The Dyke

The Perceptions of Managers and Non-managers on Hybrid work in Zimbabwe

2025-07-22T19:31:54+00:00

Extant literature has widely examined employee perceptions of hybrid work across global contexts. Despite increasing interest in hybrid work arrangements in Zimbabwe, empirical research on this topic remains limited. A notable gap persists regarding how managers and non-managers conceptualise and experience hybrid work within Zimbabwean organisations, and the determinants shaping these perceptions remain insufficiently theorised. Addressing this gap is essential for developing a nuanced understanding of how organisational actors at different hierarchical levels respond to hybrid work practices. This study employed a quantitative research design; it used an online survey with a structured questionnaire distributed via an electronic link. Participants were selected through stratified random sampling from a diverse range of organisations, including transport, local government, mining, telecommunications, tourism, financial services, training, and education, all drawn from members of the Zimbabwe Institute of Management (ZIM). Findings reveal that both managers and non-managers express confidence in hybrid work and support its continuation. Respondents who experience autonomy, demonstrate competence, and maintain meaningful connections with colleagues report higher job satisfaction, productivity, communication, and collaboration. These results underline the importance of basic psychological needs, as outlined in self-determination theory, in shaping positive hybrid work experiences. The findings further suggest that organisations aiming to enhance hybrid work outcomes should implement strategies that promote employee autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Strengthening communication and collaboration mechanisms is also crucial for reinforcing connectedness and creating opportunities for competence development within hybrid environments. The study contributes to the emerging discourse on hybrid work in Zimbabwe by showing that managerial and non-managerial perceptions are influenced by the extent to which basic psychological needs are met. It provides empirical evidence that autonomy, competence, and relatedness are key antecedents to job satisfaction, productivity, collaboration, and communication in hybrid work settings.

Promoting fair play in university sports in Zimbabwe

2026-05-14T13:45:35+00:00

This study explores the perceptions and lived experiences of university sports administrators in Zimbabwe regarding fair play violations, focusing on perceived causes, impacts, and mitigation strategies within university sport. Guided by a qualitative phenomenological design, data were generated through semi-structured interviews conducted in English with 35 administrators from 16 universities affiliated with the Zimbabwe Universities Sports Association (ZUSA). Of the participants, 23 formed the final sample, selected through stratified purposive sampling, with data saturation determining the endpoint. Ethical approval was granted by the ZUSA Executive, and all participants provided informed consent. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed using iterative thematic analysis. Trustworthiness was strengthened through methodological transparency, reflexive engagement, and consistent application of the coding framework. Findings indicate that fair play violations, including the use of non-student athletes, doping, violence, and gamesmanship, are perceived as widespread and structurally embedded within university sport. Participants linked these practices to a “win-at-all-costs” culture driven by recognition, material incentives, and the emulation of professional athletes who normalise unethical conduct. Such violations undermine competitive integrity, compromise athlete safety, and damage institutional reputation, limiting sponsorship and development opportunities. The analysis also informed the inductively derived Fair Play Restoration Model (FPRM), explaining how governance reform, ethical reorientation, and institutional accountability can restore fair play in university sport.

Writing and publishing in a standardised language with a dialect bias: Implications for Shona Literature development in Zimbabwean education

2025-03-01T12:53:33+00:00

This study examines the impact of dialect bias in standardised Shona on the development of Shona literature in Zimbabwe. While Shona has multiple dialects, the Zezuru-based version is privileged in education and literature, marginalising other dialects like Karanga, Manyika, and Korekore. The research employed a qualitative approach using interviews and textual analysis to explore the challenges faced by novice Shona writers and their effects on literary creation and reception. Ten participants were purposively sampled, including writers, editors, and reviewers across the country. The gathered data were thematically analysed, and the study was informed by the Cultural Capital Theory. The study found that the dominance of Zezuru-based Shona creates barriers for speakers of other dialects, who feel disconnected from literature that does not reflect their linguistic and cultural realities. It concluded that this bias inhibits linguistic diversity and creativity, impacting the production and consumption of Shona literature in education. The study advocates for a more inclusive approach to standardisation that preserves dialectal diversity, accessibility, and engagement in schools while promoting national linguistic identity for a richer and more engaging literary landscape.

The impact of AI-enhanced assistive technologies on the learning experiences of children with disabilities in Zimbabwe

2025-09-22T12:09:23+00:00

Educational inclusion for children with disabilities remains constrained by structural inequalities, limited specialist resources and persistent disparities in access to quality learning opportunities. Although specialised learning environments have traditionally relied on dedicated infrastructure and human support, such arrangements frequently reinforce educational segregation and restrict equitable participation in mainstream schooling, particularly in low-resource contexts. Artificial intelligence-enhanced assistive technologies (AI-AT) present a transformative opportunity to reconfigure these constraints by personalising learning, improving accessibility and extending instructional support beyond conventional pedagogical boundaries. Yet, evidence on their effectiveness within resource-constrained education systems remains limited. This study examines the influence of AI-AT on the learning experiences of children with disabilities in Zimbabwean primary schools, where infrastructural, financial and institutional limitations continue to shape inclusive education outcomes. Rather than assuming technological determinism, the study interrogates how contextual conditions mediate the educational value of AI-AT and the extent to which these technologies advance or reproduce existing inequalities. Guided by the Technology Acceptance Model and sociocultural theory, the study adopts a mixed-methods research design involving ten purposively selected primary schools in Zimbabwe. The findings demonstrate that AI-AT substantially enhances learner engagement, instructional accessibility, communication, personalised learning and participation, thereby expanding opportunities for meaningful educational inclusion. However, these gains are contingent upon institutional readiness, teacher digital competence, affordability and supportive policy environments. The analysis further reveals that algorithmic bias, data governance, cultural relevance and digital inequities represent systemic rather than merely technical challenges, with significant implications for equitable implementation. The study argues that the educational potential of AI-AT in developing countries depends less on technological sophistication than on its contextual adaptation within local pedagogical, socio-economic and cultural realities. It therefore contributes empirical evidence to debates on inclusive artificial intelligence by demonstrating that sustainable educational transformation requires the co-evolution of technology, institutional capacity and inclusive policy frameworks.

The intersection of culture and gender in local governance: A case of Zimbabwean rural women

2025-12-23T18:38:13+00:00

This study examines the intersection of culture and gender in shaping women’s participation in local governance in Zimbabwe against the backdrop of persistent gender disparities despite constitutional guarantees of equality in leadership and decision-making. Employing a sequential qualitative research design, the study draws on a desk review, secondary data from an earlier study conducted in Mutoko District, and key informant interviews. Guided by Intersectionality Theory, it investigates how patriarchal cultural norms intersect with kinship relations, gendered social expectations, marital status, socio-economic conditions, and spatial inequalities to constrain women’s participation in local governance. Thematic analysis generated three interrelated themes that demonstrate that women’s marginalisation is produced through multiple, overlapping, and mutually reinforcing forms of discrimination rather than gender alone. The findings reveal that relational discrimination, embedded within familial hierarchies, kinship networks, marital relations, and community power structures, operates alongside prescribed gender roles and intersecting social identities to limit women’s political participation. These constraints are further intensified by weak political party mobilisation in rural communities, limited economic opportunities, and persistent rural–urban inequalities in infrastructure, digital connectivity, and access to public services. The study recommends a multidimensional policy approach that leverages Zimbabwe’s devolution agenda to strengthen women’s participation through economic empowerment, gender-responsive local governance institutions, improved rural infrastructure and digital inclusion, institutionalised gender-sensitive social services, and sustained civic education aimed at transforming patriarchal norms.

Unpacking selected Zimbabwean popular songs as agenda-setting in unmasking the effects of occult wealth-seeking practice

2026-01-15T19:25:11+00:00

This paper examines the role of popular music in shaping public discourse on kuromba/ hurombwa, an occult wealth-seeking practice embedded within Zimbabwean socio-cultural realities. Situated within the context of prolonged economic instability, unemployment, and widening social inequalities, the study explores how musicians utilise lyrical narratives to expose, critique, and problematise the perceived dangers associated with occult wealth accumulation. In Shona cosmology, hurombwa is commonly associated with witchcraft, ritual sacrifices, and supernatural transactions believed to generate wealth, power, influence, and social prestige. Although often pursued as a means of attaining economic success and community recognition, the practice is simultaneously perceived as a source of social disintegration, mysterious deaths, failed marriages, psychological trauma, and intergenerational misfortune affecting both perpetrators and their families. Grounded in Agenda-Setting Theory, the study investigates how music functions as a cultural and ideological medium through which social anxieties, moral tensions, and communal fears surrounding occult practices are articulated and circulated within society. Employing a qualitative research paradigm and Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), the paper analyses purposively selected songs, namely “Baba NaAmai” (AlickMacheso) and “Kujatajata” (DT Bio Mudimba). The analysis focuses on the ways in which lyrical constructions, metaphors, symbolism, and narrative strategies are deployed to communicate the socio-moral consequences of hurombwa. The findings demonstrate that music transcends entertainment by functioning as a socially embedded communicative platform that shapes public consciousness, reinforces cultural values, and critiques ethically contested practices. The selected songs portray occult wealth-seeking as a deceptive and destructive pursuit that undermines family cohesion, communal harmony, and moral order. Furthermore, the study reveals that musicians act as cultural commentators and moral agents who mediate public understanding of social realities through artistic expression. The paper contributes to scholarship on music, culture, and communication.

Deconstructing performance management analytics in Zimbabwean public universities a case of a double-faced assemblage

2026-01-23T08:51:09+00:00

Since the turn of the 21st century, there has been an upsurge in the deployment of performance management analytics to drive productivity for a sustained competitive advantage. Despite this, scholarly works on the subject, particularly in less developed and emerging economies, have remained subdued. Drawing on critical human resource management (CHRM) and post-structuralist theory, the study on which this paper is based interrogated the role of performance management analytics in a selected public university in Zimbabwe. The study followed a qualitative research approach and triangulated archival ethnography, ‘get-along’key informant interviews, and participants’ lived experiences. It established that performance management analytics were a ‘double-faced’ assemblage: simultaneously operating as tools for organisational coordination for the collective good and as instruments of surveillance and control. The power of the analytics rested on their omniscient gaze and ability to act as both normalising and self-regulatory artifices. The effectiveness of the different types of surveillance was dependent on the integration of the different performance management analytics and stakeholder responses.

Government public relations in Ethiopia: Historical pathways from imperial rule to the digital era

2026-02-17T14:15:40+00:00

This study examines the evolution of Ethiopian government public relations (GPR) across four distinct political epochs: the Imperial era under Emperor Haile Selassie (1931–1974), the Socialist transformation of the Derg regime (1974–1991), the Federalist experiment of the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) (1991–2018), and the contemporary period of digital disruption under the Prosperity Party (PP) (2018–present). Through an analysis of these historical phases, the study demonstrates how changing political systems have shaped government communication strategies, institutional practices, and public engagement mechanisms. Employing a qualitative historical research design, the study draws on government documents, media archives, and relevant secondary literature to trace the institutional development and transformation of government public relations in Ethiopia. The findings suggest that the trajectory of Ethiopian government public relations does not reflect a linear progression towards communicative modernisation. Rather, it reveals recurring patterns of adaptive repression and developmental authoritarianism. Successive governments have consistently employed public relations as an instrument for consolidating and maintaining political power, often at the expense of genuine democratic engagement and citizen participation. Furthermore, persistent structural challenges, including limited transparency, restricted media freedom, weak institutional accountability, and low levels of digital literacy, have constrained meaningful communication reform. Nevertheless, the historical trajectory indicates a gradual transition from highly centralised and authoritarian communication models towards aspirations for more participatory, responsive, and digitally enabled approaches. The study concludes that fostering inclusive governance in Ethiopia's digital era requires significant investment in both scholarly research and professional practice in government public relations, alongside broader reforms that promote transparency, media pluralism, and meaningful citizen engagement.

Designing a regulatory framework for an inclusive and sustainable banking in Zimbabwe

2026-05-13T12:23:29+00:00

The rapid expansion of the shadow banking system, alongside sustained financial innovation, intensifies concerns over financial stability, systemic risk, and the adequacy of conventional banking regulation. In emerging economies such as Zimbabwe, fragmented regulatory frameworks have created opportunities for regulatory arbitrage and uneven oversight between commercial banks and shadow banking institutions. This study examines the effects of shadow banking and banking regulation on the financial performance of commercial banks in Zimbabwe and proposes an inclusive and sustainable regulatory framework that harmonises oversight across the banking sector. Using panel data from 13 commercial banks covering the period 2009–2022, the study employs Fully Modified Ordinary Least Squares (FMOLS) and Dynamic Ordinary Least Squares (DOLS) models to estimate the long-run relationships among the variables. The findings revealed that banking regulation have a positive and statistically significant effect on commercial banks' financial performance, whereas shadow banking exerts a significant negative effect by diverting financial intermediation and increasing competitive pressures outside the regulated banking system. Macroeconomic conditions were also found to significantly influence banking sector performance, highlighting the importance of macroeconomic stability in sustaining financial resilience. The study proposes a unified, risk-based regulatory framework that integrates shadow banking into the mainstream prudential and supervisory architecture to minimise systemic risk, reduce regulatory arbitrage, and strengthen financial stability. The study concludes that extending proportionate regulatory oversight to shadow banking institutions, while reinforcing prudential regulation of commercial banks, is essential for fostering an inclusive, resilient, and sustainable banking system capable of supporting Zimbabwe's long-term economic development. Future research should incorporate other regulated financial institutions to provide a more comprehensive assessment of financial sector regulation.

Lithium Diplomacy and Economic Security: Zimbabwe’s Critical Minerals Strategy in the Global Energy Transition

2026-05-25T11:32:02+00:00

This paper theorises Zimbabwe’s emergent lithium strategy as a form of critical minerals diplomacy situated at the nexus of economic security, ESG governance, and strategic statecraft within the global energy transition. It argues that lithium is being reconstituted from a passive geological endowment into a geopolitical instrument through which the state seeks to renegotiate its position in asymmetrical battery value chains. This repositioning is operationalised through an evolving regulatory architecture comprising export bans, strategic mineral designation, mandatory beneficiation, and targeted fiscal instruments aimed at internalising value and disciplining capital. Moving beyond binary interpretations of resource nationalism and developmental statism, the paper conceptualises Zimbabwe’s approach as a hybrid strategy of constrained resource sovereignty, pursued under conditions of structural dependence on foreign capital, technological externalities, infrastructural deficits, and price volatility in global lithium markets. Empirically, the study traces a sequenced policy trajectory from the 2022 ban on unprocessed lithium exports to the 2026 suspension of both raw mineral and concentrate exports, demonstrating escalating regulatory assertiveness and recalibrated state–capital relations. The analysis situates Zimbabwe’s lithium diplomacy within broader economic security debates shaped by rising demand, declining prices, and the geographic concentration of refining capacity. It argues that while regulatory escalation enhances bargaining power and discursive sovereignty, it does not guarantee structural transformation. Effective lithium diplomacy requires complementary capabilities, including energy reliability, logistics integration, contractual transparency, institutional credibility, technological learning, and inclusive stakeholder governance aligned with ESG imperatives. The paper concludes that without systemic capacity deepening, Zimbabwe risks entrenching enclave extraction under a more interventionist regime, thereby reproducing patterns of externalised value capture rather than achieving durable economic security.