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Street trading is a highly gendered form of economic activity practiced by the urban poor in most global south cities. Drawing from focus group discussions and in-depth interviews, this paper examines the everyday struggles facing female street traders with children as they negotiate access to contested urban spaces to make a living in Harare's Central Business District (CBD). The paper argues that public spaces in Harare's CBD act as both 'livelihood spaces' and places of intense vulnerability for women who have caregiving roles. Female street traders struggle to balance between selling their goods as well as watching for municipal surveillance. These challenges are dire for women with children. The women often engage in precarious strategies to evade municipal enforcement including using their children as 'shields' for protection from a highly repressive state machinery that is less sympathetic to the plight of the urban poor. Despite facing these constraints, women enact creative practices to lay claims to urban space. This paper contributes to the ongoing scholarly debates on gender and the informal economy in global south cities. We suggest that urban planning initiatives should be attentive to gendered experiences and needs to create more inclusive and equitable urban environments, where female street traders can engage in their livelihoods without facing harassment or violence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Housing cooperatives and social movements have become significant actors in the housing delivery in Harare, Zimbabwe. This paper examines how these social movements contribute to the transformation of urban territories. We argue that through strategies, such as collective defiance and demonstration of alternative; housing cooperatives and social movements have challenged urban authorities to concede to new forms of urban development. These urban collectives have created 'new infrastructure geographies. At the same time, planning institutions respond by reforming policies to embrace grassroots housing initiatives. Our findings contribute to scholarly debates on how the urban poor produce and transform urban spaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At the height of Zimbabwe’s multi-layered crisis, emerged several Pentecostal-Charismatic Churches (PCCs). Led by youthful charismatic ‘prophets’, these PCCs gained significant traction in many urban spaces, especially in Harare, Zimbabwe’s capital, where they have sought to ‘Pentecostalise’ the cityscape. Public spaces in Harare have become saturated with Pentecostal aesthetics, which include, but are not limited to, church-branded stickers on vehicles, huge religious billboards at strategic spaces, impressive megachurch buildings, and spectacular public displays. This remarkable growth of PCCs saw them venturing into huge real estate projects that have dramatically reshaped the urban landscape. Through these projects, PCCs are creating ‘cities within cities.’ Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork in Harare, I examine how two PCCs have reconfigured urban landscapes through their projects, activities, and rituals. In addition to a focus on the quotidian dimension of urban life, I also focus on how these projects enable congregants and residents to reimagine the possibilities of a different kind of future and life in the city. Interestingly, the power of the ascendant PCCs is such that they are becoming de facto urban planners themselves and thus their vision for the urban future is creating new ways of relating to the present in the growing city. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

African doctoral students studying abroad and returning to their home countries for fieldwork face multiple and complex challenges. This paper reflexively addresses the question of positionality from the experiences of conducting research on urban governance and the spatial politics of street traders in Harare, Zimbabwe. The paper discusses dilemmas associated with navigating insider and outsider identities, showcasing how these categories continually shift while conducting research on street traders within a distinct socio‐cultural and political context. Moreover, the author's background as a former street trader, now pursuing a PhD at the University of Western Ontario in Canada, adds a layer of complexity to the situation, offering valuable insights into how these 'multiple' positionalities can either facilitate or hinder data collection. The paper underscores the nuanced experiences of the researcher in the field, shedding light on the potential challenges, pitfalls and opportunities inherent in grappling with one's positionality. By foregrounding these complexities, the paper contributes to our understanding of the positionalities of researchers in the social sciences and adds to the growing body of literature on methodologies for conducting urban studies, particularly with vulnerable populations. The paper discusses dilemmas of being insider and outsider and how these categories are shifted constantly while researching street traders in a unique socio‐cultural and political context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main thrust of this article is to trace and analyze the development of street theatre practice in contemporary Zimbabwe, paying particular attention to street theatre’s form and the context in which it has operated and operates. Concurrently, the paper examines how the political environment in Zimbabwe has been critical in shaping street theatre form and style. Scott’s theory of hidden transcripts is used to interrogate how street theatre navigates a censorious environment. Drawing on the post-linear and public and hidden transcript theories, the article historically interrogates street theatre as a performance form which adopts radical performance elements, allowing it to navigate an environment dominated by various censorial controls. Based on Scott (1990)’s assertion that the environment in which the subordinate find themselves shapes their public displays, this study argues that street theatre’s style of delivery is a result of the cultural and political background. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zimbabwe’s unending socioeconomic crisis has led to the flooding of informal street vendors in its urban areas, a development that has led to incessant clashes between the street vendors and the local authorities. Literature has shown that street vending is a global phenomenon and its problems could be addressed through best practices of inclusivity. This study examined the situation of informal street vendors in Harare in the light of social inclusion. It also made use of insights from Pope Francis regarding World Popular Movements. Data were collected through focus group discussions comprising six informal street vendors operating in Harare as its participants. Findings revealed that informal street vendors in Harare faced many structural challenges, one of which included operating in contested spaces characterised by violent evictions from vending sites, bribery and power struggles. Results also showed that street vendors lacked access to bank loans, information, and even the power to influence policies which directly affected them. Based on these findings, it was argued that the informal street vendors were socially excluded and needed to be integrated into the economic fabric of the urban society. This social inclusion process was considered as only possible if local authorities adopted an inclusive approach to policymaking. This would entail involving the street vendors when crafting policies that directly affect them. It was recommended that Harare City Council regularises street vending, aligns its by-laws to the National Constitution, and that it also formulates inclusive policies. Contribution: The article makes a contribution towards the promotion of an inclusive society whereby everyone has equal access to social and economic opportunities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The issue of same-sex relationships is complex in Zimbabwe because of the prevailing hostile legal provisions, and cultural and religious beliefs. While it is a criminal offence to practise same-sex relationships in Zimbabwe, the Constitution of Zimbabwe does not tolerate any discrimination against people. The debate on same-sex relationships has been on spotlight in Zimbabwe since 1995 when the late former President of Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe, disparaged same-sex relationships as not only unnatural and un-African, but also unchristian. The practice of same-sex relationships has since remained politicised in Zimbabwe and elsewhere within the African region and those practising it have often been discriminated against by society. This article used a qualitative methodology to explore the religious experiences of Christians in same-sex relationships in Harare, using insights from the notion of ubuntu. Field data were gathered through social media from purposively selected respondents who were living in same-sex relationships. Findings revealed that these people felt discriminated against and unsafe in their own churches. Based on these findings, it is argued that despite their respective views on same-sex relationships, the African church should respect the dignity of the people involved in these relationships, and should also create safe spaces for them. Contribution: The article promotes sensitivity to the needs of minority groups in the society and encourages the provision of appropriate guidance on how to deal with the phenomenon of same-sex relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The role of informal settlements in human development remains contested in urban studies literature. For instance, some existing studies view urban informal settlements as hotspots of social unrest, squalor and precarious residential environments (poverty traps); while others perceive them as places where the poor become resourceful, ingenious, and develop necessary skills to navigate urban life (pathways out of poverty). The absence of systematic evidence on the nexus between informal settlements and human progress hinder sound urban policy practices. This paper examines the role of informal settlements in human development focusing on Hopley, Hatcliffe Extension and Epworth Ward 7– Harare’s three largest informal settlements. The study combines surveys, in-depth interviews, and focus group discussions with selected residents from the three neighborhoods. The study reveals that despite feeling ‘trapped’ in conditions of precarious, overcrowded, and insecure housing, coupled with discursive territorial stigmatization, some informal settlement residents are hopeful that their settlements will eventually improve. The ambivalence of Harare’s urban policy toward informal settlements must be replaced by a more positive approach to improve the livelihoods of people living in these neighborhoods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conducting primary data collection can be a fulfilling and interesting adventure producing significant learning experiences particularly for early career researchers. However, fieldwork can be marred with complex challenges and frustrations, especially if conducted in dynamic and politically sensitive environments and with highly vulnerable urban populations. This paper contributes to and advances academic scholarship on fieldwork experiences in the social sciences. Drawing from the first author's doctoral fieldwork experiences, we share our reflections on the application of the photovoice method in researching street traders in Harare, Zimbabwe. We engage with different issues that researchers could consider in the application of photovoice, especially with dynamic and marginalized urban populations like street traders. These include dealing with and managing complex and multiple ethical dilemmas, dealing with the content-quality conundrum, exploring 'missing' photographs and handling 'leftover' photographs, handling conflictual council-street trader relations, building rapport, and ensuring participant commitment, joint interpretation, and co-construction of meaning and methodological benefits of using photovoice with street traders. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first paper that reflects on the use of photovoice with street traders in Global South cities, and we hope that the insights presented here will be useful for future urban researchers working on similar topics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conducting primary data collection can be a fulfilling and interesting adventure producing significant learning experiences particularly for early career researchers. However, fieldwork can be marred with complex challenges and frustrations, especially if conducted in dynamic and politically sensitive environments and with highly vulnerable urban populations. This paper contributes to and advances academic scholarship on fieldwork experiences in the social sciences. Drawing from the first author's doctoral fieldwork experiences, we share our reflections on the application of the photovoice method in researching street traders in Harare, Zimbabwe. We engage with different issues that researchers could consider in the application of photovoice, especially with dynamic and marginalized urban populations like street traders. These include dealing with and managing complex and multiple ethical dilemmas, dealing with the content-quality conundrum, exploring 'missing' photographs and handling 'leftover' photographs, handling conflictual council-street trader relations, building rapport, and ensuring participant commitment, joint interpretation, and co-construction of meaning and methodological benefits of using photovoice with street traders. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first paper that reflects on the use of photovoice with street traders in Global South cities, and we hope that the insights presented here will be useful for future urban researchers working on similar topics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines changing attitudes to afternoon and evening meals during the Zimbabwean crisis between 1997 and 2020. It uses household food economics in Harare's high-density suburbs as an entry point into the historiography of the Zimbabwean crisis. By focusing on the management of household economics, the article analyses the affordability, typologies and naming of some meals or relishes that were eaten during the crisis period. It examines the vernacular concepts of tsaona meals that came to dominate afternoon and evening meals. It further analyses the ZANU(PF) government's authoritarian vegetarianism – in which it took a pseudo-decolonial stance as it attempted to re-teach Zimbabwean palates and bowels to consume traditional small grains and vegetables in the context of food shortages and the crisis. Overall, the article provides a sensorial history of meals in Harare's high-density suburbs during the Zimbabwean crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The emergence of automated systems created tremendous opportunities for access promotion in archival institutions throughout the globe. Genealogical research at the National Archives of Zimbabwe (NAZ) has been boosted by technological access systems conveyed by the FamilySearch organisation. Public archivists in national archival institutions must adopt digital finding aids to facilitate effective and efficient retrieval mechanisms in this green revolution epoch. The transition from traditional retrieval tools, which include card catalogues, inventories and guides, to digital finding aids has provided greater opportunities for genealogists to search large databases for information. Genealogists or family historians are major users of the archival collection, and archival institutions should take advantage of best practices brought in by technology to create flawless access systems. The researcher used a qualitative case study methodology with an interpretivist perspective where the main focus of the research was on the head office of the NAZ in Harare. Interviews, document analysis and observations were used as the major data collecting tools. The results show the NAZ automated a few classes of genealogical records, including deceased estate records, and is yet to automate immigration, chieftainship and census returns records, which are also crucial in family history research. The study recommends the adoption of the best of both worlds, which involves automation and digitisation of all family history records to facilitate effective and efficient service delivery to genealogists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing from ethnographic research, incorporating informal conversations, semi-structured interviews and a focus group discussion, the paper explores the subjective meanings and construction of the "lesbian" identity in a "hostile" environment among selected same-sex attracted women in Harare. While the globally circulating identity labels are loaded with historical baggage which can be limiting or confusing in non-western contexts, most of the study participants related to some of the labels that are prominent in the present-day, western-inspired global discourse on same-sex relations. Self-styling and the quest to exhibit masculine decorum was a central aspect in the narratives of most "butch" identifying women. For most butch identifying women being lesbian was closely interwoven with considerations about one's gendered self. However not all participants were comfortable with the circulating identity labels as they found them restrictive and loaded. While subjective preferences of the participants demonstrate complexity in how "lesbianism" is locally constructed and experienced, the lesbian identity is certainly not obsolete in Harare among same-sex attracted women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores how geographical location contributes to the social exclusion of communities on the fringes of the city. It uses a case study of Southlea Park, a low-income settlement on the southern periphery of Harare in Zimbabwe, to highlight the conditions contributing to lack of adequate transport, and thus, creating barriers to mobility. It draws data from a 6-month ethnographic study to show how lack of adequate transport and road infrastructure and the high costs of commuting have contributed to the social exclusion of residents, whose access to opportunities outside the community has been severely constrained. Based on these results, it argues that geographical location is a major factor contributing to transport disadvantages of communities on the periphery of Harare, and indeed, other cities in Zimbabwe, and thus, perpetuates their exclusion from the broader economy. It concludes by alluding to the policy implications of the study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Street trading, a highly contentious phenomenon in many Global South cities, represents an interplay of power, resistance, and urban governance. In this paper, we use Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) to interrogate how street traders are portrayed in media and institutional discourses, providing insights into the discursive construction of urban space in Harare, Zimbabwe. Methodologically, the study draws on a dataset consisting of interviews with urban practitioners, and policymakers, as well as an analysis of media representations. The debate related to urban space and street trading in Harare has been largely one-sided for many years, dominated by a top-down discourse of power that pathologizes, marginalizes and stigmatizes street traders as "agents of urban disorder, diseases and pollution", "economic parasites" and "criminals". The success of these hegemonic discourses has justified and legitimized regressive policies of displacement, eviction, and penalization, thereby undermining street traders' contributions to the urban economy and livelihoods. Ultimately, this study contributes to the growing body of research on street trading in Global South cities, shedding light on the power structures and ideological underpinnings within the urban discourse. The findings of this study aim to inform more inclusive urban governance practices that acknowledge the rights of marginalized groups. • Uses Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) to examine how street traders are portrayed in media and institutional discourses in Harare, Zimbabwe. • The debate related to urban space and street trading in Harare has been largely one-sided for many years, dominated hegemonic discourses that negatively represent street traders as a disruptive urban 'nuisance', 'criminals', 'economic parasites' and agents of 'diseases and pollution'. • These hegemonic discourses have been used to justify aggressive and authoritarian spatial governance, thereby undermining street traders' contributions to the urban economy. • Contributes to the growing body of research on cities, space and power. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In developing countries, people living in informal settlements are subjected to different forms of coercive control such as threats of evictions, exclusion, blocked access to urban services and other types of structural violence. These coercive measures are legitimised through the discursive branding of informal settlements as 'unplanned', 'disorderly' and 'dangerous' neighbourhoods. This paper examines how people living in these denigrated neighbourhoods engage with and resist this territorial stigmatisation. It uses data from key informant interviews (KIIs) with urban elites, in-depth interviews (IDIs) and focus group discussions (FGDs) with residents of Harare's informal settlements. Our analysis reveals that while some informal settlement residents have internalised stigmatising discourses, others resist them through constructing counternarratives that seek to portray their settlements as 'good places for the urban poor', thereby creating a positive image of their neighbourhoods in the context of extreme spatial and socio-economic marginalisation. These place-based narratives are rooted in the shared experiences with informality and associational life in a city where such residents are needed yet unwanted. We conclude that while informal settlement residents are aware of their precarity and tenure insecurities, these counternarratives build strong solidarities to resist state-sponsored evictions, arbitrary relocations and other forms of structural violence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

COVID-19 sample management is pivotal in controlling the pandemic. Results of 28/45 (62.2%) cases identified at a high school COVID-19 outbreak in Harare's Northern district were not reported within the recommended 24 hours of notification. This leads to delayed patient management. We evaluated the sample management system for COVID-19 in Harare City. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in Harare City. Health care workers involved in COVID-19 sample management at a high school outbreak in the Northern district namely clinicians, laboratory, environmental and administrative personnel were purposively sampled. Interviewer-administered questionnaires were used to collect data. Quantitative data were analyzed using Epi info version 7. Medians and proportions were generated. A 3-point Likert Scale was used to measure knowledge levels of health care workers on COVID-19 sample management. Thirty health care workers were interviewed and females were 20/30 (66%). Participants had not been trained in sample management. Overall knowledge level was good for 7/30 (23%) of the participants. Of the samples collected, 156/451 (34.6%) were wrongly sent to the national microbiology laboratory and 53/156 (34.0%) of the results were received. Sample management of COVID-19 samples in Harare City was found to affect patient management because of poor knowledge of healthcare workers, lack of transportation and communication means. The need for training cadres involved in the management process and availing adequate resources can improve turnaround time of results hence patient management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the emergence of informal dog breeding businesses in Zimbabwe's high-density suburbs between 1990 and 2019. It uses the dog breeding practices of the working-classes and informal workers as an entry point into the global dog historiography that overly focuses on the dog breeding practices of the ruling classes and of the middle classes in Western Europe and in North America. It, thus, provides an animal-sensitive assessment of the Zimbabwean crisis drawing from archival sources, newspapers and from digital ethnography. It argues that the dog breeding practices of the working-classes and informal workers in Harare's high-density suburbs avails a global south dog history that is not overly influenced by Western Kennel Club rules and breeding standards. The paper also focuses on the various types of dogs that gained popularity at different times owing to Zimbabwe's changing political-economy during the period under review. Informal dog breeders bred different dog breeds at different times in reaction to the fashionable trends to solve evolving urban security needs as a result of changing urban sub-cultures. These informal dog breeding businesses created strong downstream and upstream business ventures that enabled successful dog breeders to attain breadwinner statuses during the Zimbabwean crisis. It concludes by showing that human-dog relations changed during the Zimbabwean crisis in Harare's high-density suburbs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the 'post-colonial' dogs – and their humans – of an African city. It draws on archival sources, newspaper sources and oral interviews to describe how Zimbabwe dealt with its urban canine citizens over the almost 40 years following independence. The local narrative is contextualised in a comparative reading of dog histories from other urban centres around the world, but it demonstrates the idiographic idioms and shifting specificities of urban animal–human histories from the global south. We focus on changes in regimes regulating dogs, especially those owned by Africans, between 1980 and 2017, showing how dog management reflected competing visions of the modern city. We discuss visions of the dog–human relationship from the state downwards – including from national leaders, animal-welfare organisations and the Kennel Clubs right down to individual dog-owners and breeders. This group included a new niche, the young urban 'ghetto dog fancy', prompted by the vicissitudes of the economy and the vagaries of fashion. We discuss how this led to new types of 'Africanised' dogs, drawing on fluid notions of 'breed'. The state's efforts to impose top-down control were ambiguous and contested, but we show that the divide in response was never only racialised, but fissured through with anxieties over class, gender and generation. Harare developed a hybrid dog-keeping regime that mixed aspects of long-enduring tradition and self-consciously modern regimes. Fundamentally, we show that dog–human relations were idiographic, syncretic and shifting, and that they often pivoted around human–human relations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study sought to evaluate the performance of residential building spaces in public housing in Harare, Zimbabwe. It specifically measured building performance indicators determined by the building's characteristics and the physical, locational and service attributes of buildings. A quantitative research design was adopted, in which questionnaires and observations were used in data collection. A two-stage sampling technique was used, because the population could be subdivided into clusters. From residents in three clusters, which include Highfield-Venice Flats, Avenues Flats and Mbare Flats, 263 respondents were conveniently chosen. Results from the independent t-test that was conducted showed that, at 95% confidence level, there exist significant differences in residential satisfaction among residents of Highfield-Venice Flats and those of Avenues Flats (t = 2.159, p-value= 0.035>0.05). Overall, residents are dissatisfied with the attributes of the buildings in which they live and the general residential situation. There is a general dissatisfaction with the buildings, suggesting that the building performance is not meeting their needs and expectations. Housing attribute preferences, privacy, dwelling proximity, and neighbourhood attachment showed a significant and positive impact on general residential satisfaction. Hence, there is a need to improve housing attribute preferences such as improving the quality of air and lighting as well as noise levels, since respondents expressed dissatisfaction with these attributes. Housing ceilings can be installed to reduce noise levels. More so, the quality of air and lighting can be improved by inserting more air ventilations and wider windowpanes. Privacy should be improved by ensuring that the residential structures have boundary walls that may be needed by the residents. More so, dwelling proximity ought to be improved. The Ministry of National Housing and Social Amenities and other public housing institutions can consider developing structures such as shopping centres, public schools as well as roads and social amenities such as parks, pools and workout facilities before they build residential houses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Robert Gabriel Mugabe resigned as the President of Zimbabwe in 2017 after being in office since 1980 when Zimbabwe gained independence from British colonial rule. Mugabe implemented various policies that impacted on the urbanscape of Zimbabwe. Using a desktop approach that is based on bibliography research, the study examines Mugabe's urban legacy through the lenses of postcolonial theory and the concept of Mugabeism. The results show that power was a dominant feature in Mugabe's legacy, as he used it to influence the socio-spatial configuration of the urban scape whenever he saw it befitting. His power was rooted in corruption, clientism, patronage, state capture and sanctioning of opponents. Essentially, Mugabe perpetuated the colonial city, in that the postcolonial city was a replication of the socio-spatial segregation which existed during the colonial era, yet this time round it was based on class and not race. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water is a vital resource required to sustain life yet citizens do not always have access to portable water. We argue that urban water systems are complex dynamic systems consisting flows and feedbacks that disrupt or enhance their function. We employed the mixed-method research design grounded in phenomenological and survey approaches. The applied systems analysis methodology enabled analysis of data through development of causal-loop diagrams and the examination of leverage points to explore the water system for Hopley Farm, Harare, Zimbabwe. The findings reveal that funding, lack of accountability and politics of difference are among the major reasons for the citizens' lack of access to potable water in Hopley as evidence from the results that show that 19% (n = 87) access water from unprotected wells while 40% (n = 180) lamented that the water is not reliable. The study makes a methodological contribution that brings to attention the leverage points in this water system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article explores the urban informality dilemma in Harare through the lens of a political economy theory. It examines the typologies of urban informality, the influence of political economy on urban informalities, and informs decision-making to address the urban informality dilemma. A qualitative approach was used where secondary data were collected through document analysis and primary data from interviews with 20 purposively selected key informants. Surveys and in-depth interviews were conducted with 585 individuals engaged in informal activities. It emerged that urban informality in Harare takes on different forms and aside from the economic crisis, politics played a role in the emergence and proliferation of urban informality. The article provides insight into, and raises awareness with regard to key areas of concern on how power influences decision-making relating to urban informality. Therefore, the article provides a basis for policy formulation and institutional reforms for effective measures to curb urban informality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines changes in Zimbabwean citizenship law since independence, highlighting the experience of urban residents of Malawian origin and descent, and state practices of political exclusion. Zimbabwe's citizenship laws became increasingly exclusive following independence, leaving many politically disenfranchised and labelled 'aliens' by the state. Notwithstanding the introduction of a new constitution in 2013, a great deal of confusion has remained over the eligibility of those with 'foreign' ancestry to have their citizenship rights recognised or reinstated. This article presents a bottom-up perspective on citizenship and belonging in Zimbabwe, showing through multidisciplinary research how long-term urban residents originally from Malawi have continued to be regarded as 'foreign'. Despite being labelled 'aliens' by the state, people of Malawian origin and descent have constructed a sense of belonging in Zimbabwe's urban communities, while at the same time, continuing to identify with their Malawian heritage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cervical cancer is a major cause of morbidity and mortality among women yet access to treatment and care remains a huge challenge in Zimbabwe. The objective of this study was to investigate health system constraints affecting engagement into treatment and care by women with cervical cancer in Harare, Zimbabwe.Methods: A sequential explanatory mixed methods design was used for this study. Phase 1 comprised of two surveys namely: patient and health worker surveys with sample sizes of 134 and 78 participants respectively. Validated structured questionnaires programmed in Android tablet with SurveytoGo software were used for data collection during the surveys. Univariate analyses were conducted using STATA® version 14 to generate descriptive statistics. In phase 2, 16 in-depth interviews, 20 key informant interviews and 6 focus groups were conducted to explain survey results. Participants were purposively selected and sample sizes were informed by saturation principle. Participants in phase 1 and 2 were different. English transcripts were manually coded line by line in Dedoose software using the thematic codes that had been established from the survey data. The final codes were used to support and explain the survey data at the interpretation stages.Results: Health system constraints identified in surveys were: limited or lack of training for health workers, weakness of surveillance system for cervical cancer, limited access to treatment and care, inadequate health workers, reliance of patients on out-of-pocket funding for treatment services, lack of back-up for major equipment. Qualitative inquiry revealed the following barriers to treatment and care: high costs of treatment and care, lack of knowledge about cervical cancer and bad attitudes of health workers, few screening and treating centres located mostly in urban areas, lack of clear referral system resulting in bureaucratic processes, and limited screening and treating capacities in health facilities due to lack of resources.Conclusion: The results of this study show that health system and its organization present barriers to access of cervical cancer treatment and care among women. Strong political will, mobilization of resources both domestically and from partners in addition to sound policies are imperative to address key health system challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using the City of Harare as a case study, the purpose of this article is to explore public participation in the administration of the flea market sector and whether it is hindered by political polarisation or not. This article gleaned data from a mixed-method approach and the site of the research was Harare, the capital city of Zimbabwe. The article drew on multiple data sources such as interviews, questionnaires, documents and the review of secondary sources. It demonstrates that public participation is still far from being achieved and that political affiliation is highly influential in policy formulation and implementation. It also illustrates how public participation and decision-making processes are being conducted in Harare's flea market sector. The outcomes and insights gleaned from this paper have fundamental implications for managers and policymakers alike. There is, therefore, a need to revise the whole governance system in Zimbabwe, especially its public management processes. The study should contribute to new perspectives on how developing economies grapple with tolerance and diversity in local governance. The implication of this is that there is a need to eliminate political polarisation and to de-politicise local government in order for civic involvement to thrive. If left unchecked, this can lead to the further underdevelopment of African cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Slum upgrading is one of the preferred options in dealing with ubiquitous informality in cities across the world. Drawing on experiences in two African cities namely Harare and Kampala; the article focuses on the role of policy, politics and leadership in slum upgrading. This paper is based on interviews conducted with urban leaders and managers, politicians, slum dwellers federation members and government officials. With regards to slum upgrading, the paper makes three arguments. First, policies guiding upgrading should evolve gradually over time, taking into consideration lessons learned. Second, tensions in party-politics tend to undermine slum upgrading programmes. This is mainly because of the vulnerability of informal settlers who are often used as sources and resources for political agency. Third, leadership at the city level plays a fundamental role in diffusing party-politics and championing inclusive municipal governance, and development. Highlights • Policies guiding upgrading should evolve gradually over time, taking into consideration lessons learned. • Tensions in party-politics tend to undermine slum upgrading programmes • Leadership at the city level plays a key role in diffusing party-politics and championing inclusive municipal governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zimbabwe has one of the highest rates of maternal mortality, yet little is understood about adolescent girls’ and young women’s perspectives on pregnancy or planning for pregnancy. The research study took an emic approach to understand and describe how adolescent girls and young women (14–24 years) in Harare, Zimbabwe, conceptualize pregnancy and planning for pregnancy and how these conceptualizations inform pregnancy decisions. Semi-structured, in-depth, qualitative interviews were conducted with adolescent girls and young women (N = 48) and data were analyzed thematically using NVivo 10. Pregnancy was conceptualized across nine themes: carrying a child and oneself, growing a family, motherhood, the best time for pregnancy, pregnancy decision makers, who is responsible for the pregnancy, pregnancy burden, pregnancy dangers, and increase in social status with pregnancy. Planning for pregnancy was conceptualized during the prepregnancy, pregnancy, and postpregnancy phases. Findings emphasize considering sociocultural views concerning pregnancy and including social networks in maternal health efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fifteen years after Zimbabwe's political independence and Black majority rule, Rakodi (1995) concluded that Harare, the capital city, remained quintessentially a settler-colonial city. Then, Harare had not yet experienced the full impacts of 'neo-liberalism' as in Nairobi or the suburbanisation of office and commercial development as in Johannesburg. In view of significant political economy transformations since the 1990s, this paper aims to provide a systematic interpretation of ongoing transitions that characterise the city. Informed by a systemic spatio-temporal and historical analysis it illustrates how ongoing post-1990s foundational restructuring of the economy centred on jambanja has transformed Harare from a settler-colonial city to a highly informalised 'zhing-zhong' African city. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The role of informal recycling in poverty alleviation and solid waste management in cities in developing countries has been receiving increased attention. This study explores the integration of the informal recycling sector with the Harare City Council's solid waste management system, focusing on the Pomona dumpsite. The extent of this integration was compared with interventions proposed in InteRa, a new way of evaluating the integration of informal recyclers with the waste management systems of cities in developing countries. Our results suggest that the Harare City Council, which had the vision of transforming itself into a world-class city, failed to fully integrate the informal recycling sector. We suggest to policymakers that complete integration of the informal sector will not necessarily prevent cities from achieving such visions. Rather, addressing the neglected interventions may help in achieving their visions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the world becomes increasingly urbanized, the need for fresh fruits and vegetables in urban areas grows while the difficulty of bringing these perishable products to these areas also increases. Small-scale agriculture located in urban areas is a highly effective and profitable way to provide these products to communities that are far from extensive commercial agricultural areas. Here we describe how remote sensing can be used with data mining approaches to monitor urban and peri-urban farms within cities in both developed and developing countries. Using very high resolution satellite imagery together with moderate and coarse resolution imagery and information from social media and the web, we analyze the usefulness of different methods to identify farms within urban boundaries in four countries. The analysis shows how a mixed-method approach is necessary in order to identify where urban farming is occurring and to monitor its change through time. Although remote sensing-based vegetation and water indices were useful, without ancillary data they are not effective at remotely mapping the locations of urban farms. However, remote sensing is a good way to monitor vegetation condition in locations where actively managed urban farms are known to exist. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There is paucity data on the association of vitamin D deficiency (VDD) and active tuberculosis (TB) in southern Africa where the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is co-endemic. We examined the association of serum vitamin D concentrations with active pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) in HIV-infected (n = 284) and uninfected (n = 267) Black Zimbabweans, in Harare, Zimbabwe.Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study of 551 participants comprising 145 HIV+/PTB +, 139 HIV+/PTB-, 134 HIV-/PTB+ and 133 HIV-/PTB-. PTB status was confirmed using sputum by culture, or smear microscopy, or GeneXpert MTB/RIF. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) concentrations were measured using a competitive chemiluminescent immunoassay prior to commencement of anti-TB treatment.Results: In all four groups, the median vitamin D concentrations were above the 20 ng/ml cut off for VDD. However, the median vitamin D concentrations in all the four groups were below the cut off for vitamin D sufficiency ≥30 ng/ml. The median vitamin D concentrations were significantly higher in PTB+ cases; 24.2 ng/ml (IQR: 18.8-32.0) compared to PTB- controls 20.9 ng/ml (IQR: 17.1-26.9), p < 0.0001 regardless of HIV status. The HIV+/PTB+ group had the highest median vitamin D concentration (25.3 (IQR: 18.0-33.7 ng/ml) whilst the HIV+/PTB- group had the lowest; 20.4 ng/ml (IQR: 14.6-26.9), p = 0.0003. Vitamin D concentration <30 ng/ml was associated with 43% lower odds of being PTB+ OR 0.57 (95% CI 0.35-0.89).Conclusions: Our results are not in agreement with the generally accepted hypothesis that VDD is associated with active PTB. To the contrary our results showed an association of higher vitamin D concentrations with active TB irrespective of HIV status. Although findings from the available pool of case control studies remain inconsistent, the results from the current study provide further rationale for larger-scale, prospectively designed studies to evaluate whether sufficient vitamin D concentrations do indeed precede the development of active PTB in our setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article uses the case of the City of Harare to offer insights into how the coronavirus pandemic shaped paradiplomacy in Zimbabwe. It argues that the City of Harare's international partnerships played a nominal role in helping its response to COVID-19. There is strong evidence that the coronavirus pandemic undermined the significance of international co-operation and solidarity by African subnational governments in pursuit of their development and service delivery mandates. Better leveraging of the City of Harare's international partnerships had the potential to transform many of the challenges it faced in fighting the pandemic. The absence of a robust international dimension in the city's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic was one of the main factors that resulted in most of its responses being ineffective. The article concludes that the City of Harare's experience offers important lessons to, among others, African governments on the need to integrate decentralised responses and city-to-city co-operation into their future national disaster and economic response, recovery and resilience strategies. • Pandemics such as coronavirus highlight the tranformative impacts of paradiplomacy. • Subnational governments with weak paradiplomacy ineffectively respond to pandemics. • The coronavirus pandemic affected paradiplomacy both positively and negatively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Informality is one of the major challenges facing urban policy makers across sub-Saharan Africa. Responses to informality can be viewed along a continuum from violent repression and sustained evictions to inclusive and supportive policies. Using the example of street trading, the task in this paper is to analyse planning and policy issues around the state and the informal economy in Harare, Zimbabwe. In the experience of Harare, the pursuit of targeted actions for inclusive planning designed to support communities of growing informal entrepreneurs is not on the agenda of policy makers. The historical and contemporary directions of policy responses occurring in Harare suggest an unpromising future for their city's informal entrepreneurs. It is shown that state responses to informality vacillate between actions of frontal aggression and of unleashing bouts of forced evictions to repressive tolerance within which formalisation is increasingly promoted as a means of extracting revenue flows from already economically hard-pressed informal entrepreneurs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In May and June 2005, thousands of Zimbabweans were brutally displaced from urban areas. But ‘Operation Murambatsvina’ was not simply an unpredictable ‘tsunami,’ rather it provides a moment in which long-held prejudices and assumptions which shaped the developmental state became visible, reflecting not just the internalisation of the Rhodesian, modernist world-view, but also its imbrication with local understandings of home and home-ness. To see Murambatsvina as simply a politically expedient move is to miss the deep resonance of the political rhetoric, the ways it was embedded in the state, and how it is shaped by norms of citizenship. Contextualised against Harare's urban politics, the clearances reveal a long-standing set of policies designed to regulate and control urban life, forming part of a broader crisis of the post-colonial developmental state. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Urban communities are heterogeneous and averages mask inequities and deprivations among poor and rich urban communities. This article examines the situation of households residing in two low-income, high-density suburbs of Harare, Zimbabwe. The aim of the research was to contextualise urban poverty by looking at selected urban communities and vertically analysing the patterns and determinants of poverty. A household survey was administered to 1000 households and qualitative data were collected through focus group discussions and key informant interviews. The study found high levels of income poverty and also found differences in poverty experiences between the two suburbs. The major proximate determinants of poverty were large family size; low education level of the household head; lack of income from permanent employment; low cash transfers; and short length of residence in the suburb. Increasing household income consumption can be addressed through scaling-up industries, which would result in more quality employment. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article investigates the extent of deprivation and vulnerability among children who live and work on the streets of Harare. A questionnaire survey was administered to 100 children in Harare's central business district; this was supplemented by in-depth interviews and focus group discussions. The study found that these children suffered severe deprivation, in particular in terms of shelter and education. The majority of the children obtained their income from begging and selling small items. They were exposed to verbal, physical, sexual and emotional abuse by the public, as well as by other children and adults on the streets. Poverty was the main reason for the children being on the streets, while social factors such as family disintegration or the death of their parents also played a role. These push factors can be addressed through providing more social protection, cash transfers to families, and education and health assistance. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The story of the urban poor in Harare and Zimbabwean cities in general is a story of evictions, fear and misery. In May 2005, at the behest of the Government of Zimbabwe the infamous Operation Restore Order, a house demolition campaign left more than 700 thousand people homeless. Nearly a decade later, there are increased opportunities for improvement and change in the lives of the urban poor in Harare, Zimbabwe's capital city. The purpose of the paper is to present how the Harare Slum Upgrading Programme is creating and strengthening municipal and community partnerships to tackle city challenges in an inclusive manner. This research indicates the housing struggles of the urban poor and the emerging City-community engagement in urban services provision (water, sanitation, tenure security and roads) and changing municipal attitudes towards the urban poor. In particular, the article presents participatory urban planning and development, slum upgrading institutional structure, profiling and enumeration, and slum upgrading impacts (resilience of the urban poor, living in slums without fear, expansive pool of beneficiaries, review of planning regulations and land ownership) as major issues promoting inclusive municipal governance. Inclusivity is implemented through incremental development, which is allowing people to settle on land first and access municipal services gradually over time. Two main factors explain such positive steps towards inclusive governance in Harare. First are indications of gradual institutional change in which the City of Harare's governance culture is changing through ‘opening up’ and embracing the urban poor. Second, over the years, the urban poor have built a strong and vibrant alliance which is acting as a medium of participation in City governance. The paper concludes that slum upgrading sustainability at city-wide level requires active City participation and institutionalisation as opposed to a project based approach. Lastly, addressing concerns of the urban poor is susceptible to political contestations, requiring strong impartiality to counter such forces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2008, Zimbabwe was in crisis, with an economy in ruins and a volatile political environment. The country's GDP had contracted by over 40 % since 2,000 level; the official unemployment rate was over 80 %; hyperinflation was running at over 200 million percent; and food production deficits of the staple crop, maize, hovered around 1,000,000 tons. Within this hyperinflationary environment, food shortages were acute, and over 80 % of households in the country survived on less than US$2 per day. While this deleterious environment affected the whole country, the vulnerability of the urban poor to the economic meltdown and food insecurity was especially severe given their heavy reliance on food purchases and increases in other urban expenses such as rent, electricity, and transport. This paper assesses the vulnerability of poor households to food insecurity in Zimbabwe's capital, Harare, under the crisis conditions and beyond. It argues that while the ushering in of the Government of National Unity in 2009 stabilized the political and economic situation by bringing down inflation, introducing a multi-currency regime, and improving the food supply, the general livelihoods of the poor did not drastically improve. The food security challenges facing poor urban households in Harare did not immediately improve for reasons that are discussed in the paper. The analysis is based on a comparison of data from two household surveys conducted in Harare, the first at the height of the crisis in 2008 and the second in 2012. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Spatial information about human settlements is key information in times of continuous urban growth and high rates of uncontrolled urbanisation in developing countries, but there is often little geographic information on where the population growth occurs. Built-up area is a good proxy for population that can be extracted from Earth observation data. At the example of the city of Harare in Zimbabwe, this research shows how remote sensing technologies can be used to obtain refined information on hot spots of built-up area change that allow a monitoring of population. This was achieved through an automated mapping of built-up area changes between 2004 and 2010 from multi-temporal high resolution satellite images. The designed workflow combines an automatic feature extraction method with an automatic, grid based change analysis. Built-up area was extracted from Spot images with accuracies between 78% and 84% and changes were computed as percentage change in a grid using an object-based hierarchical method. The derived built-up area and its changes were compared to population figures from the last two censuses at ward level. The comparison reveals a good match of the pattern of changes of both parameters; however, more detailed information was derived from the Earth observation data. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Studies of displacement often emphasise massive physical dislocation. In this paper, based on a study of displaced youth in Harare, Zimbabwe, I argue for the freeing of the concept from 'physical uprooting' and build a case for focusing on in situ displacement and displaced livelihoods. I consider attempts by youth to reconstitute displaced livelihoods in the wake of 'cleansing' by the state. I scrutinise evolving recovery tactics in the face of determined efforts by the authorities to repress the 'filth', demonstrating that the youth's resistance comprises a myriad of spatialised recovery strategies for dealing with spatialised repression. I argue that it is the mutation of the youth's modes of operation that have enabled them to (re)contaminate and (re)subvert the 'purified' spaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article investigates the teaching of children's literature at three primary schools in Harare, Zimbabwe. The data for this investigation were collected using interviews. The interviews were held with twelve teachers, four each from the selected schools. It was established that despite agreement on the value of children's literature, there is no consensus amongst teachers on what exactly it is. The research also found that there is no provision in the primary school syllabi for the teaching of children's literature. Rather, children's literature is a component of the language syllabi in English, Shona and Ndebele. It was also established that the Ministry of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture of Zimbabwe does not have a policy which stipulates how children's literature should be taught. As a result, individual teachers use a variety of methods to teach the subject, with most of them resorting to the methods which were used by their own teachers at high school and college levels to teach adult literature. Amongst other suggestions, the article recommends the design of syllabi for children's literature as a separate subject at primary school level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Good water governance, has been regarded as a sine qua non for improving the management of world water resources. Stakeholder participation is considered an important precondition for improving water governance. This paper reports on how it is being implemented in urban areas in Zimbabwe by studying how this is being undertaken in the city of Harare. The study was not designed to generate generalisable findings but to gain insights into the salient features of water governance in the urban areas. Three areas of investigation were chosen for analysis; whether water shaped the political agenda as expressed in local elections; perceptions and actions of the different actors and information about new water institutions. There was some degree of stakeholder participation, which, however, was compromised by the fact that it was uncoordinated, involved a few stakeholders (it excluded the generality of the residents) and tended to occur outside the designated formal channels. Interference from central government was another problem. It can be concluded that improving governance of water management in Zimbabwe’s urban areas faces more challenges than in the rural areas. For example unlike their rural counterparts urban residents were not considered as stakeholders in their own right. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The establishment of the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) to enforce the 1991 Harare Declaration on democratic standards was an unparalleled international innovation. Eight years on, in the winning entry for the Hodson Memorial Prize for 2003, the author examines the extent of its successes and the claims that it has been counterproductive by driving out states such as Zimbabwe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discusses how economics, politics and sociology of a settler society have shaped the urban built environment in Harare in enduring ways. Penetration of market forces into public housing areas; Analysis of large-scale provision of rooms for rent and limited exchange of houses; Impact of trends in the property market; Explanations for trends in property development and prices.

Background: Cervical cancer is the most common cancer and a major cause of morbidity and mortality among women in Zimbabwe yet it is preventable, early detectable and highly curable. The objective of this study was to investigate knowledge, attitudes, beliefs and practices towards cervical cancer, its prevention and treatment in Harare, Zimbabwe.Methods: Sequential explanatory mixed methods approach consisting of analytical cross sectional survey and a qualitative inquiry was used. Study population consisted of women with cervical cancer, health workers and other stakeholders who are involved in cancer control programmes. Patient survey data were collected using validated structured questionnaire in Surveytogo software in an android tablet. Qualitative study used key informant interviews to understand survey findings better. Data analyses for the survey involved univariate and multivariate analyses using STATA version 14. For qualitative study, themes in transcripts were coded and analyzed using Dedoose software to generate evidence for the study.Results: Participants reported different levels of knowledge of causes (23%), risk factors (71%), prevention (72%), screening (73%) and treatment (80%) of cervical cancer. Knowledge of causes of cervical cancer were negatively associated with: being aged 45 or more years (OR = 0.02; p = 0.004), having no household income (OR = 0.02;p = 0.007), household income Conclusions: This study revealed that knowledge of causes and prevention of cervical cancer was associated with frequent radio listenership. Strengthening of health education through the packaging of messages targeting the wider society using different delivery channels is thus recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cervical cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among women in Zimbabwe; however; access to screening and treatment services remain challenged. The objective of this study was to investigate socio-demographic inequities in cervical cancer screening and utilization of treatment among women in Harare, Zimbabwe.Methods: Two cross sectional surveys were conducted in Harare with a total sample of 277 women aged at least 25 years. In the community survey, stratified random sampling was conducted to select 143 healthy women in Glen View, Cranborne, Highlands and Hopely communities of Harare to present high, medium, low density suburbs and rural areas respectively. In the patient survey, 134 histologically confirmed cervical cancer patients were also randomly selected at Harare hospital, Parirenyatwa Hospital and Island Hospice during their routine visits or while in hospital admission. All consenting participants were interviewed using a validated structured questionnaire programmed in Surveytogo software in an android tablet. Data was analyzed using STATA version 14 to yield descriptive statistics, bivariate and multivariate logistic regression outcomes for the study.Results: Women who reported ever screening for cervical cancer were only 29%. Cervical cancer screening was less likely in women affiliated to major religions (p < 0.05) and those who never visited health facilities or doctors or visited once in previous 6 months (p < 0.05). Ninety-two (69%) of selected patients were on treatment. Women with cervical cancer affiliated to protestant churches were 68 times [95% CI: 1.22 to 381] more likely to utilize treatment and care services compared to those in other religions (p = 0.040). Province of residence, education, occupation, marital status, income (personal and household), wealth, medical aid status, having a regular doctor, frequency of visiting health facilities, sources of cervical cancer information and knowledge of treatability of cervical cancer were not associated with cervical cancer screening and treatment respectively.Conclusion: This study revealed few variations in the participation of women in cervical cancer screening and treatment explained only by religious affiliations and usage of health facilities. Strengthening of health education in communities including churches and universal healthcare coverage are recommended strategies to improve uptake of screening and treatment of cervical cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]