https://cris.library.msu.ac.zw//handle/11408/57 2026-06-29T07:41:30Z https://cris.library.msu.ac.zw//handle/11408/7104 Title: Groundwater contamination and public health burden in an emerging urban settlement: A mixed-methods assessment from Charlton Park, Gweru, Zimbabwe Authors: Mupepi, Oshneck; Kundishora, Tererai; Mavugara, Roberta Abstract: In developing cities, urbanisation often overtakes the provision of water and sanitation services, forcing residents in emerging settlements to rely on untreated groundwater. This poses severe, yet poorly quantified, public health risks. The study assessed groundwater contamination and associated public health issues in Charlton Park residential area in Gweru, Zimbabwe using a convergent parallel mixed-methods study. Water samples were collected from accessible groundwater sources (n = 8) and subjected to microbiological analysis for faecal coliforms. Additionally, a household survey (n = 40) was administered. Data was triangulated with key informant interviews, focus group discussions, and clinical records. Statistical analysis included Kruskal-Wallis, Mann-Whitney U, and Spearman's correlation tests. Water quality analysis revealed 87.5% exceeded World Health Organisation faecal coliform guidelines. A significant negative correlation was found between latrine proximity and coliform levels (ρ = −0.81, p = 0.015). Major pathways of water contamination were seepage from inadequately lined septic tanks, discharge of human waste and leachate from open domestic waste dumps. Clinic records showed a disproportionate burden of disease among children, with a case distribution ratio of 1.67 compared to adults. This study provides empirical evidence that groundwater in unserviced and emerging urban settlements is a major pathway for faecal pathogens, directly impacting community health with unmistakable inequalities. Given these findings it is critical to ensure that service delivery precedes urban settlement. The study proposes a Socio-Hydrological Intervention Framework (SHIF) to mitigate contamination and its associated health burdens. It offers a phased, actionable model transferable to similar contexts across Zimbabwe. 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z Mupepi, Oshneck Kundishora, Tererai Mavugara, Roberta https://cris.library.msu.ac.zw//handle/11408/7090 Title: Embodied social work in Zimbabwe: the body as a sensory tool in frontline practice Authors: Taruvinga Muzingili; Florah Nokuthula Takavarasha; Muridzo, Noel G.; Belamino Kuraone Chikwaiwa Abstract: Social work practice in Zimbabwe, as in many Global South contexts, often unfolds in complex environments where verbal disclosure is limited, and formal indicators of harm are insufficient. While practitioners frequently rely on sensory cues and embodied intuition, these modes of knowing remain under-theorized and institutionally invisible. This study aimed to explore how social workers in Zimbabwe use their bodies as sensory tools in frontline practice and decision making. Using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), the researchers conducted in depth, semi-structured interviews with 11 purposively sampled social workers with a minimum of four years’ practice experience. Data were analyzed through iterative phases using MAXQDA software, thematic coding, and collaborative interpretation. Findings revealed that social workers engaged sensory tools—such as smell, silence, spatial awareness, and embodied intuition—to detect hidden risks, assess emotional atmospheres, and regulate relational presence. However, participants faced challenges in articulating or legitimizing these insights within standardized frameworks. The study concludes that embodiment is not a supplementary skill, but a critical professional resource requiring institutional recognition. Implications include revising training curricula to include embodied practice, developing sensory-informed assessment tools, and fostering reflective supervision models. Recognizing embodied knowledge can strengthen early intervention and ethical responsiveness in complex practice settings. 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z Taruvinga Muzingili Florah Nokuthula Takavarasha Muridzo, Noel G. Belamino Kuraone Chikwaiwa https://cris.library.msu.ac.zw//handle/11408/7089 Title: Challenges Facing African Social Work Researchers in Integrating Indigenous Research Ethics: Towards Ethical Reconstitution Through Decolonial Cooperation Authors: Taruvinga, Muzingili; Chidyausiku, Weston; Raymond Taruvinga; Belamino Kuraone Chikwaiwa; Muridzo, Noel G. Abstract: Social work research in Africa continues to grapple with the dominance of Western ethical frameworks that marginalise Indigenous epistemologies. This paper explores the challenges African social work researchers face in integrating Indigenous research ethics, with a focus on Zimbabwe. The study aims to contribute to the development of an ethically inclusive and context-responsive research paradigm. Using an autoethnographic methodology, five experienced African researchers reflected on their lived experiences navigating both Western and Indigenous research spaces. Data were collected through written narrative responses guided by conversational prompts and analysed using Reflective Thematic Analysis. Key findings reveal five interrelated challenges: the marginalisation of Indigenous ethics in social work education; ontological invisibility within institutional ethical regimes; the hierarchisation of ethical authority; donor-driven ethical compliance; and discursive decolonisation without ethical reconstitution. The study concludes that decolonial transformation in social work research requires more than rhetorical commitment—it demands ethical reconstitution through cooperative frameworks that recognise plural ethical authorities, relational accountability, and epistemic justice. The implications are significant for policymakers, academic institutions, funders, and researchers, calling for a shift from compliance-based to community-grounded ethical practices. This paper advocates for a Decolonial Cooperation Framework as a pathway toward ethical integrity and transformative, socially just research in African contexts. 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z Taruvinga, Muzingili Chidyausiku, Weston Raymond Taruvinga Belamino Kuraone Chikwaiwa Muridzo, Noel G. https://cris.library.msu.ac.zw//handle/11408/7088 Title: The Rural Natural Environment is a Teacher: Embedding Global South Rural Communities’ Environmental Experiences in Social Work Education Authors: Cornelius Dudzai; Mugumbate, Rugare; Lynne Keevers; Muridzo, Noel G. Abstract: This paper reflects on encounters with two contrasting Zimbabwean rural communities of Birchenough Bridge and Honde Valley. The study explored rural communities’ experiences with Indigenous environment-driven community development. The paper positions the natural environment as a metaphorical teacher and moral educator. Rural communities build knowledge from these environments. The findings were gathered through collaborative Indigenous methodology. The findings show how features like trees, rivers, soils, and herbs shape knowledge, resilience, and ethics. These can inform social work education. Lessons from the communities support decolonizing social work education. The paper argues for incorporating rural environmental experiences into Global South social work curricula. This includes letting students learn from rural environments through supervised and structured rural placements. In conclusion, Social Work training institutions should partner with rural communities. This can help ensure more contextually relevant social work education and practice. 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z Cornelius Dudzai Mugumbate, Rugare Lynne Keevers Muridzo, Noel G.