The battle for Zimbabwe in 2013: from polarisation to ambivalence

On the face of it, the triumph of Robert Mugabe and ZANU(PF) in the 2013 elections came as a shock, not least to opposition MDC activists. However, after a period of introspection, many have begun to construct a coherent and wide-ranging account of the result which explores opposition shortcomings, and the revived relationship between the electorate and Mugabe's ZANU(PF). This article, based on interviews with political activists conducted three months after the election, outlines and attempts to explain this account. It explores the way in which a politics of polarisation that dominated Zimbabwe in recent years appears to have given way to a politics of ambivalence: where Zimbabweans once viewed their political landscape as one populated by antinomies, they now see their state and its relation to themselves in more complex and ambiguous ways. As a result, Zimbabweans' conception of the state is increasingly coming to resemble Mbembe's formulation of states as contemporaneously ‘organizers of public happiness’ and wielders of arbitrary violence

Decision analysis to inform invasive alien plant management in the Garden Route Biosphere Reserve

Invasive alien plants (IAP) pose significant threats to global economies and biodiversity and are often considered as wicked problems. With an increasing number of IAP and limited resources, their management and decision-making processes are becoming difficult because of uncertainty, multiple and conflicting objectives, and diverse stakeholder views, facts and values. This is particularly challenging given the complex interactions between economic, ecological, and social elements that exist in invaded areas. Consequently, it is important to incorporate new ways of thinking and novel methodologies to improve our understanding of IAP management and the decision-making processes around them, which are currently inadequate. Decision analysis can help with dealing with these challenges and support decision-making under uncertainty. Drawing on the systems thinking approach and the concepts of leverage points, transition management and transformational change, the aim of this thesis was to explore the effectiveness of IAP management and the decision-making process in the Garden Route Biosphere Reserve (GRBR). This was achieved using a mixed methods approach involving: social-ecological inventory (identifying relevant stakeholders); review of literature on the available decision support tools; key informant interviews (stakeholder perspectives on the current decision-making process); and stakeholder workshop and expert consultation (casual loop modelling). The results of this thesis provide evidence that application of the proposed principles of robust decision-making has the potential to overcome the weaknesses of the current decision-making process and as such, enables decision-makers to efficiently allocate resources towards IAS management. A novel causal loop diagram (CLD) was developed to highlight the interconnections between key variables in IAP management and decision-making. This revealed that to transcend ‘policy resistance’ and ‘quickfixes that fail’ archetypes, and improve IAP management, the stakeholders need to consider deep leverage points, for example, fostering trust and shared understanding among different stakeholder groups. These can be realistically maintained over the long-term and can cause a fundamental change in IAP management, rather than focusing on shallow leverage points that are relatively easy to implement but do not result in significant systemic change. The findings of this thesis are flexible and could guide various stakeholder groups at local, national, and international scales in improving the effectiveness of IAP management and decision-making

Linking livelihood and ecosystem change in two dryland sites in Southern Africa over a period of 30 years

The ongoing and rapid change (from global to local level) in climate, populations, governments, cultures, environment, land use and economies are critical issues, especially for poor rural communities found in the dryland parts of southern Africa. The manifestations of change can combine to increase rural livelihood vulnerability, through the erosion of assets and insecurity, but can at the same time create new opportunities. Studies that consider the complex nature of change across scales and how it affects changes in livelihoods, ecosystems and responses at local level, are increasingly needed. This study, carried out in two purposefully selected study sites in the communal drylands of south-eastern Zimbabwe (Marwendo village) and Limpopo province in South Africa (Tshivhulani village), examined the complex nature of change across scales by assessing the way in which change at the global scale results in localised trends, shocks and stressors, and its impacts on livelihoods and ecosystems and responses over the past 30 years. The study applies social-ecological system thinking in understanding human-environment change. Particular emphasis was put on the role of social protection and natural resources in responding to change, shocks and stressors. The study employed a mixed method approach to gather data which included a household survey, life history interviews, transect walks, focus group discussions as well as secondary sources of information. The results of the study illustrate that shocks and stressors are common in both villages and are likely to increase in severity and frequency with ongoing and rapid human-environmental change, especially climate change. The local responses to change, shocks and stressors are primarily reactive and mainly intensify exploitation of existing natural resources and social protection as safety-nets. In Marwendo village, the villagers relied more on the use and sale of natural resource products readily available to them, whereas in Tshivhulani village they mainly tend to rely on social grants. Thus, in the future, households’ vulnerability might increase, and may be worse in Marwendo village, since important components of current livelihoods remain natural resource-based and climate sensitive. In Tshivhulani village, livelihoods characterised by high dependence on social grants can have severe consequences for households as children get older or elderly members die and grants cease to be available. Social grants therefore only really offer a temporary relief. This coupled with environmentally destructive practices such as brick-moulding in Marwendo village and uncontrolled settlements in Tshivhulani village may reinforce the negative impacts of change and thus undermine sustainable adaptation. The study concludes that multiple lenses for understanding the links between livelihood and ecosystem vulnerability in the context of the ongoing and rapid change are essential, and these provide insights into how different policy options for livelihood improvement and social protection might be appropriate for reducing household and ecosystem vulnerabilities in the future

Decision analysis to inform invasive alien plant management in the Garden Route Biosphere Reserve

Invasive alien plants (IAP) pose significant threats to global economies and biodiversity and are often considered as wicked problems. With an increasing number of IAP and limited resources, their management and decision-making processes are becoming difficult because of uncertainty, multiple and conflicting objectives, and diverse stakeholder views, facts and values. This is particularly challenging given the complex interactions between economic, ecological, and social elements that exist in invaded areas. Consequently, it is important to incorporate new ways of thinking and novel methodologies to improve our understanding of IAP management and the decision-making processes around them, which are currently inadequate. Decision analysis can help with dealing with these challenges and support decision-making under uncertainty. Drawing on the systems thinking approach and the concepts of leverage points, transition management and transformational change, the aim of this thesis was to explore the effectiveness of IAP management and the decision-making process in the Garden Route Biosphere Reserve (GRBR). This was achieved using a mixed methods approach involving: social-ecological inventory (identifying relevant stakeholders); review of literature on the available decision support tools; key informant interviews (stakeholder perspectives on the current decision-making process); and stakeholder workshop and expert consultation (casual loop modelling). The results of this thesis provide evidence that application of the proposed principles of robust decision-making has the potential to overcome the weaknesses of the current decision-making process and as such, enables decision-makers to efficiently allocate resources towards IAS management. A novel causal loop diagram (CLD) was developed to highlight the interconnections between key variables in IAP management and decision-making. This revealed that to transcend ‘policy resistance’ and ‘quickfixes that fail’ archetypes, and improve IAP management, the stakeholders need to consider deep leverage points, for example, fostering trust and shared understanding among different stakeholder groups. These can be realistically maintained over the long-term and can cause a fundamental change in IAP management, rather than focusing on shallow leverage points that are relatively easy to implement but do not result in significant systemic change. The findings of this thesis are flexible and could guide various stakeholder groups at local, national, and international scales in improving the effectiveness of IAP management and decision-making

Realising the objectives of infrastructure master plan : The role of internal operatives

Abstract: The infrastructure master plan, in a higher education institution, serves as a blueprint for the coordinated and progressive development of the physical infrastructure and services to create a suitable academic environment required for the execution of the core functions of teaching, learning and research. Master plans are usually developed for a long period in the life of the institution, subject to rational and objective adjustment due to the dynamics that are internal and external to the academic institution. Although the initial master plan was developed for a single campus setup, over the years, the university has developed into a multi-campus institution, adopting mixed methods of infrastructure development. Management and other internal operatives were faced with dynamic economic and social circumstances that called for responsive and adaptive decision making in order to implement the facilities master plan successfully. Some of the development approaches include new construction, rehabilitation of existing buildings, purchase and renting of suitable properties. The single site case study method of qualitative research was adopted in the exploration of the development and implementation process of the infrastructure master plan of a higher education institution in Zimbabwe. The findings revealed that internal and external intrigues at play were managed through the consultative approach adopted by the University Council (Board), Building Committee and the Works Department of Estates and other internal structures of the institution, which provided stability and focused developments, while trying to cope with divergent pressures

Reconceptualising education support services in South Africa

Inclusive education has been phased in in South Africa since 2001, but relies heavily upon adequate support services to support learners and teachers experiencing barriers to learning and development. This book focuses on the different levels of support provided in South African education – from School-based Support Teams to District-based Support Teams through to special and full-service schools, and how these could be reconceptualised to provide improved support to learners and teachers. Current research indicates that inclusive education is being implemented in varied and fragmented forms across the country, and the point of departure of this work is that education support services need to be improved and reconceptualised to ensure better support for inclusive education

Inclusion of culturally and linguistically diverse learners in secondary schools in Gauteng, South Africa

Completed by 888Despite the global adoption of the notion of inclusion in schools, teachers still grapple with culturally and linguistically diverse learners (CLD) and South African schools are no exception. Inclusion of culturally and linguistically diverse learners is made complex by the increased number of international and national immigrants and refugees. This study explored the inclusion of learners who are culturally and linguistically diverse in ordinary secondary schools in Gauteng, South Africa. It examined the inclusion of learners who are culturally and linguistically diverse in ordinary secondary schools as a context for strategising and proposing a model for the successful and effective inclusion of CLD learners in ordinary secondary schools. A qualitative multiple case study design located within the interpretivist paradigm was used. From a population of South African teachers in Gauteng Province, 12 secondary school teachers were sampled through the critical case sampling procedure. Data were collected through multiple methods that included interviews, non-participant observation and document analysis. The collected data were analysed using ATLAS.ti version 8.0. Inclusive pedagogy was the theoretical approach that underpinned this study. The themes that emerged from the study include teachers’ understanding of inclusion, teachers’ practices of inclusion of CLD learners and strategies that could enhance the inclusion of CLD learners. The theme on teachers’ understanding of inclusion showed that teachers have multiple perspectives on inclusion. The study also found that the inclusion of CLD learners is practiced through the use of multiliteracy pedagogies (translanguaging/code-switching), multimodal pedagogies which include blended learning and collaborative teaching practices. Among the strategies that could be used to enhance the inclusion of CLD learners were the development of knowledge about diversity, training on government policies, meeting ethnic diversity in instruction However, teachers are confronted with CLD learners who have behavioural challenges. The following recommendations were raised in the study: (1) use of multiliteracy pedagogies such as systematic code switching; (2) use of multi-modal pedagogies such as clay modelling, gestural elements and audio visual devices; (3) formulation and amendment of education policies; (4) in-service training and workshops In the final submission, a model for the inclusion of CLD learners was proposed in order to advance the inclusion of CLD learners in secondary schools in South Africa.Inclusive EducationD. Ed. (Inclusive Education

The Nexus between Disputed Elections and Governments of National Unity in Africa

This article offers a critical analysis of the nexus between disputed electionsand governments of national unity and how they work. It also casts light on the merits and limits of GNUs with two case studies of Kenya and Zimbabwe. A brief discussion of the conceptual foundation of GNUs precedes a more expansive focus on the two cases. The article argues that the GNUs have their merits in the short-term as short-term political and economic stabilisers and a vitiation of the democratic will of the voters. However, they are not a panaceafor long-running structural problems that beset most African countries. The article also notes that developments in Côte d’Ivoire have made GNUs a less-attractive institutional option, even in the short-ter

Zimbabwe's trajectory : stepping forward or sliding back

At Independence in 1980, Julius Nyerere called Zimbabwe 'the jewel of Africa', and cautioned its new leaders not to tarnish it. Tragically, they paid no heed to Africa's esteemed elder statesmen. Arguably - and only if one ignores the carnage of Gukurahundi - the first decade was a developmental one, with resources being used prudently to benefit the formerly disadvantaged majority population. However, the 1990s witnessed a transition from a developmental to a predatory leadership which saw Zimbabwe cross the millennial line in crisis, where it has remained ever since. While many African countries have moved forward over the last three decades, Zimbabwe has gone relentlessly backwards, save for the four-year interregnum of the tripartite coalition government, 2009-2013. Virtually all development indicators point in the wrong direction and the crisis of poverty, unemployment, and the erosion of health. education and other public goods continues unabated. The imperatives of political survival and power politics supersede those of sound economics and public welfare. Moreover, unless good politics are conjoined with a sound people-first policy, the country will continue sliding downhill. Zimbabwe's Trajectory tells the story of the country's post-independence dynamics and its recent descent into becoming one of the three most unhappy countries in the world

Exploring Long-Term Livelihood and Landscape Change in Two Semi-Arid Sites in Southern Africa: Drivers and Consequences for Social–Ecological Vulnerability

This paper investigates the drivers and dynamics of livelihood and landscape change over a 30-year period in two sites in the communal drylands of Zimbabwe (Marwendo) and South Africa (Tshivuhulani). Of particular interest to us was how access to social protection and a wider range of options may mitigate increased vulnerability under a changing climate. A mixed methods approach (using household surveys, focus group discussions, life history interviews, transect walks and secondary sources of data) was applied to develop human–environment timelines for each study site. Findings indicate that prolonged periods of droughts, unreliable rainfall, changing socioeconomic policies and development-related projects were among the major drivers of both positive and negative change in both villages. Marwendo, in particular, experienced a suite of negative drivers in the last 10 years that increased vulnerability and forced households to diversify into potentially maladaptive activities. In contrast, the expansion in social grants in Tshivhulani provided an important safety net that reduced vulnerability, but also led to a decline in farming and a narrowing of livelihood activities for some households. We demonstrate that rural development initiatives such as electrification and road construction can strengthen local people’s capacity to respond to drivers of change, while new methods of farming and diversification of the livelihood portfolio can make them more climate-resilient. However, long-term changes in landscapes and ecosystem services and feedbacks on livelihoods could reverse some of the benefits of development by eroding the natural capital many households still depend on