MAAS ( Xitsonga) / Ehansi ka Senthara ya M.E. R. Mathivha ya Tindzimi ta Afrika, Vutshila na Ndhavuko / This study is an investigation of Shangani rituals in the Shangaan communities with specific reference to N’wanedzi and Chiredzi District in Zimbabwe. The study analyses the relevance of Shangaan rituals and how they can be performed and preserved. Rituals are cultural or religious ceremonies performed according to the prescribed social rules and customs. Rituals of various kinds are a feature of almost all known human societies but each community has specific rituals that can be prescribed by the tradition of that community. These rituals are critical to individual and community development. The study also examined the extent to which the Shangaan rituals have disappeared and how the socio-economic lives of the Shangaan communities have been affected. The study also highlighted what best can be done to promote rituals, the attitudes of the Shangaan people towards rituals and importance of reviving them. The study is qualitative in nature henceforth the researcher will employ qualitative approach to collect data. The research technique to be used will be interviews and observations. Although the essence of the study will be generalised to the whole of Shangaan speakers, the field will be delimited to N’wanedzi District in Zimbabwe. Data will be analysed using thematic qualitative method. Through this method of analysing data, a number of themes will be identified conveying the findings and making an interpretation of the meaning of the data. Chapter I focuses on the background, research problem, rationale of the study, aims and objectives of the study, research questions, significance of the study, theory of the study, definition of terms which were mostly used in the research, and methods of analyising data. Chapter 2 deals with literature review whereby the researcher will explore work done by other scholars related to rituals .Research to be reviewed includes dissertations, thesis books and articles that have addressed issues like the importance of rituals in society. Chapter 3 deals with research methodology and data analysis. Research methodology is the plan for selecting subjects and data collection procedures to answer a research question. The study shall employ two data collection techniques namely interviews and observations. vii Chapter 4 is an analysis of Shangaan rituals, death rituals that is the announcement of death, the burial of chiefs, family head and kids, the unveiling of the tombstone, appeasing of family and national spirits and the reasons for their disappearance among the Shangaan. Chapter 5 is an analysis of Shangaan rituals like the rainmaking ceremony, Christian’s participation in praying for rain, the first fruit festival, male circumcision and girls initiation rites. The chapter also focuses on the attitudes of the Shangaans towards rituals and the importance of reviving them. Chapter 6 provides an overview of entire the study, research findings, conclusions and recommendations.

MA (Xitsonga) / Ehansi ka Senthara ya M. E. R. Mathivha ya Tindzimi ta Afrika, Vutshila ni Ndhavuko / See the attached abstract below