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    Exploring the utilisation and management of Sclerocarya birrea (A. Rich.) Hochst (Marula tree) in the Beitbridge district of southern Zimbabwe /
    (Taylor and Francis, 2023) Mguni, Sithembelenkosini; Chiwara, Phibion; Gwate, Onalenna
    The marula tree can play a vital role to enhance the livelihoods within marginalised communities and aid forest management efforts. This research aimed to explore the utilisation and management of the marula tree (Sclerocarya birrea) in ward 3 of Beitbridge district, Southern Zimbabwe. A representative sample of 300 randomly selected households from five villages of ward 3 were interviewed telephonically and through the WhatsApp social media platform using a semi- structured questionnaire. The study observed that 95% of the sampled households harvested and utilised marula fruits to produce several products including jam, marula wine, nuts for consumption, and soda. In addition, marula makes a significant contribution to family income at (35%) when in season compared to other livelihood options such as livestock rearing and cropping. An average of 443 kg of marula fruits were harvested per season per village and there were significant differences (p < 0.05) in quantities harvested across villages. Households involved in marula fruit trading increased by 27% in 20 years due t\o an improvement in the marula tree value chain in the district. Therefore, there is a distinct possibility for overutilisation of the marula tree products, which necessitates the need for the development of effective marula forest management plans.
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    An analysis of legislation and policies governing the working conditions of sanitation workers in Zimbabwe /
    (Springer, 2024) Chinyama, Annatoria; Macherera, Margaret; Kativhu, Tendai
    Sanitation workers are at high risk of occupational and health hazards associated with exposure to faecal sludge as they clean public toilets, empty septic tanks, repair sewerage pipelines and operate wastewater treatment facilities. They can only be protected from these hazards through effective safety and health measures backed by sound institutional and legal frameworks. This study sought to analyse the existing institutional and legal frameworks, regulations and policies governing working conditions of sanitation workers in Zimbabwe and assess the adequacy of the frameworks in addressing the plight of sanitation workers in their day to day work. An inventory of the laws and policies in Zimbabwe was done through a desktop study. The identified laws and policies were analysed in terms of occupational health and safety provisions for sanitation workers as well as the enforcement systems. The laws and policies in Zimbabwe were benchmarked with world best practice and principles from world bodies governing occupational health and safety. It was found that the current legislation and policies on occupational health and safety are general to all employees. It was also found that there are statutory instruments specific to hazards associated with other sectors such as mining, agriculture and construction but nothing specific to sanitation workers. Therefore the current legislation and policies are too weak to protect the sanitation workers. It was recommended that the legislation and policies be reformed to take into account the plight of sanitation workers in order to provide better protection from occupational hazards.
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    Species composition and abundance of the spider fauna of the Hillside Dams Conservancy, Bulawayo. Zimbabwe
    (Researcher, 2015) Sebata, S.
    The objective of the study was to describe the spider species composition and abundance of a semi arid protected area in Zimbabwe, the Hillside Dams Conservancy. The paper aims to introduce a neglected group of invertebrates –the arachnids which is primarily unknown to science particularly in Zimbabwe. Spiders were collected in ten weekly sessions from last week of July to September 2012, using sweep nets and beating trays. A total of 663 individuals belonging to 28 species distributed among 11 families were found in the conservancy. The Oxyopidae was the most abundant (n = 230) representing 35% of all spiders sampled, followed by Philodromidae (n = 140) with 21%, Thomisidae (n = 124) with 19%, and Salticidae (n = 87) with 13%. The most abundant species was an Oxyopidae Oxyopes sp (n = 186) representing 28% of the total, followed by a Philodromidae Philodromus sp (n = 120) with 18.1%, a Salticidae Salticidae sp (n = 82) with 12.4%. The Thomisidae was the most species rich family with twelve species, followed by Philodromidae with four species and the Oxyopidae with three species. Observed spiders belonged to five functional groups: stalkers, foliage wanderers, ambushers, orb weavers and ground wanderers in the ratio of 3: 3: 6:2:1 with regards to species richness. Spider diversity in protected areas in Zimbabwe is not yet well known despite their usefulness as indicators of the overall species richness and status of ecosystems, therefore this study sought to fill the existing void of Arachnology literature for the state and apprise future investigators of the spider fauna of Zimbabwe.
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    COVID-19 nationwide lockdown and disruptions in the food environment in Zimbabwe
    (Taylor & Francis, 2021) Murendo, Conrad; Manyanga, Mark; Mapfungautsi, Rungano; Dube, Thulani
    This study assessed the COVID-19 related disruptions on the food environment in Zimbabwe. Information on disruptions in personal life, changes in food habits, changes at food acquisition points and nutrition information required during the lockdown were collected from 243 adult respondents using online survey. The pandemic disrupted work, social events, food behaviors and habits. Food consumption behaviours changed during the COVID-19 lockdown included panic buying (68%) and stockpiling (60%). The changes in food related habits were associated with a reduction in eating out at restaurants (89%) and ordering fast foods (71%). Temperature checks, physical distancing, hand sanitization and restricted access to food stores when not wearing a mask were the changes made at the point of food acquisition and adhered to by respondents. Respondents required nutrition advice on what type of food to eat (58%), food availability in area (52%), and ways to reduce food wastages (49%). Important policy implications emanate from this study. Retailers should ensure adequate supplies of affordable food commodities. The public and private sector should provide information on nutritious foods, ways to reduce food wastages, and food safety during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. There is scope of using social media as one of the platforms to disseminate such information. Innovative interventions such as online purchasing and home delivery of food supplies should be piloted to reduce human physical contact. This requires improved broadband connectivity and collaboration between mobile network companies and food suppliers to pilot online purchases.