Demolitions of Informal Business Structures in Harare, Zimbabwe Under the Guise of COVID-19 City Clean Up

Recent research on the informal sector has devoted considerable attention in examining how informal traders have been affected by the coronavirus in different temporal and spatial settings. However, less well understood is the extent to which central and local governments can cunningly use the veil of COVID-19 pandemic to regulate and re-shape the informal sector. Seeking to remedy this shortcoming in the prevailing accounts and utilising a qualitative research methodology including observations, discourse analysis, critical review of policy pronouncements, by-laws, legislation, video evidence from city officials, government, health authorities, vendors associations, newspapers articles and through a case study analysis of Harare City in Zimbabwe. The article contributes to the academic and policy discussions on how law, disease outbreak, policy and governmentality of African urban spaces intersect.

A- Level Textile Technology and Design Curriculum Compatibility with Industry Requirements in Harare, Zimbabwe

Through descriptive design, this study sought to establish the compatibility of the A-level Textile Technology and Design (TTD) curriculum with the industry requirements in Harare, Zimbabwe. The study employed both quantitative and qualitative techniques through a questionnaire and interview schedule. The population comprised of 120 A-level learners and five teachers from five schools as well as eight factory managers. Forty learners who had studied the subject for at least one year and teachers based on their experience in teaching were purposely selected to constitute the sample. Three factory managers from clothing industries in Harare City were conveniently selected based on their willingness to participate in the study. Data was treated through descriptive statistics and thematically. The study established that learners did not acquire adequate essential concepts in designing, pattern making, computer aided designing, use of industrial sewing equipment and business enterprise which are critical for business or employment in the clothing industry. Some study areas were found to be compatible with the requirements of the clothing industry and entrepreneurship, but the content was not well taught. Teachers were not proficient with new skills and knowledge in the updated syllabus. The majority of the learners was either neutral, disagreed or strongly disagreed to have acquired the intermediate skills related to the updated Textile Technology and Design Curriculum. Therefore, a more skills based curriculum is recommended. In-service training of TTD teachers in business and entrepreneurship skills is also recommended.

Evaluation of intensified provider initiated testing and counselling program in Harare City, 2017–2018

Background Knowledge of HIV status remains a challenge despite implementation of various testing strategies including provider-initiated HIV testing (PITC). Harare City intensified provider-initiated HIV testing by targeting testing all eligible clients visiting facilities to achieve the UNAIDS first 95. This study aimed at evaluating the intervention to improve its effectiveness and inform programming decisions for universal access to HIV testing. Methods A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in Harare from April to June 2019. Evaluation of the intervention was conducted using the logic model approach to assess the inputs, processes and outputs. Health workers were interviewed using an interviewer administered questionnaire. Exit interviews were conducted for eligible clients > 18 years who refused to be tested. A checklist was used to assess the inputs used and a desk review of HIV screening and testing records was done. Results A total of (n-45) health care workers and (n = 70) clients were interviewed with a response rate of (92%) and (84%) respectively. The median age for clients was 31(Q1 = 24: Q3 = 38) and median years in service for health workers was 2 (Q1 = 1;Q3 = 26). Of the 133,899 clients who were eligible for testing after screening, 98,587 (74%) accepted the test leaving a gap of 35,312 (26%). However, 21/45 (47%) of health workers indicated high workload in the morning as the major reason for the leakage. In addition, 25/70 (36%) of the clients indicated long waiting time as the reason for opting out of HIV testing. Conclusion and recommendation HIV testing coverage for eligible clients was not optimal, 26% opted out. We recommend strengthening of health facility systems such as review of patient flow, re-allocation of staff during busy HIV testing time and scaling up the use of HIV self-test kits for clients concerned with waiting time to improve HIV testing coverage.

A mini-review on household solid waste management systems in low-income developing countries: A case study of urban Harare City, Zimbabwe

Among other African cities, in terms of solid waste management (SWM), Harare has been ranked as one of the poorest. The municipality struggles to efficiently provide SWM services to its residents. Considering that SWM systems are complex, the individual behaviour of its components (waste generation, collection, and disposal) determines the overall performance of the system. This mini-review thus aims to understand the management system of the urban city’s biggest source of solid waste which is household solid waste (HSW). The systematic literature review methodology using NVIVO was used to analyse the literature. Out of a selected sample size of 500 journal articles, 26 were selected based on their relevance to the study. The uncertainty of the data provided by the Harare City Council (HCC) and of HSW generation data harvested in the literature was calculated. According to the HCC data records, Harare has an average daily waste generation per capita of on average 0.38±0.1 kg producing about 207, 635, 294±56, 027, 040 kg of HSW generated annually. With the waste collection efficiency in Harare at about 72.4%±7.5%, the city collects approximately 170, 385, 600±33 384 209 kg of HSW annually. All the collected HSW is disposed of in the city’s major MSW dumpsite called Pomona and only about 23, 498, 400±3, 988, 817 kg MSW is recovered annually with the average recovery efficiency at around 9.5%±2.8%, where most of the waste recovery is done by the waste pickers.

Evaluation of Intensified Provider Initiated Testing and Counselling Program in Harare City, 2017-2018

Background: Knowledge of HIV status remains a challenge despite implementation of various testing strategies including provider-initiated HIV testing (PITC). Harare City intensified provider-initiated HIV testing by targeting testing all eligible clients visiting facilities to achieve the UNAIDS first 95. This study aimed at evaluating the intervention to improve its effectiveness and inform programming decisions for universal access to HIV testing.Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in Harare from April to June 2019. Evaluation of the intervention was conducted using the logic model approach to assess the inputs, processes and outputs. Health workers were interviewed using an interviewer administered questionnaire. Exit interviews were conducted for eligible clients >18 years who refused to be tested. A checklist was used to assess the inputs used and a desk review of HIV screening and testing records was done. . Results: A total of (n-45) health care workers and (n=70) clients were interviewed with a response rate of (92%) and (84%) respectively. The median age for clients was 31(Q1=24: Q3=38) and median years in service for health workers was 2 (Q1=1;Q3=26). Of the 133 899 clients who were eligible for testing after screening, 98 587 (74%) accepted the test leaving a gap of 35 312 (26%). However, 21/45 (47 %) of health workers indicated high workload in the morning as the major reason for the leakage. In addition, 25/70 (36 %) of the clients indicated long waiting time as the reason for opting out of HIV testing.Conclusion and Recommendation: HIV testing coverage for eligible clients was not optimal, 26% opted out. We recommend strengthening of health facility systems such as review of patient flow, re-allocation of staff during busy HIV testing time and scaling up the use of HIV self-test kits for clients concerned with waiting time to improve HIV testing coverage.

Challenges in the Provision of Affordable and Decent Housing for Low Income Earners

This study sought to understand the challenges in the provision of affordable and decent housing for low income earners in the capital city of Zimbabwe, Harare. Various challenges relating to housing provision were identified by the research participants. These related to regulatory barriers, lack of political will and commitment, financial challenges, lack of inter-agency coordination. The study concludes that provision of low-income housing remains a big challenge in Harare, which calls for a multi-sectoral approach to address. The study relied on qualitative methodology. Research participants were drawn from Harare City Council, the private sector non-governmental organisations (NGOs), government officials, and residents.