DSpace 9

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DSpace is the world leading open source repository platform that enables organisations to:

easily ingest documents, audio, video, datasets and their corresponding Dublin Core metadata
open up this content to local and global audiences, thanks to the OAI-PMH interface and Google Scholar optimizations
issue permanent urls and trustworthy identifiers, including optional integrations with handle.net and DataCite DOI

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Now showing 1 - 5 of 11

Applied Science
Faculty of Applied Science
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Faculty of the Built Environment
Business and Economic Sciences
Faculty of Business and Economic Sciences
Communication and Information Science
Faculty of Communication and Information Science
Engineering
Faculty of Engineering

Recent Submissions

Artificial Intelligence in Zimbabwean media: ethical concerns, governance issues, and societal impact (2016-2025)
(Southern African Journal of Communication and Information Science, 2025) Dabengwa, I.; Chigamani, P.; Maturure, R.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has gained attention in Zimbabwean media, with reports highlighting its applications in healthcare, education, parliament, marketing, and agriculture. This study explores how Zimbabwean media reports AI adoption and usage, focusing on socioeconomic impacts, ethical concerns, and regulatory issues. An analysis of 575 news stories using media classification methods, sensitising codes, and grounded theory revealed key themes through Leximancer and RStudio Bibliometrix. The findings show increased AI coverage from to 2023-2024, coinciding with generative AI tools and governance concerns. The media presents utopian views emphasising AI benefits while giving less attention to dystopian concerns such as privacy, bias, and neo-colonialism. The Zimbabwean media emphasises data sovereignty and Ubuntu philosophies in AI development. Dystopian perspectives highlight privacy, bias, access, ethical decision-making, job loss, and neocolonialism issues. The media suggest stakeholder collaboration to address insufficient funding, skills, infrastructure, and connectivity challenges through network expansion, re-skilling, expert consultation, and developing comprehensive AI frameworks aligned with regional policies. This study demonstrates the media's role in raising awareness of AI's benefits and risks of AI and influencing public perception and policy development. Recommendations include an increased coverage of ethical issues and infrastructure upgrades to promote societal readiness. Developing a clear AI framework is essential to govern the adoption of ethical AI in Zimbabwe. This study offers insights to policymakers and researchers in low-resource settings. Future research should explore public AI perception using web scrapping and sentiment analysis, track international AI commitments, and investigate sectoral AI implementations. Amplifying diverse voices and enhancing journalists' training in AI reporting are essential for a balanced, in-depth coverage of ethical and governance issues as AI continues to evolve.
Are Academic Libraries Doing Enough to Support the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)? A Mixed-Methods Review
(Evidence Based Library and Information Practice, 2025-11-01) Dabengwa, I.M.
Objective The goal of this study was to assess global academic libraries' role and activities aimed at achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The paper highlights the enablers and barriers encountered in SDG programming and identifies future directions of SDG research in academic and other types of libraries. Methods A mixed-methods review was conducted to address the research question: How do academic libraries contribute to the attainment of SDGs? The methodology included literature searches conducted in Scopus, Web of Science Core Collection, EBSCO’s Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts (LISTA), and hand-searching. The selected timeframe, 2017-2024, encompasses the introduction of the SDGs and extends to the present body of evidence. Results The study found 25 relevant articles with data from 164 academic libraries worldwide. The evidence base indicates limited awareness and examples of sustainability literacy, suggesting the need for new initiatives. Instances of "SDG washing" were identified where librarians exaggerated the impact of their SDG-related programs, mislabeled routine activities as SDG contributions, or used SDG terminology superficially without meaningful action. This study suggests that SDG attainment is influenced by leadership, organizational culture, personal initiatives, and partnerships. Conclusions Academic libraries simultaneously address multiple SDG targets, indicating a comprehensive sustainability approach. Positive correlations between specific targets imply synergies that libraries can exploit to strengthen their sustainable development roles. Future research should investigate the impact of institutional factors on SDG implementation in academic libraries and identify strategies to overcome the common challenges in SDG initiatives. Specific SDG targets and indicators should guide context-specific recommendations. It is also advised to develop standardized tools for measuring and comparing academic libraries' SDG contributions.
Towards Greening the Higher Education Curricular for Sustainable Development: The Zimbabwe Context
(Journal of Education for Sustainable Development Studies,, 2025-06-02) Hlongwane, J.; Chasokela, D.,
Planet Earth is grappling with the pangs of climate change and natural disasters across the globe. Humanity has to keep pace with the ever-changing socioeconomic and natural challenges and plan for a sustainable future. Environment conservation is paramount for sustainability. It is against this backdrop that this study was carried out. The main thrust was to develop sustainable strategies to be employed by Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in a bid to spearhead environment conservation and natural disaster risk management in communities for a more sustainable future. HEIs can leverage their academic muscles and modern technological tools like Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT) to green their curricula, pedagogies, and assessment mechanisms to produce conservation astute graduates who can generate practical knowledgedriven solutions to societal problems and generate socio-economic empowerment from the natural resources abound in Zimbabwe, leveraging on the Heritage based Education system anchored on Education 5.0 which emphasizes industrialization and innovation. The study employed the Hermeneutic Phenomenology design situated in the interpretivist paradigm and used systematic literature review, and document analysis to collect data which was thematically analysed to design a framework for greening the curricula across different learning disciplines, especially those not directly linked to environmental issues. The study also envisaged a holistic approach incorporating various stakeholders within and without education circles. Conclusions drawn include the prospect of making HEIs vehicles for change and awareness creation by effecting the curriculum development strategies suggested. Recommendations include explicitly including environmental issues in all curricula, and engaging in multi-sectoral collaboration among curriculum designers, policymakers, examination bodies, and community personnel. The second part of the research focussed on presenting a framework that STEM educators can use to green their modules. The researchers argue that if every module is green then the whole curriculum would be green.
Exploring Intimate Partner Violence Among Lesbian Couples Through Case Studies from the Sexual Rights Centre in Zimbabwe
(Journal of Asian and African Studies, 2025) Nyirenda, D.; Murai, T.; Ncube, M.
This study delves into the manifestation of intimate partner violence (IPV) among lesbian couples, using cases from the Sexual Rights Centre (SRC) in Bulawayo. In the literature, IPV has traditionally been portrayed as perpetrated by men against their female partners or ex-partners. However, the criminalisation of same-sex relationships in African countries calls for a deeper understanding of their experiences with IPV, especially in the face of widespread homophobia. This study employs a qualitative research approach to deconstruct people’s feelings, attitudes and behaviours to interpret social phenomena. Through analysis, several key factors contributing to IPV among lesbian couples were identified, including power dynamics, economic disparities, minority stress and a history of abuse. Additionally, the study highlights the exacerbating effect of pandemic situations, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, on the experiences of lesbian couples and the prevalence of IPV. This research sheds light on the complexities of IPV within lesbian relationships, challenging existing narratives and providing valuable insights for policymakers, activists and organisations working in the field of sexual rights and gender-based violence.
Covid-19 Vaccination Hesitancy: Post-Covid-19 Lessons from Bulawayo, Zimbabwe
(South Asian Journal of Social Sciences, 2025-06) Mwembe, D.
The unexpected onset of COVID-19 baffled mankind. Frantic efforts to stop the spread of the disease were employed, but to no avail. Short-term measures like steaming were proposed, but these were not fruitful, and the disease continued to spread globally. In December 2021, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the first medication. Drugs started to reach developing countries like Zimbabwe, but people had no clear information on these drugs. Delays in vaccine uptake have led to continued mortality associated with COVID-19. Hesitancy to vaccination implies that similar future outbreaks of infectious diseases will be hard to control if perceptions in people’s minds are not cleared. The study applied survival analysis to establish the length of time an individual takes to finally and willingly decide to get vaccinated. This was due to many factors, including trust in the vaccine’s origin and efficacy, side effects and many other perceptions. The research found that gender (p< 0.05), employment (p< 0.05), allergy (p< 0.05) and comorbidity (p< 0.05) were influential in deciding whether to get vaccinated or not. It is recommended that information on deadly diseases be available on reliable sources to circumvent misinformation and enhance the acceptability of vaccines in similar future outbreaks.