CUT Journals Online Chinhoyi University of Technology
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The nature of internal audit practice challenges prevalent in public institutions of higher learning: a systematic literature review
Full text linkInstitutions of higher learning, particularly universities, have for long received goodwill and support as hubs entrusted with developing key human capital and skills, generating knowledge products and giving evidence-based policy direction to governments essential for national development. There has, however, been an increased level of scrutiny and greater demand for such institutions to demonstrate greater value for money in view of the levels of public and private investment and trust in their programmes and operations. To that end, practices such as internal auditing have been identified as essential in safeguarding resources, promoting accountability, transparency and ensuring integrity within such institutions. However, internal audit practices in public universities, especially in developing country contexts, face persistent challenges that compromise their effectiveness. This systematic literature review interrogates these challenges in greater detail. This is achieved through synthesising empirical findings from 50 peer-reviewed studies (published between 1999 and 2025) retrieved using PRISMA 2020 guidelines from Scopus, Web of Science, JSTOR, and Google Scholar. Guided by agency theory, which underscores the need for oversight to address conflicts between agents and principals, the review identifies five recurrent challenges. These are limited auditor independence, insufficient professional competence, lack of top management support, inadequate resourcing, and political interference including intimidation. These challenges are exacerbated by weak reporting structures and a persistent audit expectation-performance gap. The findings suggest that improving internal audit effectiveness requires strategic interventions across practice, policy and theory. Recommendations include investing in auditor capacity development, enforcing structural and operational independence, strengthening governance oversight, and aligning internal audit functions with institutional strategic objectives. These measures can enhance audit resilience, promote public trust, and improve decision-making and performance in higher education institutions. This review contributes to the discourse on public sector auditing by highlighting contextual barriers and offering, through several recommendations, a roadmap for reform and future research
An exploration of Memorable food experiences in Zimbabwe: towards food tourism development.
Full text linkFood experiences are being promoted by several countries leading to developing and enhancing food tourism. Zimbabwe has unique culinary potential yet there is a gap in literature on food tourism in most African countries Zimbabwe included. This paper explores memorable food experiences towards food tourism development. This study was carried out in Harare as the capital city of Zimbabwe and in Victoria Falls the major tourism destination. 10 service providers responsible for designing, facilitating and marketing food experiences were purposively sampled. Twenty (20) international tourists were conveniently sampled. Interviews were conducted with research participants. Data collected was analyzed using thematic analysis. The major themes that emerged from the studies are that food experiences can be categorized as authentic traditional food experiences, consumption of unique exotic foods, Culinary Festivals and Events, Farm and Agricultural experiences food and beverage tours and Dining in unexpected settings. The study will benefit various stakeholders who have a role in facilitating and staging food experiences in Zimbabwe. The study recommends that food experiences that are found in various tourism destinations be documented so that they can be marketed and promoted. Food trails and food tours should also be packaged. This will help attract food enthusiasts to Zimbabwe thereby leading to food tourism development. Documenting and marketing food experiences will give the country competitive advantage and give tourists more reasons to visit other than flora and fauna. The findings can inform Zimbabwe's tourism strategy on elements of destination Zimbabwe that can be facilitated, staged and co-created into memorable food experiences
Mulungushi: A toponymic exegesis
Full text linkThis paper examines the toponym Mulungushi, a name that is slowly becoming popular in Zambia’s urban toponymic landscape. We begin by tracing the origin and/or importance of the name. Next, we identify the features that have been named Mulungushi in Zambia, and establish the informing ideology that underpins the choice of this name for the identified national features. The data for the study were collected mainly through documentary analysis, and also through semi-structured interviews of selected participants thought to be privy to the post-independence era, particularly the period from 1964 to 1970. The study found that the toponym Mulungushi is associated with nationalization and industrialization, in addition to serving as an enduring and unalloyed reminder of the urgent need for an economic manumission and (re)generation that characterized Zambia under Kenneth Kaunda’s rule during the independence euphoria and zeitgeist. We used the Critical Toponymic theory to contend that the drive to inscribe this toponymy to the urban toponymic landscape is engineered by the desire to inform and remind of the nationalization and industrialization drive that characterized Zambia immediately following independence, the ultimate aim being to harness and foster the same mood in the present state in a bid to bring about the much-desired economic emancipation in the country.  
Status of vegetation structure and composition of Mukuvisi Woodlands in Harare (Zimbabwe)
No full textVegetation structure and composition influence the suitability and availability of unique habitats for different wildlife species especially in closed environments. The main objective of this study was to establish the current status of vegetation structure and composition, in Mukuvisi Woodlands, an urban green space in Harare (Zimbabwe). Three distinct vegetation types were selected; riverine, woodland and grassland. Random sampling within the strata was employed so as to cover as much disparity in landscape as possible. A total of 15 plots measuring 20m x 30m were sampled for the woody vegetation while four 1m x 1m plots were sampled for the grasses within each of the 15 vegetation plots in Mukuvisi Woodland between February and May 2017. A total of 33 tree species were recorded in all the plots. The average tree height was 5.88m and 7.39m in woodland and riverine vegetation respectively. Dominance and evenness significantly differed between habitat types with woodlands having the highest dominance and riverine vegetation having the lowest evenness (p<0.05). A total of 30 grass species were recorded. Diversity and evenness of grass species was not significantly different in the three vegetation types (woodland, grassland and riverine; ANOVA, p>0.05). The percentage grass cover was 67.5% for woodland, 67.29% for riverine and 88.25% for the grassland. The grassland in Mukuvisi Woodland is mixed but is currently dominated by decreaser grass species of low palatability with high moribund accumulation. Active management should be applied and also aim at controlling decreaser species such as S. Pryamidallis as well as to maintain good number of grazers and browsers
Editorial note
Full text linkWe are drowning in information, while starving for wisdom. The world henceforth will be run by synthesizers, people able to put together the right information at the right time, think critically about it, and make important choices wisely.” — Edward O. Wilson, Consilience: The Unity of Knowledge (1998
The Representation of Africa’s Intangible Heritage in Madagascar Escape 2 Africa (2008)
Full text linkThis study explores how the Western animated film Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (2008) portrays African cultural themes and how intangible aspects are represented. The study employs a qualitative research approach grounded in Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA). The research purposively sampled key scenes that depict African cultural narratives; these scenes were transcribed, taking note of verbal utterances, and visual cues were annotated and thematically coded to identify patterns relating to stereotypes and counter-narratives by focusing on the examination of power dynamics. The key findings reveal a troubling trend of misrepresentation, where African spirituality is often depicted through superstition and inferiority, and oral traditions are wrongly associated with illiteracy. However, the film also offers glimpses of African community values, suggesting that despite prevalent stereotypes, a counter-narrative exists that deserves attention. These findings encourage us to adopt a more nuanced perspective on African representation in media, advocating for self-representation that genuinely reflects the richness and diversity of African cultures
The Effects of strategic planning capabilities on organisational performance in Zimbabwean State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs)
Full text linkThis study focused on the effects of strategic planning capabilities on organizational performance in Zimbabwean State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs). The extant literature and empirical evidence on strategic planning capability variables, environment scanning, strategy formulation, strategy implementation, strategy monitoring and evaluation, and strategy control were reviewed. The study used a mixed method approach, collecting both quantitative and qualitative data from respondents drawn from SOEs. Quantitative data were collected from a sample of 312 senior executives in Zimbabwean State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) and analyzed using SPSS Version 21 and AMOS version 21. Quantitative data were complemented by qualitative data collected through interviews with 15 managers from different state-owned enterprises. The results indicate that strategic planning capabilities, individually and collectively, have a significantly positive relationship with organizational performance. While the importance of strategic planning capabilities in improving SOE performance was acknowledged, the study findings reflect that in most SOEs, managers lacked these capabilities, resulting in poor performance in some of the organisations. The findings further reflect that that macro-environmental factors moderate the effect of strategic planning capabilities on the performance of SOEs, implying the need for enhancing SOE managers’ capabilities to effectively analyse the macro environment and astutely manage its impact on the relationship between strategic planning capabilities and organisational performance. Against this background, this study recommends that organizations invest resources in equipping managers with the requisite skills for effective environmental scanning, strategy formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation, and control so that they contribute towards performance improvement by effectively managing the strategic planning process. The implications for the research findings to industry, academia, and policymakers are articulated, and recommendations for further study are also provided
Agricultural policy, production status, and trade volumes nexus in Zimbabwe: the case of selected cereal crops
Full text linkZimbabwe is predominantly an agrarian country. Farming is the major source of livelihood and income for over 50% of all the country’s citizens. Agriculture also contributes 18% to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the country. It contributes significantly as a source of raw materials, food security, employment, foreign exchange earnings, and human and capital formation. This research aims to provide an overview of the nexus between agricultural policy, status of production, and trade volumes, with a focus on cereal crops (wheat and sorghum) in Zimbabwe. It is informed by the Diffusion and Innovation Theory, the Marginal Zone Theory, Planned Behaviour Theory, and Social Cognitive Theory, which link with agricultural development in the country. The study follows a descriptive qualitative methodology, where the researchers made use of published data from local and international data sources to conduct an analysis of the nexus between agricultural policy, status of production, and the trade volumes in the country. The study draws from secondary literature in both grey and academic formats. It also utilizes government reports and documents. The study shows that among the small grain category, the selected cereals are increasingly becoming important as they form part of the staple food basket in the country. The recent government focus on small grains is making a significant impact on their production. The study identifies leading agricultural policies in the country and infers their effect on production and trade volumes. The study further shows that due to the lack of resources to develop its economy in other sectors, Zimbabwe has focused on agriculture to develop itself. It concludes that farming with a focus on cereal production will continue to dominate the economy for many years to come
A Multilevel Approach to Measuring Revenue Collection Efficiency in Local Governments.
Full text linkUrban local governments of Zimbabwe are owed billions of dollars by citizens. This inability, by the local authorities, to collect revenue from citizens has resulted in poor service delivery.This research, measures the efficiency levels of urban local governments of Zimbabwe in collecting revenue from given sources using four frontier models. The main objective of the research is to establish the efficiency levels of urban local authorities of Zimbabwe using a proposed multilevel stochastic frontier. Tied data with two levels, the source and the municipality, is collected from a sample of urban local authorities. The data is analysed and the results show that the proposed multilevel model generates efficiency levels that are significantly higher than those of any of the other three models
COVID-19 spread regulator robot - An automatic robot that detects face mask, check human body temperature, and hand sanitizes people at entrance point
Full text linkAim - From 3 January 2020 to 6:19pm CEST on April 21, 2022, there were 247,336 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Zimbabwe, with 5,466 deaths, according to WHO. Despite the fact that there are remedies for illnesses and that our civilization has progressed by great strides, the most powerful and effective weapon society has against this virus, which affects not only health but also economy, politics, and social order, is the prevention of its spread. This research aims at developing an automatic robot system that enforce minimum spread of the virus by checking body temperature, hand sanitizing people, and check proper wearing of face masks before giving people access to restricted premises. Subjects and methods – The research made use of ultrasonic sensor for hand object detection, MLX90614 sensor for contactless temperature checking, submissible pump to dispense hand sanitizer, and solenoid lock for automatic locking and unlocking of the entrance. This research has built a python model that detects the presents and proper wearing of face masks using MobileNetV2 algorithm and implement the model using OpenCV. The model was implemented in the bigger hardware system. Temperature sensor was calibrated using normal contactless temperature sensors used in public. Results – Hand object detection was successfully achieved with 100%, temperature checking was successful with a variance of +/-5 degrees Celsius, sanitizer dispenser worked 100% correct, and auto un/locking was also 100% accurately functional while the face mask detection model had 98% for accuracy, F1-score, precision and recall. In actual functionality of the system, the model could correctly detect proper wearing of face masks for 90 people in a total of 100 people. Conclusion – Therefore, the model proved to be fully functional with high accuracy score as compared to others that make use of Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN). The model could also be implemented for full functionality in a robotic system that works with zero human intervention. The system benefit communities and organizations attempting to limit the spread of COVID-19 because the control will be done by machines, putting personnel at a lower risk than personally inspecting people at access points