National Research Database of Zimbabwe
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Cracking the nonverbal code: analysing cultural artefacts of the BaTonga in Zimbabwe
No full textThis thesis cracks open three BaTonga artefacts, the ncelwa (smoking pipe), buntibe (orchestral drum) and Nyaminyami Walking Stick (wooden sculpture) as the key nonverbal visual codes in the visual cultural communication of BaTonga in Zimbabwe. Using artefactual ethnisemiotics, the study shows how visual cultural communication is played out and is used by the BaTonga in negotiating for socio-cultural space in Zimbabwe. BaTonga historical experiences show characterisation of displacement and a continued struggle to uphold their identity and culture. Their experiences along the Zambezi valley as well as redefinition of their livelihoods in the new arid terrain far removed from the Zambezi, given the construction of the Kariba hydroelectric power project, has for long contributed among other forces to their marginalisation. To assert their visibility, the BaTonga have subtlety used various visual means to negotiate for space in the country. This thesis, thus, critiques three BaTonga cultural artefacts showing how significant they are in the communicative cultural life of the BaTonga in Zimbabwe. In making this analysis and exploration, the study makes a reflection of how BaTonga represent themselves visually in their culture and even outside their own cultural boundaries. To critique the Tongan cultural communication is also a process of generating an understanding of how the BaTonga project their identity and de-marginalisation. Cultural survival of these people, against other ethnic groups in Zimbabwe is crucial for them and for Zimbabwe in that, as the study demonstrates, the barometer of population which has also been used to justify continued dominance of the BaTonga by the Shona or Ndebele in the country is but null and void. The study advances artefactual ethnisemiotics as an alternative approach to artefacts and visual communication; areas which have also received little attention in the country and even in the region. Through artefactual ethnisemiotics, the study shows that everyday objects are important visual ethnisemiotic pieces that embody a great deal of meanings from which construction of cultural messages are made possible by users. Focus on everyday objects in use brings in new approaches to the study of visual cultural communication, heritage and broadly cultural studies in that, before archaeologists or anthropologists can wait to dig the pieces and characterise them as ossified pieces of history, artefactual ethnisemiotics allows resuscitation, appreciation as well as documentation of a living culture performed in visual communicative ways
An assessment of the suitability of contract farming models being implemented in Zimbabwe and their impact on agricultural growth (2010 to December 2014)
No full textThis study was carried in wake of the challenges bedevilling the once lucrative contract farming business where a number of contract farming funders withdrew their arrangements citing side marketing, failure to repay loans while farmers complain about prices offered by funders which are too low for sustainability. It is to be established if the increase in the level of tobacco production is commensurate with beneficiation of both contracting parties. The purpose of this is to assess the suitability of contracting farming models being implemented in Zimbabwe and their impact on agricultural production. The study sought to assess the contract farming models, determine the experience and level of education of farmers, the farmers’ understanding of the legal basis of contract farming, to explore conducive conditions for successful contract farming and assess the impact of those models to agricultural production. In this study a population of three thousand contract farmers was used, a sample of one hundred tobacco farmers from Hurungwe district was selected using purposive sampling. Data was collected using self-administered questionnaires and face to face interviews. The collected data was collated and analysed using SPSS and was presented in tables, graphs and charts. The key findings of the study were that contract farming models are not suiting the farmers needs although contract faming has opened new markets for farmers. There are limited contract farming models available to farmers and this has created a monopoly to funders. Farmers are not being involved in the drafting of the contracts to which they will sign. Farmers are experiencing challenges which centre on the way the contracts are drawn and there are untapped opportunities from tobacco contract farming. The researcher recommends that Government of Zimbabwe should play an active role in the management of these contracts to protect farmers. More funders should be registered to break monopoly and farmers should be given choices of models to choose from
Governance and ethics architecture: a study of five urban local authorities in Zimbabwe
No full textCorruption is acknowledged as one of the greatest challenges affecting urban councils in Zimbabwe. It is common to open a newspaper and discover a story highlighting the ethical violations and corrupt activities of urban council officials. The prevalence of corruption in Zimbabwe’s urban local authorities is considered in this study as the litmus test on the capacity of the existing ethics architecture to fight corruption. Ethics architecture refers to systems and structures in the form of a set of rules, institutions and practices designed by urban local authorities to promote ethical conduct against corruption. This study sought to evaluate the performance of the ethics architecture of urban councils in Zimbabwe and to propose relevant policy and institutional improvements. The study is situated within teleological, deontological and virtue ethics theories and argues that one cannot exist in isolation and should be unified to underpin the study. Analysed through the lens of a three pronged theory of ethics, the conceptual and theoretical framework provides a benchmark to conduct a comparative analysis of Norway, Singapore, Botswana and South Africa ethics architecture, including that of Zimbabwe in order to come up with ethics architectural remedies that are internationally aligned but locally relevant to stamp out corruption in Zimbabwe. Fighting corruption and its manifestation in these four countries, two international and two continental have common grounds of political will, institutional and legal enforcement practices. The qualitative methodology was employed to collect data from five sites through documentary analysis, interviews and observations, this allowed for replication of logic to occur and the production of compelling and reliable results. The five sites included Gweru City Council, Mutare City Council, Bindura Municipality, Redcliff Municipality, and Zvishavane Town Council. Data analysis in this study involved detailed case by case analysis followed by a comparative thematic and cross analysis of the five urban local authorities’ cases. The study was able to draw conclusions and to make recommendations. The study concludes that the ethics architecture for urban councils is not effective to counter the problem of corruption. The practice of good ethics and effective ethics architecture therefore, forms a sound backbone to fight corruption and all its manifestations. The study reveals that Zimbabwean urban councils should adopt effective ethics architectural remedies which are capable of fighting corruption head-on from detection, investigation and prevention to resolution point of view. The study therefore recommends that urban councils should conduct v ethics training programs for their employees and elected officials to raise ethics consciousness and to build skills capable of identifying and resolving ethical dilemmas from primary school level to adulthood as a long- term measure, and parents should participate in the integrity crusade by inculcating ethical values and moral uprightness during the formative years of their children. The study further recommends that socialisation as a preventive measure is very critical because the acts of corruption are committed under the cover of secrecy, which implies that corruption can evade detection, prosecution and sanction. Against such a background, the need for proper socialisation of the inner person cannot therefore be overemphasised for urban councils in Zimbabwe. The growth of the moral fabric of the inner person takes superiority over the legal remedy which is reactive and costly. But, on its own, socialisation is inadequate to eradicate the vice of corruption, so sanctioning and enforcement through the legal remedy plays a complementary role. The sanctioning process follows the stages of detection, investigation and resolving corruption by enforcing asset and financial declarations for both elected and senior appointed officials and enacting legislation which protects whistle-blowers against occupational detriments. Overall, effective ethics architectural remedies managed by an Integrity Management Office (IMO) is crucial in the battle against corruption and this should be supported by exemplary leadership, well-paid workforce, robust and balanced media platforms and active citizenry. The ethics architectural remedies in this study are recommended to be adopted and experimented as a liberating praxis and solution to ethical problems and challenges confronting the urban councils in particular, and Zimbabwe in general. The study identified areas that need further research. First, a similar study which infuses both quantitative and qualitative methods is needed to complement the limitations of this study. Second, research that substantiates the involvement of civil society groups and the media in raising alarm bells when ethics is violated is recommended. Third, in this study the examination of the ethics architecture is delimited to urban local authorities, so the other area of research that needs urgent attention is a comparative study between rural and urban councils’ ethics architectural remedies. This comparative study will unearth reasons why corruption is more prevalent in urban councils than in rural councils as revealed in this study
The contribution of ICT in improving the quality of education: a case of Higherlife Foundation, Masvingo.
No full textThe research investigates if the project of Higherlife Foundation that it rolled out is benefiting and helping in transforming the quality of education that has been in shambles ever since the beginning of the economic meltdown. It focuses on the primary and secondary education in the province of Masvingo, in the rural parts of the province were the learning hubs have been placed. I investigated the role of ICT in the education sector and brought out the indicators of quality education that are being positively and negatively affected by the introduction of this global phenomenon of ICT in schools. The first chapter brings out how the education sector was before the introduction of ICT and seeks to bring out how transformation was greatly needed in the industry of education. Second chapter of the study investigated the role being played by ICT in improving the quality of education in the rural areas were HLF introduced learning hubs. In this chapter indicators of quality of education were highlighted in detail, showing that ICT is bringing a good change in the education sector as pass rates are changing, pedagogy is improving among other indicators of quality education. Chapter three is were the recommendations on how to improve the ICT projects and also what can be done to make ICT the ultimate solution for quality of education in Zimbabwe as a whole. Statistics in the research were taken from online sources and most of them were provided from the Higherlife Foundation group in Masvingo and also interviews and questionnaires were administered during the course of the research
Indigenous knowledge and social experiences on cancer in Zimbabwe: A case study of Harare.
No full textOfficial statistical and anecdotal evidence in Zimbabwe indicates that the incidence of new cancer cases in the country is on the rise. Apparently, this rise in cancer cases has met a lethargic response from the government and non-state actors. As such, this phenomenological thesis study aims to describe and analyse indigenous [local] cancer causing narratives, lived illness experiences and health-related help seeking behaviours of people diagnosed with cancer in Harare, Zimbabwe. This study was prompted by the paucity of qualitative analyses and sociological nuances with regard to an illness that is increasingly being diagnosed among resident black African Zimbabweans. Current empirical studies and scholarship on cancer in the country show a preponderance of quantitative analyses grounded in bio-physicist perspectives. The trend also seems to be that of exploring incidence and survival and mortality rates including survey research on the knowledge [biomedical] levels on cancer. Relevant though such studies may be, they remain superficial, as they are divorced from the intimate, lived realities of people living the experience.
Grounded in Heideggerian interpretive hermeneutic phenomenology and utilising qualitative methods, namely life histories, semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions, key informant interviews and semi detached observations, the study sought to fill the existing knowledge gaps. The central thesis of this research is that an understanding of indigenous [local] cancer narratives provides comprehensive information of the illness and a combination of novel data capturing methods engendered in hermeneutic phenomenological thinking enables the extraction of novel fringe data. The thesis established cosmopolitan narratives on causes of cancer, which espoused participants’ lifeworlds as shaped in part by their socio-cultural milieu, lived experience and [biomedical] knowledge from health care professionals. The varied, novel lived-illness-experiences shared were enriched by dynamics of gender, age, level of social support, environmental factors and personality characteristics in a multiple and indeterminate fashion. Data on the health-related help-seeking behaviour of participants diagnosed with cancer illuminated the interplay of a complexity of factors, most of which were shaped by popular beliefs and/or ‘myths’ on cancer, experiential knowledge and interpretation of initial symptoms. Of note, one of the major contributions of this study is in the extraction of marginalised evidence from indigenous [local] knowledge on cancer treatment and care reflected, partly in the activities of traditional health practitioners. Taken as a whole, this evidence can assist in the framing of educational resources and inform oncology nursing and other societal support systems in the management of clients with cancer in personally meaningful ways. Cultural competence in oncological nursing management can enhance health behaviours, satisfaction, adherence, and quality of life of people diagnosed and living with cancer
Illegal hunting and protected areas: Tourist perceptions on wild animal poisoning in Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe
No full textTourists visiting protected areas for leisure often have perceptions based on pre-conceived knowledge and awareness about wildlife conservation obtained through various media. However, these perceptions are rarely tapped into for management and policy reviews. To understand tourists' perceptions on conservation, we surveyed 76 tourists in Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe, using a questionnaire administered through convenience sampling. Our results showed significant differences (Chi-square = 11.8; df = 1; p = 0.001) between tourists who acknowledged awareness (69.7%, n = 53) of the use of chemical poisoning to kill wild animals prior to their visit and those who were unaware (30.3%, n = 23). We conclude that some tourists are concerned about the state of wildlife conservation at their destinations of choice. We recommend the consideration of tourists concerns in conservation policies and strategies
`Subjectivity' in newspaper reports on 'controversial' and `emotional' debates: an appraisal and controversy analysis
No full textThe notion of 'subjectivity' in news reports has been widely researched especially from the
media perspective. However, 'subjectivity' is realized in various forms and the varied
contexts and theoretical approaches offer new understanding of the notion. This article
departs from such media theoretic perspectives to a discourse- linguistic approach and makes
an analysis of 'controversial' and 'emotional' reports of debates informed by the Appraisal
Theory (Martin and White 2005) and Controversy analysis (van Eemeren and Garssen 2008).
The research's focus is on how the Zimbabwean newspapers represent 'controversial' and
`emotional' debates balancing factuality, impartiality and objectivity. Stories from both
independent and state owned newspapers have been selected on the basis of their
`controversiality' and 'emotionality'. The study concludes that news reporting is directed at
aligning and disaligning readers with certain interpersonal meanings. Headlines of
newspapers have been argued to be attitudinal or 'emotionally charged'. It also concludes that
different language and cultural patterns have an impact on appraisal and argumentation in
news reporting
Evaluating the effects of chemical ripening with fluazifop-p-butyl on sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum) yield and sugar content
No full textRipening in sugarcane refers to an increase in sugar content on a fresh weight basis prior to commercial harvesting. Ripening is often prompted by use of chemicals and environmental cues such as moisture stress. The aim of this research was to determine the effects of Fluazifop- pbutyl, a chemical ripener on sugarcane yield and sugar content. The experiment was laid out as a Random Complete Block Design (RCBD) with five replications. Treatments were: Fluazifop- p- butyl (0.45 lha-1), drying off, Fluazifop- p- butyl (0.45 lha-1) + drying off and the control (no Dry off, no Fluazifop- p- butyl). The experiment was carried out at Triangle Estate which is located in the South East Lowveld of Zimbabwe from March 2012 to May 2012. Data on sugarcane yield, sugar quality (Pol % and ERC %) and sugar yield was collected 56 days after establishment of the experiment. Analysis of variance was done on yield and quality data using Genstat 14th edition. Results showed that there were significant differences (P = 0.05) among treatments on sugarcane yield, sugar yield, Pol% and ERC%. The sugarcane yield was highest for the control where no ripener was used.
Fluazifop- p- butyl treatment attained 13.9% lower sugarcane yield relative to the control. Application of Fluazifop- p- butyl resulted in the highest sugar yield which was 35.6% higher than that of the control where no ripener was used. A combination of Fluazifop- p- butyl and Dry of resulted in the highest Pol % and highest ERC %. It can be concluded that Fluazifop- p- butyl is effective in increasing sugar yield although it results in a reduction in sugarcane yield. Combining Fluazifop- p- butyl with Dry off results in increased Pol% and ERC%. There is need for further studies to determine the optimum period from spraying Fluazifop- p-butyl to harvesting of sugarcane as this was only done at the end of the drying-off period
What drives milex in Zimbabwe? A comparative study: Paper presented at ‘The Fourteenth Annual International Conference on Economics and Security at Izmir University of Economics, Turkey, on June 17-18, 2010.
No full textMost of the papers on the determinants of milex in Africa have taken a quantitative or econometric approach. Few have attempted a qualitative approach that investigates underlying motives for huge milex especially in Southern Africa. This study tests a model located within the public choice approach to economics using data drawn from interviews with key informants and documentary sources to derive salient determinants of milex in Zimbabwe and South Africa. The empirical findings suggest that Zimbabwe’s milex since 1980 has been influenced by internal political dynamics and to a lesser extend by economic factors. The most significant factors include regime security, elite corruption and liberation war hang-over and fear. In South Africa the milex level and composition are clearly formulated, transparent and are adhered to with respect to recurrent expenditures. However, recent military procurement history reveals increasing cabinet authoritarianism, a lack of transparency, significant opportunities for corruption and, arguably, inappropriate decisions
Dirac Wavefunction as a 4 × 4 Component Function.
No full textPublished Article,Since it was discovered some 84 years ago, the Dirac equation is understood to admit 4 × 1 com-
ponent wavefunctions. We demonstrate here that this same equation does admit 4 × 4 component
wavefunctions as-well