The problem this research seeks to address is about the ineffectiveness of NGOs’ strategies implemented in the rural areas of Binga District in Zimbabwe. The research has been basically influenced by personal concerns which I believe have influenced the selection of the research problem. My main concern is the deepening of poverty in Binga District. Lack of infrastructure like roads, shortage of schools leading to high illiteracy levels, shortage of clinics and hospitals, lack of clean water, high unemployment levels are the indicators of poverty in Binga. Country wide, the district is regarded as one of the poorest districts. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the poverty alleviation strategies implemented by NGOs in the rural areas of Zimbabwe specifically in Binga. Today there are more than fifteen NGOs that operate in Binga and they specialise in different areas ranging from food distribution, education, agriculture, conservation and advocacy. What matters most is that despite the number of NGOs operating in Binga, poverty is still intensifying and widening. Through the research, it was found that most NGOs’ strategies in Binga focus on relief than developmental aid. Also when addressing poverty, NGOs use the trickle down approach than the bottom up approach. Moreover, the strategies implemented in Binga do not address the needs of the poor. The political instability in Zimbabwe is also believed to be a serious stumbling block to the operation of NGOs in Binga and the rest of the country. Finally, the research recommends NGOs to use the participatory approach as well as the sustainable livelihoods approach in dealing with poverty. Again, NGOs need to monitor and evaluate their projects because most of their projects are not monitored and evaluated properly. Above all the NGOs’ strategies for alleviating poverty need to be reviewed.

This study investigated stakeholder participation in strategic planning processes in three teacher training colleges in Zimbabwe. The study was conducted within the qualitative research methodology. Three colleges of education were purposively sampled. All principals in the sampled sites took part in the study. Two Heads of Departments (HODs), two Lecturers in Charge (LICs) two Students Representative Council (SRC) members as well as College Advisory Council Board Members (CACBM) participated in this study. A total of 18 informants participated through interviews. Documents such as strategic planning minutes were scrutinized. Strategic planning meetings were also observed at two sites. The findings were that the practice of strategic planning still appears to be rigid and bureaucratic for organizations that operate in rapidly changing environments such as those in Zimbabwe. Secondly, participation in strategic planning is not all inclusive; only a select few individuals do take part in the planning exercise. Colleges of education and the Ministry focus on the product activities, that is, crafting the strategic plan. They seem to ignore the process activities such as reviewing plans periodically and taking note of key performance indicators which promote continuous improvement. The study also found that participants received no formal training in strategic planning and that the planning process was skewed towards control and compliance; and exhibited managerial accountability tendencies which lie within central bureaucratic approaches. The main recommendations were that the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education and the Department of Teacher Education, at the University of Zimbabwe, in consultation with relevant stakeholders should, develop norms and standards for teacher education to align Zimbabwe‟s stakeholder participation in strategic planning to the global trends. Colleges should supplement their understanding of operational contexts by exploring possible future trends and circumstances. The criteria for reviewing strategic plans should be developed by peers, and practitioners in the field, in consultation with national norms and standards for teacher education.

Magister Philosophiae (Land and Agrarian Studies) - MPhil(LAS) / The Human Immune Virus (HIV) and Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) isa pandemic that has worsened the plight of vulnerable communities and environments in Africa. It is estimated that 40,3 million adults and children are living with HIV and AIDS and 3.1 million adults and children died in 2004 in the world. Southern Africa is the most affected region with a very high HIV/AIDS prevalence rate. The primary objective of the proposed study was to examine livelihoods and coping strategies of HIV/AIDS-affected households of Zaka District in Zimbabwe. Attention was given to institutional frameworks for HIV/AIDS interventions as district and village level. A second objective of the study is whether interventions are appropriately aligned and responsive to household livelihoods and coping / South Africa

The problem of children on the streets of Harare has been increasing over the last five years. The majority of these children appear to be of school-going age. Who are these children? Where do they live? Why are they not attending school? This study is an attempt to provide answers for these questions, to evaluate current policy and programmes for street children and to promote appropriate and effective policy measures. A convenience sample of two hundred and eight children, who fulfilled the definition of street child used in the study, were interviewed using a questionnaire and focus group discussions. A number of children's homes, a probation centre and a remand home were visited and personnel from non-governmental organisations working with street children were interviewed. The study found that the majority of children were male (89%), and the age distribution ranged from six to seventeen years. The mean time period spent on the street was 18,4 months. The most common reason for leaving home was that the family was unable to support the child. Most of the children slept in a nearby squatter settlement or at the city railway station. The most popular income generating activity was guarding motor vehicles. Five of the children were attending alternative education programmes and one third had never attended school. The most common medical conditions were acute respiratory infections, diarrhoeal disease and skin rashes. Some of the children had suffered physical (12) and /or sexual (10) abuse while on the street. Substance abuse, notably glue sniffing, was widespread with 78% of the children admitting to this activity. A general attitude of hopelessness prevailed among the children and few could envisage brighter prospects for the future. Short term measures to improve the children's lives on the street must be taken, but the long-term solution requires a broad attack on poverty in order to eradicate the root problems that force children onto the streets. Recommendation were aimed at the major role players in the lives of street children - the Government, the Department of Social Welfare, the Zimbabwe Republic Police and Non-Governmental Organisations.

Inccludes bibliographical references (leaves 95-103). / This thesis discusses the approach taken by the South African government in response to the political and economic crisis that has gripped neighbouring Zimbabwe since the year 2000. Its aim is to explain why South Africa, under the leadership of Thabo Mbeki, adopted the controversial policy widely referred to as 'Quiet Diplomacy'. It uses a Structuralist approach to international relations, and in particular Immanuel Wallerstein's World Systems Theory to characterise South Africa as a prototypical semi-peripheral state, with a dual-contradictory role in international relations. It argues that post- apartheid South Africa's failure to make genuine progress in terms primarily of economic transformation at home, has significantly constrained her ability to adopt more conventional diplomatic methods in dealing with the political and economic crisis in Zimbabwe.

MA (Political Science) / Department of Development Studies

Thesis (MTech (Business Administration))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2018. / The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of internal controls on sustainability of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Harare’s Central Business District (CBD), Zimbabwe. The question at the core of this research is: to what extent do internal controls influence the sustainability of SMEs in Harare’s Central Business District, Zimbabwe. SMEs are perceived to be of paramount importance for the economic affluence of countries the world over, mainly because of their pronounced benefaction and contribution to livelihoods of the dwellers of a country and the gross domestic product (GDP). SMEs have been credited for playing a leading role when it comes to innovation, significant export revenue, custom-suited goods, services provision to society, employment opportunities, and social contribution. This can also be attributed to SMEs operating in Zimbabwe despite the volatility of the Zimbabwean economy. The Zimbabwean business environment, in general, is constantly changing. The changes can be attributed to an eruptive economic environment and unstable political atmosphere. The resultant effect is the departure of larger businesses and investors from the country. Generally, this leaves a great opportunity for SMEs not to be subjected to stiff competition from larger businesses. SMEs are indeed enjoying this space, braving the conditions to start up; however, their operations are short-lived. For SMEs to brave the fortuity of such an unpredictable environment, a system of internal controls must be in place. Research has placed emphasis on internal controls and sustainability of large organisations, while little to no attention has been given to SMEs. The little research on internal controls and sustainability in the context of SMEs has mostly been done in developed countries. Despite this, internal controls and sustainability have not been extensively implemented in the context of developing countries. The need to determine the influence of internal controls on sustainability of SMEs underlines this research. This report adopted a positivist philosophy that entailed utilizing a survey questionnaire to collect data from 150 SMEs operating in Harare’s CBD, Zimbabwe. The sample was further split into Active SMEs and Dormant SMEs (the control group). Data were analysed through Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 25 to spawn statistical and descriptive results. To determine reliability of data, Cronbach’s alpha value was employed. The results indicate SMEs are not implementing controls as they ought to and those SMEs that have controls in place do not ensure that they are adhered to effectively and efficiently in order for them to achieve their desired objectives.

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.

Includes bibliographical references / This thesis focuses on the economics and institutional aspects of community wildlife conservation in the context of local communities living adjacent to the Gonarezhou NationalPark in Zimbabwe. A significant proportion of wildlife in Zimbabwe, and in Southern Africa in general, is managed as a common pool resource by communities under community-based natural resource management. Several challenges threaten conservation efforts at both local and higher levels, thus hindering its ability to bring about development that might improve the welfare of poor rural communities participating in wildlife conservation. The most pressing issues in the wildlife sector include: inability to extract resource rents from wildlife conservation that in turn affect household welfare in terms of total household income and reduction in poverty and inequality, lack of capacity by local communities to solve collective action problems or lack of incentives to self-organise, and lack of comparable successful outcomes in CBNRM communities such as the wildlife conservancy communities. Learning from other successful communities that use community-based' models, such as wildlife conservancies, might provide important insights for policy makers and development practitioners. These issues are explored in three substantial papers included in this thesis. The thesis consists of five chapters starting with an introduction, followed by three papers and finally conclusions and policy implications. The study makes use of purpose-collected primary data from local communities living adjacent to Gonarezhou National Park in Zimbabwe. The first paper investigates the effects of wildlife resources on community welfare. Specifically, the paper examines the contribution of environmental income to) total household income,) poverty reduction, and) reduction in income inequality. Furthermore, it investigates the impact of environmental income on households in different income categories, the role of wildlife in the portfolio of environmental income and the determinants of environmental income generated by different households. To achieve the objectives above, the paper makes use of income quintile analysis, the Foster-Greer-Thorbecke poverty measure, Gini coefficient analysis, Ginidecomposition analysis, ordered logit regression model and instrumental variables estimation using heteroscedasticity-based instruments. The results show that the relative contribution of environmental income towards total household income is more pronounced in poor households, while the relative contribution of agricultural income is noticeable in wealthier households. In particular, wealthier households consumed more wildlife products in total than relatively poor households. However, poorer households derive greater benefit from the consumption of wildlife resources than wealthier households. Excluding wildlife compromised the relative contribution of environmental income and, at the same time, increased the relative contribution of farm and wage income. Environmental income has more impact in terms of poverty and inequality reduction in the lower income quintiles than in the upper quintiles. Wildlife income alone accounted for about 5.5% reduction in the proportion of households living below the poverty line. Furthermore, wildlife income had an equalizing effect, bringing about a 5.4% reduction in measured inequality.

This thesis discusses Dambudzo Marechera's avant-gardism and its significance in the context of Zimbabwean literature and culture. I use the term avant-garde to describe Marechera's defiance of hegemonies, traditions, and prescriptions for writing, as well as his innovations with form and style. In the context of Zimbabwe, Marechera's avant-gardism involves a rejection of cultural nationalism, and an eschewal of traditional realist criteria for writing. The thesis locates Marechera in a socio-historical context, and in the framework of black Zimbabwean literature (written in English). It discusses his rejection of the nationalist tradition set by his literary predecessors; and it compares him with his contemporaries, Stanley Nyamfukudza and Charles Mungoshi, who also reject the concept of a 'pure', homogeneous, national culture in their writings. Marechera's writing explores new (and often taboo) subject matter, and it thus illustrates the diverse, complex nature of the Zimbabwean experience. It also abandons the unified, linear narrative; and it has been sharply censured by nationalist critics -- largely on the grounds of its transgression of traditional narrative form. Nationalist critics have tended to privilege traditional realist criteria in their discussions of Zimbabwean literature, and Marechera, as an avant-gardist, has been marginalized and denigrated for his non-conformity. In this thesis, I challenge the privileged status of traditional realism, question the prescriptions of nationalist/realist critics, and attempt to demonstrate the value of Marechera's non-realist writing. While many nationalist critics allege that Marechera's writing is 'unAfrican', I argue that it is a fallacy to assume his work is 'Europeanized' while nationalist/realist writing is not. Moreover, I contend that Marechera's avant-gardism is in direct response to a set of extraordinary socio-historical, political and cultural conditions -- which are specific to Zimbabwe. In analyzing Marechera's alternatives to realism (such as expressionism, stream of consciousness, surrealism, grotesque realism, the carnival, magical realism, and Menippean satire), I maintain that his experiments are not without strategy, but that they address pertinent literary, social, political, and cultural issues. The thesis furthermore attempts to show how the 'individualism' -- for which Marechera has been roundly condemned -- is paradoxically transformed into sharp and poignant social commentary. This is particularly evident in two texts which I focus on: "House of Hunger" -- his irreverent pre-independence vivisection of Zimbabwean society; and Mindblast, his much neglected anti-realist post-independence compilation, which I discuss in some detail.