Zimbabwean women online: an investigation of how gendered identities are negotiated in Zimbabwean women’s online spaces

This study is concerned with the construction of Zimbabwean women’s identities in this contemporary internet age. Two Facebook groups are of particular interest here due to the vibrant conversations that take place on a daily basis, that is, Makhox Women’s League and Baking & Cooking: ZW Women’s Diaries. Conceiving these internet sites as discursive spaces, I unpack the contesting discourses and tensions in the different narratives offered by Zimbabwean women and identify and critique the competing sets of feminine subjectivities. I achieve this by drawing on poststructuralist and postcolonialist feminist theories in order to situate these groups as cultural sites that are particularly identity defining. I particularly draw on Foucauldian theories of discourse, power and the subject to conceptualise the formation of particular discursive gendered subjectivities. With an understanding that discourse is constitutive of power relations and contestations, and that discourse should be historically contextualised in order to take into account particular conditions of existence; I draw on Mamdani’s (1996) conceptualisation of how power is organised in Africa within a historical and institutional context, and identify the bifurcated nature of the postcolonial Zimbabwean state as a colonial residue as necessitating a particular kind of subjectivity. To this end, one can understand the different femininities on Makhox Women’s League and Baking & Cooking: ZW Women’s Diaries as constituted within, and complexly negotiating, a traditional/customary discourse and a rights-based modern one. This qualitative inquiry is informed by an eclectic approach that combines methods of textual analysis that complements both critical linguistics and media studies and attends to lexical structure as well as narrative and rhetorical analysis respectively. Combined with an online ethnographic approach I employ these tools to analyse these particular Facebook groups with the understanding that as women converse daily on these platforms, they ‘govern’ each other’s conduct and thought processes in interesting ways. I argue that these conversations discursively constitute the performances of different femininities on both sites that also take into account the diasporic condition of Zimbabwean women. I show how they negotiate and mediate feminine performance and in so doing propose and contest certain ‘truths’ that are frequently validated

Zimbabwean women online: an investigation of how gendered identities are negotiated in Zimbabwean women’s online spaces

This study is concerned with the construction of Zimbabwean women’s identities in this contemporary internet age. Two Facebook groups are of particular interest here due to the vibrant conversations that take place on a daily basis, that is, Makhox Women’s League and Baking & Cooking: ZW Women’s Diaries. Conceiving these internet sites as discursive spaces, I unpack the contesting discourses and tensions in the different narratives offered by Zimbabwean women and identify and critique the competing sets of feminine subjectivities. I achieve this by drawing on poststructuralist and postcolonialist feminist theories in order to situate these groups as cultural sites that are particularly identity defining. I particularly draw on Foucauldian theories of discourse, power and the subject to conceptualise the formation of particular discursive gendered subjectivities. With an understanding that discourse is constitutive of power relations and contestations, and that discourse should be historically contextualised in order to take into account particular conditions of existence; I draw on Mamdani’s (1996) conceptualisation of how power is organised in Africa within a historical and institutional context, and identify the bifurcated nature of the postcolonial Zimbabwean state as a colonial residue as necessitating a particular kind of subjectivity. To this end, one can understand the different femininities on Makhox Women’s League and Baking & Cooking: ZW Women’s Diaries as constituted within, and complexly negotiating, a traditional/customary discourse and a rights-based modern one. This qualitative inquiry is informed by an eclectic approach that combines methods of textual analysis that complements both critical linguistics and media studies and attends to lexical structure as well as narrative and rhetorical analysis respectively. Combined with an online ethnographic approach I employ these tools to analyse these particular Facebook groups with the understanding that as women converse daily on these platforms, they ‘govern’ each other’s conduct and thought processes in interesting ways. I argue that these conversations discursively constitute the performances of different femininities on both sites that also take into account the diasporic condition of Zimbabwean women. I show how they negotiate and mediate feminine performance and in so doing propose and contest certain ‘truths’ that are frequently validated

Competition law and cartel enforcement regimes in the global south: examining the effectiveness of co-operation in south-south regional trade agreements.

Doctor Legum - LLDCompetition law and its enforcement have become necessary tools in the face of trade liberalisation. Nowhere is this more evident than in the area of cross-border cartels. The global South is steadily becoming aware of this. With the advent of globalisation and trade liberalisation, individual economies have become intrinsically linked. Anti-competitive conduct in one territory may have an impact in another territory. Therefore, an effective regional competition law framework complements trade liberalisation, especially in light of the principal objective of the South-South regional economic communities: the deepening of regional integration, in order to realise economic development and alleviate poverty. Cartel practices, such as, market allocation cartels, are in direct contradiction to this primary objective. This is when enforcement collaborations in South-South regional economic communities becomes crucial. The regional legal instruments of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa, the East African Community, the Southern African Customs Union and the Southern African Development Community make provision for enforcement collaborations among Member States. To facilitate collaboration, regional competition authorities have been created to investigate, among other things, cross-border cartels. Within these economic communities, there is a strong case for enforcement collaborations, as evidence shows that the majority of the firms engaging in cartels are the so-called Regional Multinational Corporations. They operate throughout the territories of Member States. Additionally, the international nature of cartels, such as, private international cartels and export cartels, provide an opportunity for South-South co-operation to be utilised. However, this co-operation has not been utilised to the fullest extent, especially with reference to cross-border cartel activities. This has been attributed to various factors, such as, institutional incapacities, resource austerity, the absence of common procedural rules, the lack of adequate investigatory tools, and political ineptitude. As a solution, this current study makes specific recommendations that are directed at enhancing the effectiveness of South-South collaborations pertaining to cross-border cartel activities

Theorizing and institutionalizing operation Sukuma Sakhe: a case study of integrated service delivery

The authority of South Africa is in the midst of a profound economic crisis precipitated by high levels of unemployment and inequality, marked by political shifts unprecedented in scope subsequent to the 2016 local government elections. The recent election outcomes reveal disturbances in the social, political and economic systems of the country. These disturbances have been precipitated by low economic growth trajectory and poor investment in service delivery infrastructure. The central thesis of this paper is that in addressing the triple challenge of poverty, inequality and unemployment, a symptomatic approach of addressing social ills and service delivery will not work. This paper draws from institutional theory as a sense-making mechanism to produce a scientific approach to integrated service delivery. Using the tenets of the critical reflecting methodological approach, institutional theory is deconstructed to provide an understanding of how to operationalize integrated service delivery across functions in a scientific fashion. Keywords: service delivery, institutional theory, poverty, inequality and unemployment. JEL Classification: L8, J64, J71, I3

Casting a Wide Net: HIV Drug Resistance Monitoring in Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis Seroconverters in the Global Evaluation of Microbicide Sensitivity Project.

BACKGROUND: Evidence of HIV drug resistance (HIVDR) in individuals using oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) who acquire HIV is limited to clinical trials and case studies. More data are needed to understand the risk of HIVDR with oral PrEP during PrEP rollout. Mechanisms to collect these data vary, and are dependent on cost, scale of PrEP distribution, and in-country infrastructure for the identification, collection, and testing of samples from PrEP seroconverters. METHODS: The Global Evaluation of Microbicide Sensitivity (GEMS) project, in collaboration with country stakeholders, initiated HIVDR monitoring among new HIV seroconverters with prior PrEP use in Eswatini, Kenya, South Africa, and Zimbabwe. Standalone protocols were developed to assess HIVDR among a national sample of PrEP users. In addition, HIVDR testing was incorporated into existing demonstration projects for key populations. LESSONS LEARNED: Countries are supportive of conducting a time-limited evaluation of HIVDR during the early stages of PrEP rollout. As PrEP rollout expands, the need for long-term HIVDR monitoring with PrEP will need to be balanced with maintaining national HIV drug resistance surveillance for pretreatment and acquired drug resistance. Laboratory capacity is a common obstacle to setting up a monitoring system. CONCLUSIONS: Establishing HIV resistance monitoring within PrEP programs is feasible. Approaches to drug resistance monitoring may evolve as the PrEP programs mature and expand. The methods and implementation support offered by GEMS assisted countries in developing methods to monitor for drug resistance that best fit their PrEP program needs and resources

Managing the impact of informal settlements on the performance of primary school learners in Kagiso.

M.Ed.There are remarkable differences in the academic performance between the learners residing in informal settlements and those from townships (formal settlements). Learners from informal settlements perform very poorly as compared to learners from formal settlements. From the literature review, the factors leading to study problems are identified as environment, lack of resources, available time and place to study. The socio-economic background affects a child at every point in his or her academic career. The purpose of this study was to explore ways and means of managing the negative impact of the informal settlements on the academic performance of primary school learners of Kagiso. It was also to investigate possible solutions and provide them in the form of guidelines to the Department of Education as intervention strategies to address management on the impact of informal settlements on learner performance. This was a qualitative research. The study explored the impact of the informal settlements and its management in the performance of primary school learners through in- depth interviews and observations. The researcher conducted interviews with a sample drawn from primary school principals, educators, learners and affected parents in Kagiso. The data were analyzed separately by eliciting the unique experiences of respondents and led to common emerging themes. Measures to ensure trustworthiness have been applied in the research and ethical measures have been strictly adhered to. Trustworthiness consists of four components: creditability, transferability, dependability and conformability. Validity and reliability were ensured by the use of the participant’s own language as raw as it is, in data recording. Findings from the research in line with literature review suggested that the informal settlements have a negative impact on learners. Inadequate housing and overcrowding deprive the child of privacy. Homework and study is done against a noisy background. This can be managed by all stakeholders taking part in the intervention strategies that influence policy formulation regarding the at-risk learners in Kagiso. Recommendations ensuing from this study will contribute to the development of intervention strategies to address management concerning this impact. The recommendations will be forwarded to the Department of Education and other relevant state departments.Prof. J.R. Debeil

“Growing up and growing old with HIV”: HIV+ adolescents’ experiences of disclosing statuses to romantic partners in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe

This article explores the experiences of HIV-positive adolescents disclosing their status to romantic partners in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. Disclosure of HIV status continues to be one of the most pressing issues facing adolescents, especially those in relationships, yet health care workers have minimal tailored guidance on how to approach this except to encourage full disclosure. Motives for disclosure were: guilty conscience; legal and ethical obligations; preventing partners being infected; and supportive people, honesty and trust. Disclosure was done on a one-onone basis in public spaces such as roadsides where the adolescents usually met, or in health care facilities through the help of health care workers, and through mobile phones using WhatsApp. Results revealed that disclosure was associated with negative and positive outcomes ranging from disruption of relationships, depression, breaches of confidential information and, in some instances, relationship and marriage assurance. However, results clearly showed that adolescents living with HIV struggle with disclosure because the process is complex and loaded with emotions and the outcomes can be unpredictable and difficult to handle. Optimism towards treatment, social support, rationalisation, and social comparison through attributing new meanings to the disease were employed to deal with negative outcomes of disclosure. Therefore, the development and implementation of evidence-based initiatives to raise awareness and train the youth to disclose is recommended. Through their experiences, we canlearn what works well and what needs to be strengthened. Keywords: adolescence, disclosure, intimate, partner, perspective, relationship status, young person

The SARS-COV-2 Seroprevalence among Oncology Patients

Patients with cancer are presumed to be vulnerable to an increased risk of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and severe clinical outcomes due to the immunocompromised state mediated by their underlying malignancies and therapy. The aim of this study was to estimate the SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence, following second to fourth waves in solid tumour patients attending the Steve Biko Academic Hospital (SBAH) for diagnosis and treatment of cancer. We used the single-prick COVID-19 IgG/IgM Rapid Test Cassettes to detect SARS-CoV-2 IgG/IgM antibodies in 760 patients with solid tumours who were asymptomatic and who had never tested positive for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Out of the 760 patients, 277 were male (36.4%), 483 were female (63.6%), and the mean age was 55 years (range 18–92). The estimated total seroprevalence was 33.2%. The seroprevalence status of the COVID-19 IgG/IgM antibodies rose significantly from the second wave (11.3%) to the third (67.38%) and then the fourth (69.81%) waves with roughly similar counts. A significant number of the seropositive patients were asymptomatic to COVID-19 (96%). There was a higher rate of seropositivity in cancer patients with hypertension (p < 0.05). Patients with breast, gynaecologic, and prostate cancers exhibited increased SARS-CoV-2 seropositivity. Although oncology patients may be susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection, our data indicate that these patients remained asymptomatic throughout various waves with an overall COVID-19 IgG/IgM antibody seropositivity of 33.16%, suggesting no risk of severe or fatal cases of COVID-19