The world is currently afflicted by unstable and undemocratic political systems which are frequently a product of failed political transitions. At the point of transition, states are often presented with the unique opportunity to address past human rights violations and restore divided societies, through the implementation of thorough and effective transitional justice processes; truth commissions remain one of the most influential tools in orchestrating these practices. However, as recent history demonstrates, when implemented incorrectly, the transitional justice processes facilitated by truth commission enquiries can not only be ineffective but also damaging. To account for these inadequacies, this thesis seeks to address three key issues: a common misunderstanding of the core concepts promoted by truth commission investigations, the need to notate and comprehend the positive and negative outcomes of past commission enquiries and the current lack of 'case-specific' guidance for future truth commission architects. With reference to these studies, the thesis will then seek to develop a three-pronged truth commission guidance framework to account for the three modes of political change through which transitional states can pass and recommend the establishment of a 'Truth Commission Advisory Body' to oversee and assist the process. These frameworks will then be applied to the case study of Zimbabwe, which is considered to be a candidate for political transition in the near future. The current proliferation of truth commission investigations reflects the common belief that they are the best response when confronting a transitional state's troubled past; this belief can only be vindicated by a substantial increase in the positive and lasting effects of future commission endeavours. Ultimately, this will only be achieved by an increased understanding of these complex processes and the provision of more extensive guidance to those seeking to foster them; this thesis represents a step closer to this eventuality.

Magister Artium (Development Studies) - MA (DVS) / A large number of people have found themselves in South Africa as economic refugees due to the economic decline that has been experienced in Zimbabwe over the years. A significant number are undocumented and therefore face different challenges compared to other groups. Little research has been done to look at this particular group. The research gives a background of the state of the economy and the political reasons that have acted as a push factor to the people. The research seeks to ascertain why and how a group of migrants viewed as especially vulnerable remit. In answering this question, the thesis addresses specific questions such as; the types of jobs and socioeconomic background of migrants, frequency and volumes of remitting and channels of remitting. These questions were guided by the International Theory Migration and an empirical review of motives for remitting.

This thesis concerns soil erosion and conservation in Zimbabwe. It is framed in the light of the contemporary heightened concern for the environment generally in Africa and the recent publication of the National Conservation Strategy for Zimbabwe (1987). Soil erosion is an archetypal interdisciplinary problem. This thesis complements and extends understanding of soil erosion and conservation in Zimbabwe via a methodological approach and a scale of analysis which have been under-represented in the literature to date. The research adopts a pluralist, regional political ecology approach (after Blaikie and Brookfield 1987) to soil erosion and conservation in Svosve communal area, combining political-economic understanding with case study analysis of changing social-environmental relationships. Plural problem definitions are constructed through interview and survey techniques, historical analysiso f archival sourcesa nd oral testimonies,a ssessmenot f contemporary policy and planning documents and via sequential air photograph analysis. The researchc hallengesa spectso f the colonial conservationislti terature to date for southernA frica andn ational level modelling of human-environmenrte lationshipsi n Zimbabwe. It presentsa quantitativea ssessmenotf the changei n symptomso f deterioration and in the nature and extent of soil erosion for the case study area. It operationalisesth e concepto f multiple problem definitions with implications for the contemporary model for conservation extension and for improving the role of local development institutions.

There were no "Rebellions" in 1896-7. The concept of "risings" which is to be found in the European perspective of the escalated violence has distorted an understanding of the complex nature of the events. The events of 1896-7 must rather be explained through an examination of the details of the conflict. European pressure on the African people prior to 1896 was minimal and cannot be assumed to be the "cause" of the first "Chimurenga". There was no planned, organised or coordinated "rebellion" in Matabeleland in March 1896. Further, no distinction can be made between a "March" rebellion in Matabeleland and a June "rebellion" in Mashonaland. A European war of conquest in 1896-7 evoked the responce known now as the first "Chimurenga". It was the war of conquest of 1896-7 which saw the ascendancy of the European perspective over the African and thereby established the psychological foundations of the Rhodesian colonial state. The complex nature of the events of 1896-7 is to be understood through an appreciation of the different perspectives of those who became embroiled in the conflict.

M.A. (Sociology) / This study investigated the effects of female cross border traders’ work on family well-being in the context of economic hardships in Zimbabwe. The research focused on ten Zimbabwean married women, who work as cross border traders between Harare and Johannesburg and it aimed to understand how their work as cross border traders impacted on the economic and emotional well-being of their families as well as on family resilience. Literature on cross border trading shows that the trade is a key livelihood strategy for families and households but the impacts of the traders’ increased mobility and prolonged absence from home on the emotional well-being of family members have rarely been explored. Using detailed data drawn from in depth interviews with the participants, this study sought to address this gap. The findings of the study reveal that cross border trading is no longer merely a survival strategy that meets the basic needs of families but instead, it has elevated the standards of living of the families, enabling traders to acquire highly valued property. Beyond such economic benefits, the women’s work is having significant effects on the emotional well-being of the family members. The women’s relationships with their spouses were found to be generally stable but in some cases were fraught with tensions and disagreements emanating from the trading work. In most instances, cross border trading work compromised the emotional care and the resilience of the children. The regular absence of the women from their homes presented additional responsibilities and burdens on their children. Older children, for instance, have to take care of their siblings in a context were the fathers do not play an active role in child care. The consequences of the women’s trading activities are evident but often overlooked by the families as they focus on increased material provision. The study sheds light on some of the effects of increased migration of Zimbabwean women on the family and calls for more extensive research on the family in Zimbabwe with the continued economic challenges in the country.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / After analysing stories of 44 former soldiers from Zimbabwe (39 army deserters and 5 who resigned from the army), I argue that even though they were disillusioned by the Zimbabwe National Army's conduct both in war and during peacetime deployment, in exile in South Africa they continue to hold on to their military identities. While in many studies trained soldiers are presented as capable of becoming civilians in post-combat life, my thesis points to the difficulties associated with such a process. Even though scholars present military identities as fluid, I argue that it is also deeply embodied and expressed through ‘bodily disposition’. In substantiating my argument, I employ Bourdieu’s (1990) theory of habitus and field, to reveal how what was learned in the military is difficult to unlearn. I argue that the practice of clinging onto a soldierly identity is a social and economic resource for the former soldiers who became my research participants. The soldierly habitus is social because of its capacity to elicit and provide a bonding space in the absence of a supportive exile host community. It is a financial resource in the sense that it represents military skills that enable these former soldiers to access productive work in the formal and informal markets. I argue that, even though these former soldiers have the capacity to engage in violence, they have remained disciplined, while skillfully deploying their ‘soldierly-ness’. Although these former soldiers experience nightmares of, for instance, having killed in war, they continue to ‘soldier on’ in their exile context. They journey between two different, but complementary, spaces of healing, the Pentecostal churches and a soldier-in-exile support group. Even so they remain dissatisfied with what both spaces have to offer. The two spaces, with different kinds of support for the former soldiers, present seemingly contradictory results which the soldiers themselves try with limited success to integrate, in rebuilding their lives. They do not find conclusive healing in either space and continue to experience nightmares, while perceiving such a situation as part of the soldiering ‘self’: an on-going military life outside the barracks. Methodologically, I employed qualitative research methods. I utilised ethnographical tools which included the life history approach, field conversations and group discussions in order to understand the exiled soldiers’ past and how and why they have remained stuck in their military past. Having been a soldier in the Zimbabwe National Army myself for more than 10 years, I explain why I found it interesting, yet complex, to study my comrades. The interviews were done in the IsiNdebele and ChiShona languages, with a few done in English. The choice of language was influenced by each former soldier’s preference.

University and government authorities in Zimbabwe, and indeed in many African countries, have tended to downplay the presence of HIV and AIDS on university campuses. The general belief seems to be that university students’ high levels of schooling somehow protect them from HIV infection, even though existing evidence suggests otherwise. Consequently, very little is known about university students’ specific vulnerabilities to HIV infection. The few interventions that are being implemented in university campuses are often based on generic models of ‘youth sexual behaviour’ that fail to take into account the many ways that university students’ experiences are different from those of other young people. Through the use of ethnography, the thesis examines how institutional factors and ‘campus cultures’ shape students sexual behaviour at the University of Zimbabwe, as well as students’ expectations from intimate relationships and the meanings that they attach to sex, sexuality, love and romance. A key point I make throughout the thesis is that where individuals are located - both spatially and temporally - is just as important for understanding youth sexuality and the HIV epidemic as are other ‘risk’ factors, such as socio-cultural beliefs and poverty. The thesis also explores how ‘HIV risk’ is constituted, understood, deployed and avoided by university students. I argue here that ‘HIV risk’ behaviours such as transactional sex, multiple and concurrent partnerships and the non-use of condoms take on vastly different meanings when they are practiced by university students and within the context of a university campus. It is therefore incorrect to abstract ‘HIV risk’ behaviours from their immediate contexts as many interventions do. / Thesis (DPhil)--University of Pretoria, 2011. / Anthropology and Archaeology / unrestricted

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.

The Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) epidemic has had massive detrimental impacts on rural communities across Africa including in Zimbabwe. In response to the HIV and AIDS epidemic, the government of Zimbabwe has developed and adopted comprehensive programmes to address HIV and AIDS prevention, care and support. One of the critical components of these programmes relates specifically to treatment of the HIV infected given that HIV and AIDS is increasingly seen as a manageable threatening disease. However the success and effectiveness of the treatment regimen (involving antiretroviral drugs or ARVs) is dependent heavily on complete adherence to the rigid and complex regimens. It is against this background that this thesis studies a particular rural community in Zimbabwe called Chivanhu (in Masvingo Province) in terms of the relationship between rural livelihoods and HIV and AIDS (particularly HIV treatment and treatment adherence). Unlike other rural communities (notably in communal areas), Chivanhu is an informal and unstable community with a turbulent history. Most rural studies of HIV and AIDS in Zimbabwe and elsewhere in the region have focused on well-established and stable communities in which agricultural production is still of some significance. In such communities, the impact of HIV and AIDS on livelihoods is severe but, in more informal settlements, the vulnerability of households to the epidemic (and challenges pertaining to treatment adherence) is even more pronounced. Using a rural livelihoods framework, this thesis seeks to identify, understand and analyse the conditions which shape levels of adherence to HIV and AIDS in the informalsettlement of Chivanhu in Zimbabwe.

This dissertation concerns itself with the task of creating a pastoral care model in order to offer care for the people in Zimbabwe, whilst the political instability causes much suffering to these people. It was motivated from the author's personal relationships with various Zimbabweans and his understanding that Zimbabweans are his neighbours in need. Through Narrative Therapy, the author used his understanding of Christian hope, creating positive future stories with Zimbabweans. The hope and focus of this dissertation is to research the problem in Zimbabwe, in order to help the Church in its role as prophet and pastoral caregiver. However, this dissertation would have been to no avail, if it did not attempt to create a model of caring which will empower the South African Church to become pastoral caregivers towards the Church in Zimbabwe. <ul><li> Firstly, the author will strive to clarify the problems faced by the Zimbabwean Church. </li><li> Secondly, the author will seek to bring an awareness of this problem in Zimbabwe to the Church in South Africa, through its prophetic voice. </li><li> Thirdly, the author hopes to create a model of pastoral care that will not only care spiritually for the people, but will also meet some of the physical and emotional needs of the people in Zimbabwe.<br> </li></ul> / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Practical Theology / unrestricted