Five-country Study on Service and Volunteering in Southern Africa: Zimbabwe Country Report

The study documents and analyses civic service and volunteering in Zimbabwe and also identifies formal and informal civic service programmes in Zimbabwe

A situation analysis of the social development fund

A situation analysis of the Zimbabwean Social Development Fund(SDF) meant to cushion the poor from the vagaries of the IMF/World Bank initiated Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP.)The Government of Zimbabwe introduced the Social Development Fund (SDF) in 1991 in order to cushion the poor and vulnerable groups against the initial negative effects of the economic structural adjustment programme, especially frictional unemployment, cost recovery measures and the removal of subsidies. The SDF consists of two components, the Employment and Training Programme (ETP) and the Social Welfare Component. The Social Welfare Component consists of three schemes, namely food money, school fees and health service user fees. This study concentrates on the schemes under the Social Welfare Component of SDF and does not analyse the ETP. This study of the Social Welfare Component of the SDF was conducted from May to July 1993, relying on reviews of published and unpublished Government documents and interviews with key informants at headquarters, provincial, district and village levels.Financial support from the Konrad Adenauer Foundation (KAF.

ASWEA 6th annual general meeting, Abidjan, March 1987

A conference paper on how social work in Zimbabwe helped mitigate the social ills caused by rapid industrialisation of the once rural-based country.The development of social work in Zimbabwe like in many countries was a direct response to the problems created by the processes of industrialisation and urbanisation. In order to understand the problems associated with the two processes one has to gain an appreciation of the political context in which the processes occurred. The advent of colonialism in Zimbabwe marked the beginning of a capitalist penetration in the country through the introduction of a money economy. The money economy created the need to work among the indigenous population and resulted in rural-urban migration. The urban economy could not cope with the large rural-urban migrants. As a result there was a proliferation of social problems in urban areas namely destitution, unemployment, adjustment problems and social disorganisation, overcrowding and lack of shelter

Exploring the gap-filling development finance role of the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA)

A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, University of the Witwatersrand, in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Management by Research and DissertationThis study focuses on the gap-filling role of the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA). The use of development banks as a policy instrument to spur economic growth has been a practice followed internationally since World War II. Development banks are intended to extend financing to undertakings in the market economy deemed by the private sector as posing too much financial risk. Usually, these are development-orientated, low-profit green-fields projects initiated by clients in the public sector. By financing such development projects traditionally excluded by the market, the development bank fills a gap in the market. The DBSA was established in 1983 to bridge the gap between the industrialised central government and the underdeveloped Bantustan states and independent territories. At the time, the Bank could finance any development project so long as it fell within the Southern African region. However, post 1994, the DBSA mandate changed, shifting its focus to the public sector – low-income municipalities – and to particularly, specialise in financing infrastructure projects. Now altered, its development finance functions extended far beyond the Bantustan territories and independent states. Interest in the DBSA’s gap-filling role was generated by the observation that it had not been providing development finance according to the traditional tenets of understanding development finance. The problem was two-fold. The Bank’s target client was not necessarily the most deserving. Additionally, projects financed by the DBSA did not automatically fall within the infrastructure development mandate. This thesis has explored how, in light of its financier role prior and post 1994, the DBSA interpreted and acted in relation to its mandate as set out in its policy documents and strategies. This study also delved into the nature of projects financed and if they were in line with the traditional understanding of gap-filling. As well, this report investigated factors contributing to the DBSA’s deviation from its gap-filling role. To carry out this research, case study methodology was used in tandem with the qualitative approach. To answer research questions in-depth-unstructured interviews and document analysis were used. The study was both an exploration of the DBSA’s gap-filling role as well as examination of development finance in action in the South African context. The study drew on literature in New Institutional Economics (NIE) as an umbrella theory best suited to explore the DBSA’s gap-filling role. It was found that prior to 1994 the DBSA did act in line with its gap-filling role. However, post 1994 the Bank most certainly deviated from its gap-filling role. Contributing factors to this divergence were found to be an increasingly competitive private sector, confusion over its development mandate, a challenging municipal client base and a self-sustainability funding model. Prior to 1994, the DBSA enjoyed a monopoly over its target client base, the Bantustan states and independent territories. It had a broad development mandate coupled with capital backing from the Republic of South Africa (RSA) central government. Post 1994, the DBSA mandate was infrastructure development targeted towards the public sector. The Bank was required to adopt a self-sustainability funding model. This, coupled with entry into a competitive private sector moving into the development space, placed a great deal of pressure on the Bank. Therefore, it became necessary to finance profit generating projects rather than those initiated by its mandated low-income high risk client base – poor municipalities. This study contributed to DFI literature by illustrating what functions DFIs are mandated to perform compared to what they do in reality. Also, this analysis has shown traditional market-failure studies assume DFIs perform a gap-filling role. This has to be re-examined taking into account the changing institutional environment. And, particularly in South Africa, more studies need to be conducted to further understand limitations and opportunities the DFI model offers for overall development

Social development as a model of social work practice: the experience of Zimbabwe

A lecture paper on the social development model of social work as applied to a Zimbabwean situation.This paper examines the use of a social development model in the practice of social work in Zimbabwe. The paper begins by defining social development before making a case for a social development model in Zimbabwe. The paper then looks at the operationalisation of social development in Zimbabw

Developing pedagogical content knowledge for the teaching of meiosis: a self-study

Research Report submitted to the Faculty of Science, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science (Science Education). 2015.In my Honours degree, I researched on learners’ understanding of meiosis after I had taught them the topic. The study was done on three schools. The results of the study revealed that the majority of learners from my school were unable to identify and explain some concepts in meiosis. The failure of the learners to understand the topic prompted me to reflect on my content knowledge of meiosis and its teaching. To investigate my own content knowledge in this self-study, I used concept maps and CoRes. Concept maps were seeking to develop my content knowledge and CoRes were seeking to develop both content knowledge and pedagogy of teaching meiosis. The aim of the self-study was therefore to improve my content knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) of meiosis through the use of concept maps and CoRes as planning tools. The development of content knowledge and pedagogy was done with the help of collaborative friends. Of the two planning tools I used (concept maps and CoRes), three concept maps and three CoRes were constructed. Each of the concept maps was analysed using number of concepts identified and the number of propositions. Both qualitative and quantitative methods were used to analyse the concept maps. The number of both concepts and propositions gave an indication of the development of content knowledge from one concept map to the other. CoRes were analysed qualitatively using a framework. The framework used focused on curricular saliency, student prior knowledge, what makes the topic difficult or easy, teaching strategies and representations. From these aspects of the framework, the teachers’ content knowledge and pedagogy was identified to see whether there was development from one CoRe to the other. The study revealed that both concept maps and CoRes when used as planning tools can develop the teachers’ content knowledge and pedagogy on meiosis. Concept maps helps to indentify content gaps and misconceptions. CoRes helped me in the identification of the big ideas for the teaching of meiosis, the content which learners need to know and the identification of teaching strategies which can help the topic to be understood better. Recommendations from the study were that teachers should read about what they teach to improve content knowledge. Teachers should team up to produce teaching tools like CoRes

THE ROLE OF STOKVELS IN IMPROVING PEOPLE’S LIVES: THE CASE IN ORANGE FARM, JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA

Stokvels are self-help initiatives designed to respond to the problems of poverty and income insecurity in communities. Stokvels are thus a form of informal social security. Based on a study of members of stokvels in the Orange Farm community in Johannesburg, South Africa, the article examines the role of stokvels in improving the lives of their members. The results of the study showed that stokvels enable members to meet their basic needs. Stokvels also provide opportunities for members to save and invest and ultimately to accumulate assets. The results also show that stokvels promote the empowerment of women.

Fog and Dew as Potable Water Resources: Maximizing Harvesting Potential and Water Quality Concerns

Fog and dew are often viewed as economic nuisances causing significant financial losses in the transportation industry and agricultural sector. However, they are also critical components of the hydrological cycle, especially in water scarce environments. Water scarcity is one of the major threats to mankind in the 21st century, and this can be due to development pressures, pollution, and/or expanding populations. In water scarce environments, fog and dew represent potentially exploitable ancillary water resources that could ameliorate the water scarce situation, if efficiently harvested. However, two important issues are often overlooked in relation to fog and dew harvesting and potability. First, current fog and dew harvesting technologies are low yielding with great potential for improvements. Second and more importantly, the potability of these water resources is often based on simple analyses that often omit trace metal and biological analyses. The few studies that report trace metal or biological measurements suggest elevated trace metal concentrations or biological contamination that could be of concern to public health. We discuss the potential for fog and dew harvesting technologies and the need for trace metal and biological analyses of these waters before use