic challenges that are faced by HIV and AIDS widows. Of particular concern has been role played change agent since the dawn of the HIV and AIDS pandemic and its devastating socio-economic impact on families, especially widows. The findings of this study are based on a sample of limited number (12) widows based in the village of Mukadziwashe in Gutu Central District, as well interviews of key informants who happen to be representatives of change agents in the main. In-depth interviews were the tool used to collect information from the research participants identified above. The findings of the study revealed that widows still suffer from the serious social and economic challenges posed by HIV and AIDS such as cultural oppressions and prevention of women from inheriting their late husbands’ wealth The continued denial of women of their constitutionally enshrined rights is difficult to understand, because many studies have been conducted on this subject. It is reasonable to expect noticeable progress in promoting the rights of women, especially widows. What is apparent in this sad story is the mute role of change agents, be they government, non-governmental or community based, in affirming widows’ rights. Based on these observations, the study strongly recommends the design, implementation and constant monitoring of intervention programmes aimed at women empowerment in general.
Sociology
M.A. (Social Behaviour Studies in HIV and AIDS)

Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Masters in Management Sciences(Peace-building), Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa, 2015.
This study examines gender based violence in a mining community and uses the case study of Trojan Nickel Mine in Mashonaland Central Province of Zimbabwe. Studies have shown that Mashonaland Central has the highest incidence rate of gender based violence in Zimbabwe. Mining communities are more susceptible to incidences of gender based violence because of their cultural heterogeneity which engender and generate conflict. The research examines gender based violence within the confines of several theories and conceptual frameworks such as social-learning theory, sex-role theory and ecological framework. It reveals that no factor can be singled out as the cause of gender based violence, but argues that patriarchy whose norms are embedded through culture contributes the most in constructing attitudes and perceptions which legitimize gender based violence. The study also identifies religious practices and the environment as playing key roles in encouraging gender based violence. The study in the end constructs an intervention model based on the ‘catch them young theory’ where young boys were trained on non-violent strategies of reducing gender based violence. This is against the background that men play an influential role in communities as decision makers and policy makers. This intervention targeted changing the behavior and attitude of boys over women and girls.

This study investigates the experiences of at-risk secondary school students in the Chitungwiza District, Zimbabwe. At-riskiness is defined as a condition in which students are likely to produce poor academic achievement, irregular school attendance, grade retention or dropout due to various individual and social factors. At-riskiness has increased in Zimbabwe’s school population since the adoption and subsequent failure of the Economic Structural Adjustment Programme (ESAP) which has contributed to poverty and concomitant poor social conditions. A literature study explored at-riskiness in the light of socio-cultural perspectives on at-riskiness and also discussed contextual factors in the Zimbabwean schooling system which influence students’ vulnerability to at-riskiness. A qualitative inquiry using a narrative approach explored at-riskiness in the life stories of three male and three female secondary school students attending two selected schools in Chitungwiza, an economically deprived area close to Harare. Selection of schools was based on high levels of absenteeism and sustained poor performance in the national school leaving examinations. Purposeful participant selection was based on school records on grade repetition, absenteeism and poor behaviour. Semi-structured Interviews with participants, based on the Dan MacAdams framework for life story research, were used to gather rich data. Ethical compliance included written parental consent and participant assent and the assurance of anonymity, confidentiality and the right to refuse information. Findings were categorized under family related factors, school related factors and resource limitations. At-riskiness was exacerbated by parental unemployment, poor socio-economic conditions at home and a lack of cultural capital. Participants were compelled to undertake casual work to supplement household income in addition to the fulfillment of academic responsibilities. Poor school conditions comprising poor discipline and unprofessional teacher conduct increased at-riskiness especially among female participants. Resource limitations included poor nutrition, lack of basic necessities required for personal hygiene, in adequate parenting and the absence of psycho-social support mechanisms. Based on the literature study and empirical inquiry, recommendations were made for a more inclusive educational model, poverty alleviation and special support for disadvantaged students to reduce at-riskiness among students in Zimbabwe.
Educational Foundations
D. Ed. (Socio-Education)

MRDV
Institute for Rural Development
Two decades after the “Fast Track” land resettlement in Zimbabwe, little is known about the sustainability of livelihoods of households that benefited from the programme. “Fast Track” refers to the accelerated land resettlement which started in 2000 in Zimbabwe. The government of Zimbabwe argues that it introduced it as an intervention strategy to enhance the livelihoods of marginalised indigenous people. However, the nature of the fast track land resettlement has been met with considerable criticism. An exploratory study that sought to assess the sustainability of livelihoods through obtaining the perspectives of men, women and youth in fast track resettlement areas of Shamva District was carried out. Focus group discussions and semi-structured interview guides were used to obtain the perceptions. The attempt to understand the sustainability of livelihoods involved determining the perceived (a) major features of sustainable livelihoods, (b) criteria for assessing sustainability of livelihoods, and (c) livelihood strategies adopted. Data were coded and analysed using Atlas-it version 7.5 software. Dependability of livelihoods, ability to recover from stress, extent to which livelihoods conserved the environment, ease with which livelihoods were interchanged and ability to close the gap between rich and poor members of society were the perceived features of sustainable livelihoods. Criteria for assessing the sustainability of livelihoods included the ability of livelihoods to contribute to development, provide a stable flow of income, promotion of social development, potential for growth and ability to conserve the environment. Petty trading, agricultural intensification, self-employment and community savings were the main livelihood strategies pursued in the fast track resettlement areas of Shamva District. Inherent challenges that inhibited the sustainability of livelihoods were cited as lack of infrastructure, poor markets for agricultural products and poor communication. The use of participatory research was crucial in co-creation of knowledge with the resettled farmers. The information generated is useful for crafting empowerment strategies in the fast track resettled farming communities.
NRF

Rural women in Zimbabwe are disproportionately represented among the poor. Among the interventions taken to mitigate the poverty suffered by women is the concept of income-generating projects (lGPs). Government, non-governmental organisations and donor agencies support the IGPs. After years of channeling resources through the IGPs to alleviate the poverty of mostly rural women, it is necessary that we take stock of the benefits that have been realised. The aim of this thesis is to identify the benefits and pitfalls of the IGPs in alleviating poverty. A case study of two projects in Chinamora communal lands in Zimbabwe demonstrates that IGPs do provide some benefits to participants and their households. Limited funding for start-up capital and lack of viable markets are among the major impediments to increased benefits. There is evidence that women can successfully organise themselves and explore previously male dominated areas of production such as carpentry. This suggests that IGPs do have the potential to somewhat alleviate poverty. making it necessary for the supporting institutions to seriously consider improving the shortcomings presently plaguing IGPs.
Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of Natal, Durban, 2000.

Text in English
In Zimbabwe, women are concentrated in rural areas where there are limited resources. For human development to be achieved, the welfare of women needs to be taken into consideration. Some NGOs operating in the country aim at advancing and improving the status of women and promote gender equality through socio-economic empowerment programmes. This study aimed at determining the impact of three selected local NGO’s programmes at grassroots level. The study revealed that progress has been made in transforming the general livelihoods of the women who are members of these organisations at grassroots level but there are various issues which these NGO’s have to consider so as to improve their effectiveness.
Development Studies
M.A. (Development Studies)

M.A.
This dissertation is about how poor households struggled to keep children in the school system during a protracted political and socio-economic crisis in post-2000 Zimbabwe. The setting of the research is Nyamande village in Murewa District, Zimbabwe. Fieldwork was conducted between May 2010 and July 2010, at a time that many believe to be past the peak of Zimbabwe’s crisis in 2008. In-depth interviews and observations were used to collect qualitative data from families and households in Nyamande village. My findings revealed that even when such households did not get surplus produce, they still sold what they had in order to obtain income to fund their children’s schooling. Households supplemented their farm produce with off-farm activities such as casual labour on plots, informal trading and sale of assets. Child labour was also employed as a means of supplementing family income in order to meet schooling requirements through activities such as casual labour on farms and roadside selling of produce. The introduction of the multi-currency system or dollarisation (as it was commonly known) in April 2009 improved the conditions in Zimbabwe to some extent; however complexities experienced in Nyamande village included access to the US dollar and Rand currencies. These challenges led to the re-emergence of the barter or exchange system during and after dollarisation as most households adopted this as a strategy to provide for their children’s schooling. Although households displayed various forms of resilience in their efforts to keep children in school, interventions regarding the viability and sustainability of some of these strategies should be considered. Various stakeholders including government, private sector and non-government organisations need to play an active role in uplifting rural communities in promoting children’s schooling.