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Review of some aspects of the ecology, population trends, socioeconomic complexities and conservation options for Temminck's pangolins in Zimbabwe
No full textTemminck's pangolin, Smutsia temminckii (Smuts), 1832 is a widespread mammal in eastern and southern Africa, and is the most trafficked animal in Zimbabwe despite enforcement of stringent laws and regulations. Nonetheless, there has been little research on the pangolins in Zimbabwe. The aim of this literature review was to assess some ecological aspects, population trends, socioeconomic and cultural complexities and conservation options for Temminck's pangolin in Zimbabwe. The review found that despite intense focus on poaching and trafficking threats affecting Temminck's pangolins, there were few attempts to assess the ecological behaviour and establish accurate population estimates and exact distribution inside and outside of protected areas. Furthermore, decades of economic meltdown in tandem with politically-driven land-use and land-cover transformations have disintegrated previously intact pangolin habitats, and societal and cultural endearment and reverence for pangolins in the country. Consequently, the lure of lucrative poaching and trafficking syndicates has outpaced law enforcement and usurped well-meaning conservation efforts, in the process threatening the pangolin population. Commercial pangolin farming for ecotourism, pangolin product substitution and explanatory and informative pangolin education awareness initiatives are new potentially viable, but unexplored future research, options for conserving pangolins in the country. It is recommended to use valid indirect methods for long-term assessment of the ecology, population trends and distribution of pangolins for sustainable conservation. Citizen science integration in developing a cogent National Pangolin Policy is vital to redress ecological and socioeconomic, cultural and political complexities threatening Temminck's pangolin conservation in Zimbabwe
Promoting Inclusive Educational Practices: The Reclamation, Revitalisation, and Digital Integration of Historically Marginalised Linguistic Communities in Teacher Training Programs
Full text linkThe revitalisation and digitalisation of endangered minority languages are essential for fostering an inclusive society, a concern increasingly acknowledged by linguists, human rights advocates, and sociologists. This study examines the status of formerly marginalised languages and the challenges associated with their de-marginalisation, revitalisation, and digitalisation within teachers’ colleges in Zimbabwe. It argues that insufficient training for native-speaking teachers, lack of curriculum integration, and limited digital resources and language learning applications hinder efforts to revitalise and digitalise formerly marginalised languages, which are vital for enhancing inclusivity and cultural diversity. Using Fishman’s (1991) analytic framework and sociolinguistic theory, the study contends that socio-economic conditions significantly impede efforts for the revitalisation of formerly marginalised languages in Zimbabwean teacher education. It posits that de-minoritisation, revitalisation, and digitalisation are critical in reversing language decline and potential extinction by providing accessible learning resources. The study outlines strategies for de-minoritisation, revitalisation, and digitalisation of formerly marginalised languages in teachers’ colleges to promote inclusivity and cultural diversity. Employing qualitative methods, including document analysis and interviews, the research examines the integration of formerly marginalised languages in college curricula in ten teachers' colleges. Findings reveal that formerly marginalised languages remain marginalised and underrepresented, underscoring an urgent need for revitalisation and digitalisation initiatives. The study concludes that incorporating formerly marginalised languages into teacher training programs promotes inclusivity and enhances cultural diversity. It recommends that teacher training institutions integrate formerly marginalised languages into their curricula and establish online platforms to support the de-minoritisation, revitalisation, and digitalisation of these languages
The Place of African Indigenous Knowledge Systems in Zimbabwe’s Education 5.0 Curriculum: Insights from Lecturers at a Selected Teachers’ College in Harare
Full text linkThis hermeneutical study sought to estimate the value of African Indigenous Knowledge Systems (AIKSs) in Zimbabwe’s higher and tertiary education. Thus, it assessed the interface of AIKSs and the country’s higher and tertiary education curriculum, which, in essence, is the Education 5.0 curriculum. The study was informed by Gade’s theory of ‘narratives of return’ and the Sankofa principle, cognate ideals that look into the past for solutions to problems currently vexing Sub-Saharan Africa in general and Zimbabwe in particular. This study employed the qualitative approach and adopted the case study design. Interviews were conducted with six lecturers purposively sampled from one selected teacher’s college in Harare. The in-depth individual face-to-face interview was the chief data-generation instrument, buttressed by document analysis to permit the triangulation of findings for credibility and trustworthiness of results. It was discovered that participants (college lecturers) possess a sound understanding of the concept AIKSs, which presents a good starting point for integration of the same into Zimbabwe’s Education 5.0 curriculum. Participants communicated their appreciation of the benefits that come with integrating AIKSs into Zimbabwe’s Education 5.0 curriculum. Thus, AIKSs contribute immensely to heritage-based problem-solving, creativity, innovation, industrialisation, and national development. However, some participants noted potential drawbacks of this integration agenda. Hence, they suggested, inter-alia, the involvement of indigenous communities, curriculum modification to foster respect for AIKSs, re-orientation of educators to the dictates of AIKSs, development of relevant text material, and integrating AIKSs into education starting from Early Childhood Development. Participants also suggested government support at policy level, and monitoring and evaluation. The study, therefore, recommends an elaborate, comprehensive, and progressive policy framework tailored to tweak and expedite implementation of the agenda for integrating AIKSs into Zimbabwe’s Education 5.0 curriculum. This in the end fosters educational contextuality, instructional relevance, heritage-based creativity, indigenous-oriented innovation, and locally based but globally competitive industrialisation.  
T THE VICIOUS COUNTERATTACK: HOW CORRUPTION FIGHTS BACK AGAINST ANTI-CORRUPTION EFFORTS IN ZIMBABWEAN STATE-OWNED ENTITIES (SOEs).
No full textDespite numerous legal and institutional interventions, corruption remains entrenched in Zimbabwe’s state-owned enterprises (SOEs), affecting both public and private sectors. Current management and institutional systems have failed to effectively curb persistent corruption. Notably, limited scholarly attention has been given to crafting a governance-focused framework tailored to Zimbabwean SOEs. As a result, corruption continues to impair service delivery, economic progress, and citizens’ quality of life. This study employed qualitative content analysis to develop a governance-based institutional framework to address corruption in SOEs. Drawing on 30 empirical studies, it applied multiple theoretical lenses, chiefly X-inefficiency Theory, alongside Institutional, Stakeholder, and Expectancy theories. The findings revealed systemic corruption, driven by political interference, lack of political will, and fragile regulatory structures. Barriers such as policy voids, weak legislation, resource limitations, community disengagement, and negative perceptions were also identified. The study proposes a multi-dimensional framework involving stakeholder engagement, international benchmarking, SOE reform, regulatory enhancement, and capacity building. It also recommends boosting political commitment, investing in evidence-based research, establishing independent oversight bodies, and reinforcing the rule of law. Further research is needed to identify practical strategies for implementing these recommendations.
Key Words: Corruption, anti-corruption, Anti-corruption framework, state enterprises and governance approac
Querying the Colonial Factor in Zimbabwe’s Prime Tourist Destination Toponym
Full text linkThe naming of Zimbabwe’s prime tourist destinations has remained underexplored in tourism research, despite its centrality to cultural identity and heritage representation. The majority of these destinations, such as Victoria Falls, Kariba Dam, and Hwange National Park, bear colonial or anglicised names that obscure indigenous meanings and histories. While a wave of toponymic reforms during post-independence Zimbabwe (1980s–1990s) swept through schools, roads, and government buildings, tourist destinations were largely exempted, signalling the persistence of an "imperial hook" designed to attract traditional international markets. This study was motivated by the need to interrogate how colonial toponyms destabilise the cultural and traditional rubric of Zimbabwe’s tourism landscape and to question the silences in renaming policies. Using a qualitative approach, the research examined the cultural, historical, and political implications of naming practices in major tourist sites. Findings reveal that colonial naming practices continue to distort heritage meanings and weaken local ownership of tourism resources. The study promotes a decolonial approach that prefers the use of endonyms to exonyms, thereby consolidating community identity and fostering socio-economic development. In addressing the colonial legacy of tourism toponyms, the research contributes to ongoing debates on decolonisation, heritage preservation, and sustainable tourism development in Zimbabwe
Navigating Constraints and Unleashing Potential: An Indepth Analysis of the Challenges Faced by Young Entrepreneurs in Informal Trading in Chinhoyi, Zimbabwe
Full text linkThe study's goal was to document the difficulties that young unregistered traders in Zimbabwe's Chinhoyi town confront. The lack of focus on the difficulties encountered by young informal merchants by local and national regulatory bodies served as the impetus for the study. Since this study draws on the everyday experiences of young informal traders and their navigation of the complex issues they face, we feel it broadens our knowledge of the challenges these individuals face. The study, which used a qualitative research approach and focus groups, indepth interviews, and documentary analysis as data generation tools, discovered that young informal traders face a number of difficulties, including a lack of funding, harassment from local authorities, a lack of mentorship, and competition from more established traders. Thus, the study found and came to the conclusion that young entrepreneurs use a variety of survival techniques in this challenging environment, including borrowing money from friends and family and depending on a wide range of mentorship and coaching programs from diverse sources. The report suggests that the public and private sectors shoulder the burden of fostering these budding entrepreneurs
The strategic importance of performance measurement in business organisations: blending financial and non-financial performance measures.
Full text linkThis study explores the strategic importance of performance measurement in business organisations, accentuating the integration of both financial and non-financial performance measures. The study took a qualitative approach and followed a systematic literature review methodology informed by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and MetaAnalysis (PRISMA) guidelines to ensure a robust and transparent process. This study thus synthesizes existing literature on performance measurement frameworks that highlight the benefits of a balanced approach that includes non-financial indicators such as internal business processes, customer satisfaction, employee engagement, corporate social responsibility, and stakeholder management. By examining various empirical studies and theoretical models, this study illustrates how blending financial and non-financial measures may enhance strategic decision-making, drive organisational performance, and foster sustainable growth. The review concludes by reflecting on the implications for theory, policy and practice, e that emphasised to practitioners on the need to seriously consider implementing the integrated performance measurement systems that would align with organisational objectives and stakeholder expectations that would reinforce the strategic role of performance measurement in attaining sustainable growth and long-term success
Autocratic leadership style and employee performance in Zimbabwe’s public sector Procurement Management Units (PMU): mediating role of Electronic Government Procurement (e-GP)
Full text linkProcurement Management Units (PMUs) in Zimbabwe continually strive to enhance their performance to remain viable within an increasingly dynamic and complex environment. In line with Zimbabwe’s Second Republic emphasis on improved performance to fulfil its economic blueprints, employee job performance has emerged as a critical success factor. Despite the formal adoption of e-GP in Zimbabwe’s PMUs, inefficiencies and irregularities continue to persist, as consistently evidenced by the Auditor-General’s Reports from 2017 to 2023. Among the numerous determinants of job performance, the autocratic leadership style has received considerable attention. Therefore, this study sets out to examine the impact of leadership styles on the performance of employees in Zimbabwe’s PMUs with a particular focus on the mediating role of electronic Government Procurement (e-GP). A cross-sectional survey design was employed, targeting PMU professionals across Government Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) located in provincial centres, specifically Harare, Bulawayo, Gweru, Masvingo, Mutare and Chinhoyi. Five theoretical frameworks underpin the study: the Situational Leadership Theory, which posits that leadership effectiveness depends on contextual dynamics; Institutional Theory, which recognises institutional pressures in policy adoption; Stewardship Theory, which views managers as stewards of organisational interests; the Diffusion of Innovation Theory, explaining the adaptation to digital transformation; and the Path–Goal Theory, which explores how leaders facilitate employees in achieving performance goals. Systematic sampling was utilised to collect quantitative data between April and May 2025 through structured survey questionnaires. These questionnaires captured demographic variables and constructs relating to autocratic leadership styles, task and contextual performance, and the mediating effect of e-GP. Data analysis was conducted using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM), alongside descriptive statistics (mean, frequency), correlation analysis, and hypothesis testing. Instrument reliability was assessed using Cronbach’s alpha, and inferential statistics employed p-values (<0.05) to test significance. The final sample comprised 67% male and 39% female respondents, with 4% unspecified. The modal age range for professional experience in PMUs was 41–45 years. Structural Equation Modelling Partial Least Squares (SEM-PLS) results indicated statistically significant relationships between autocratic leadership styles and employee performance in PMU. All hypotheses were supported, and the mediating role of e-GP constitutes a novel contribution to autocratic leadership and performance studies in the Zimbabwean context. In light of the findings and conclusions of the study, an integrated hybrid leadership style framework is recommended to enhance employee performance mediated by electronic Government Procurement. This framework should prioritise the institutionalisation of leadership training and participatory decision-making, with strategic autocratic enforcement skills necessary for ensuring compliance, discipline, and consistent execution of procurement reforms. This balanced approach is critical for optimising both employee engagement and accountability, particularly in the implementation of digital platforms such as electronic Government Procurement (e-GP)
Decolonising Education in Postcolonial Zimbabwe: Context and the Way Forward
Full text linkThe current reflection comes against the backdrop of coloniality; a cancer presently bedevilling education in Sub-Saharan Africa in general and Zimbabwe in particular. Coloniality is the colonial logic herein construed as the dark side of Euro-North American-centric modernity. Guided by the ‘postcolonial’ and ‘narratives of return’ theories, this secondary research explicates the context of coloniality within the Zimbabwean society in general and the country’s education system in particular. In the process, the paper reveals the impact of colonialism on, inter-alia, African history, power, epistemology, being, culture, religion, and heritage. It is against this background that the current reflection expounds the generic concept of decoloniality upon which it explores the possibilities of decolonising Zimbabwe’s education system. Decolonial ideals include but are not limited to the philosophy of African redemption, African renaissance, Unhu/Ubuntu, heritage-based philosophy, and Africanisation - most of which repose within Gade’s ‘narratives of return’ theory. It becomes permissible, therefore, to argue that customising Zimbabwe’s education curricula in accordance with Gade’s ‘narratives of return’ serves to effectively decolonise her education so that her paideia is in the end geared towards heritage-based creativity and innovation leading to indigenous-oriented but still globally competitive industrialisation. This penchant for decolonial ideals is, on the whole, exigent for reclaiming, restoring, repairing, rediscovering, and redefining the Afro-Zimbabwean history, power, knowledge, being, culture, religion, and heritage for posterity. It is, thus, recommended that decolonial ideals take centre stage in Zimbabwe’s postcolonial education system
Editorial note
No full textWelcome to Volume 1 Issue 2 of the JMSIT. The journal is gaining a lot of traction after the first issue was released in June 2025. With this issue coming out four months later, this reassures our contributors that once their articles are accepted, they are published within a reasonable period of time