UNIVERSITY OF ZIMBABWE

Faculty: SOCIAL STUDIES Department: RURAL & URBAN

PLANNING

Course Title and Code: FUNDAMENTALS OF PLANNING

THEORY (RUP 218)

Student Name: MANANA KUDAKWASHE STANISLUS

Registration Number: R165928H

Lecturer: MR. ZIMUNYA

ASSIGNMENT: TWO (2) DUE 12, APRIL 2017.

QUESTION:
Modern planning needs to deal with heterogonous issues affecting society.
Highlight five issues that are affecting society and discuss how planning can
contribute to solve these issues. (50 marks)

Mark:

Comments:
A planner is the jack of all trades, operating in a complex
environment of political, social, economic, environment which are
the sole origins of the issues affecting the society, but the issues
that are to be selected at random because we want to deal with
the resent issues affecting the societies given a guide of five. The
question calls for a simple attention on the dissimilar issues that
are prevailing in the contemporary societies in countries. From the
past literature we may found that the past authors on the issues
of controlling the problems faced by the societies and own
problems created by the people hence it lead to the disaster in
the life style of the society. For some few reasons in common in
the contemporary planning, planners are reluctant to develop or
solve the problems due to historical stories, case of Mapositori
hitting the Police (Zimbabwean Republic Police ZRP), but those
people are still using religion as the common factor to child
marriages, gender imbalance, high rate population growth results
in the pressure on resources, such as water, case of Epworth,
Harare and land pollution, case of Matapi Flats in Mbare
residential Harare. (Chirisa, 2013)

Planning according to Bennhakker, (1965), it is an art of getting

present and future needs done. As highlighted above, child
marriage, water scarcity, gender issues, food shortages and land
pollution are the five randomized choice of the issues from a
complex environment, from the literature review, yes the same
issues have been put in to play for discussion and raising the
solutions to the problems affecting the societies, yet some were
not effective hence the problems are now periodic in the people
place of dwelling, Conyers, (1987)

To commence with child marriage as the common issue prevailing

in Zimbabwe societies. One has to coin that the rate of child
marriages is solely caused due to some reasons which shall be
discussed in the essay as it goes. Several studies acknowledge
that accurate data on the true extent of child marriage is difficult
to obtain because many marriages go unregistered and girls ages
may be falsified (IPPF, 2006:11).
Child marriage is common in Zimbabwe, and 21% of children
(mostly girls) are married before the age of 18. According to the
Girl Child Network (GCN), a civic organization whose mission is to
shelter, educate, and empower female victims, an estimated 8
000 girls have been forced into early marriages or were held as
sex slaves since 2008. According to the Cool lifestyle Writer,
(2015) noted that the Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs)
made some education to the parents and efforts to reduce the
system of child marriages in Epworth, but the parents were the
ones forcing the children to be married in order to curb poverty
and to reduce some of the child maintenance regarded as a
burden to the operation of a household. Well some of the Non-
Governmental Organizations NGOs are making money out of
Epworth because they are dealing with unworkable characters
and behavior. A good case to apply on the forced is the 2014,
Taedzerwas story, by Globe and Mail, when they published the
girl narrating on the way she got married at 15; She said, she
came late home and the parent were rejected her to her boyfriend
but not that her parents took the case of coming home late and
her parents chased her out of the home, not the fact of coming
home late but a calculating move of curbing hunger in the family
and she said children were regarded as burdens in the family

Furthermore, child Marriages are prevalent among the religious

sects such as Johanne Marange, taking the adoption of their
leader who passed on believing in polygamy, leaving 13 widows
who were taken over by his son. The African Apostolic Church has
gone a long way in addressing Christianity in an African
perspective as an African initiated church it has a leadership of
Africans. Its songs are expressed in vernacular language and are
claimed to be inspired by the Holy Spirit and there are some of
the time they engaged in to young wives sharing. As a Zionist
type of church, it put strong emphasis on the work of the Holy
Spirit. Although they strongly believe in polygamy, this practice is
eroding the church membership due to AIDS and HIV diseases
together with the wives and at the same time there is high child
mortality due to lack of immunization as coined above that the
members blame the holy spirit as the solution to all problems. On
too many occasions, girls who are married have been rendered
vulnerable to HIV infection and deprived of their rights to
education. Girls are allowed to be in lower school such that once
she get into grade 7, the right time for getting n to marriage.
(Sibanda, 2011)

Water scarcity is another issue prevailing in the Zimbabwean

society as some women find it difficult to have water for the
domestic purposes. Climate change is the most crucial source to
discuss on the shifts of the rain seasons, water table shifts,
growth of the illegal settlements on water bodies case of Epworth
wet lands in Solani ward 5, yet there are the lungs of the
environment. Conflicts are rising as the illegal perpetrators are
taking ownership of the water bodies, hence some of the
residents with low income for having tapped water are facing a
serious trouble in trying to create a better sanitation in their
homes. The use of the alternative sources of water such as wells
and boreholes in the common wards so as to curb the prevailing
water scarcity affecting mostly women, because of the rocky area
associated with tors and bedrocks close to the surface. It is so
difficult for the household to have one protected well at home. So,
the problem with Epworth is that women are now fetching water
from illegal; highly accidental; and common unprotected
associated with acids as a result of direct dumping of garbage
quarry mine dump which is receiving water from percolation and
throughflow. This results in the outbreak of diseases such as
cholera case of 2008, typhoid, and skin diseases among others.
Cairncross, (2003); Johnstone et al., (2002)
In addition, water deficit in rural areas such as those which falls in
the eco agro region 4 and 5 Masvingo; Zvishavane, Chivi where
the common rivers simply dry up and the water tables are far
down. Shortage of water triggers the drought, hunger which leads
to poverty. Upenyu Chaota, (2017) noted that in Chivi effects of
the El Nino, induced drought are taking a toll in Chivi district with
communities in trouble as their main sources of water are drying
up due to a declining water table. Boreholes are pumping out air
since they are no longer within reach of the water table. The issue
with water in Chivi is serious. The whole borehole system needs
an overhaul because the depth is no longer viable.
Chivi is a dry area and most boreholes were drilled with a depth of
40 metres which can only sustain people during the rainy season
when the water table rises.
During the dry season, the water table gets very low; beyond the
reach of the pipes so we need to drill deeper beyond 60 metres
said Gwanongodza. The government knows what is going on and
there are plans to roll out borehole projects soon, he added.
Livestock is also affected by the dry spell and people are digging
in the river beds to salvage the remaining water spots for their
animals. Shortage of food is resulting in Chivi hence some the
measures has been made to reduce.

Land degradation is the most crucial issue prevailing in our rural

areas in Zimbabwe, without considering the minor issues such
overstocking among others. Illegal tobacco farmers are best to
describe on this paper as noted on child marriages above.
Uneducated couples are taking an activity of growing tobacco as
a source of getting income. Due to shortages of inputs and lack of
knowledge of getting in to programs such the British American
Tobacco (BAT), which offers inputs to the such as fertilizers, coal
the main aim to discuss. Rural tobacco farmers are cutting down
trees excessively making the more vulnerable to wind and water
erosion. Even though, the companies that are issuing the raw
materials and inputs in form of coal, fertilizers and pest sides,
which also resulted in air pollution and water pollution as well
hence probability of getting safe water is low. Barns are not built
using high quality materials, there is moulding of bricks on
anthills were the scars are left out as a breeding places for
mosquitoes during summer seasons (rain), and rats which
destructs the old peoples harvest, Makoni District Ward 22
tobacco farmers. According to Makwara and Gamira (2012),
Whitlow (1988) contends that 1 848 000 hectares of land in all
agro-ecological regions in Zimbabwe are eroded and an average
of 76 tonnes of soil is lost per hectare through soil erosion. The
soil that is left after erosion is usually of poor quality that cannot
support plant growth, leading to low yields. That is why most of
the countrys rural populations are perennial recipients of relief
food and remain poverty stricken. (Mudimu, 2014)

Poverty hinders a perfect life style of the households due to little

income per capita per household, hence this carriers and triggers
some of the problems. Shortage of food is resulting due to the
shortage of the capital to purchase inputs because most of the
fertile land have been affected by Land Reform Programme.
(Alcock, 1993). Also poverty contributed to child school
absenteeism due to hunger, shortage of fees and long distance so
the parents decided to have their children in their small plots
trying to curb hunger by maximizing production, and reduction in
the cost of labour. Mortality increases as poverty increases due to
lack of funds for medication, case of Marange sects some are poor
coupled by the lack of immunization so there is a greatest
probability to get a die.

From the question guide, one may say lastly, but not least,
communication is the most crucial aspect stressed the society. In
accessible road networks, telephone lines and towers and
services provided per given catchment what we call rural poor.
Children are not going to school due to the flooding of rivers
without roads, case of Tsholosho, 2007). It is reviewed that the
key component of development is the good road, so you may
found that some of the areas termed to be growth points are still
lagged behind due to poor road network, hence prices will be at
greater heights among the existing firms yet it is this will affect
the vulnerable groups in a society that were poverty is being
accelerated, case of Rugoyi Growth Point in Makoni district it is
not growing due to poor, unmaintained dust roads. Also, on
communication some farmers are failing to transport goods to the
markets. Poor network might also discourages a household to
start up there business personally.

Be as it may, it could be a nave to close up this essay without

scrutinizing the basic strategies to reduce the issues discussed
above. Many solutions have been put in place to reduce and some
were effective in areas discussed above and some putted in place
in other areas so there are good for adoption to curb the problems
above. Some solutions are in the decision stage but not
implemented, in simple there seem to be good when they were
put on the ground.

Section 22 of the Marriages Act allows the marriage of children

under the age of 18. This was necessitated by a plethora of
factors as others asserts that it was in conformity with their
religious beliefs , while others argue that it was in line with their
traditional doctrines such as the Apostolic Sects, case Johanne
Masowe. But due to the evilness of this, in 2016 the Constitutional
Court nullifies the marriage of children under the age of 18
asserting that it was a compete violation of the rights of children
as enshrined in the Constitution. The ruling was guided under
section 78 of the 2013 Constitution which prohibited the marriage
of children under the age of 18. It was also in line with the rights
of children as provided with the International law which Zimbabwe
is part of. By so doing this it is crystal clear that, planners should
put law in front so that other strategies will follow such as
education of parents and young girls (young girls campaigns)
backed by law. The common problem to deal with is religious.
(Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment No 20 Act, 2013)

Increased public invest should thus be devoted to the developing

or improving infrastructure in rural areas. For instance, good
public transport systems and maintenance of road bridges is of
critical importance, especially with regards to the collection of the
harvest of the small scale farmer who are the majority in rural and
resettlement areas. Accessibility for young children to schools,
coping for Rio Summit bridge and dyke construction, (2011);
curbing the problem of in accessibility for school children. Non
timber produce can be transported to the target markets and
even in the drought events, so that some people in areas like
Guruve are able to earn a living. In addition, the provision of the
irrigation, drilling of boreholes, markets (growth point), rural
electrification which promotes projects for development for rural
producers rather than cutting down trees for tobacco farming,
Todaro, (1982). Hence the improvement of infrastructure is critical
for poverty alleviation process.

Water harvesting per household is good for the societies to adopt

in order to reduce water scarcity for future use as the big tanks
collect water during summer seasons for future use in winter,
coupled by a small sand filtration plans for purification before the
use, now common in Chitungwiza. Government should put the
educational systems on the use of these tools as well as planners
to implement them to the rural societies. Small tanks should be
there for domestic purposes. Drilling of boreholes as mention
earlier by Todaro, (1982) that should be there in rural societies for
the extraction of safe water, case of Rugoyi growth point Makoni
district, boreholes has been built to reduce water crisis problems.
Protected wells have been made by Non-Governmental
Organizations (NGOs) per household with have an already built
well to support the gap left by the boreholes.
In conclusion, if one planner has to do a survey of the issues in
societies, one may find out the issues are like demoniac in that on
disaster might leads to many problems as the issues on their own.
So it is good to collects bulk information basing on the categories
socio economic, environment and political to come up with a
solution which may curb at least three issues at once as shown in
the paragraph third from this counting this one. Issues like
monitoring and evaluation should be most crucial thing to
consider when taking the surveys, household participation among
others.

REFERENCES
Alcock, P, (1993); Understanding poverty, Macmillan press ltd,
London.

Cool life writer, (2015); child marriage still an issue in Epworth,

Herald august 1; Harare.

Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment, No 20 Act (2013).

Globe and Mail; new Zimbabwe 2014/ 11/10; child marriage;

Taedzerwa story.

Feresu S; Manjengwa J; Chimhowu A; (2012), Understanding

poverty, promoting wellbeing and Sustainable Development 16
districts Zimbabwe Institute of environmental studies, Harare.

Mudimu E, (2006-2014); Impact of Environmental Change on

Rural Livelihoods in Zimbabwe. The Case of Hurungwe District
Ward 13, Midlands University

Sibanda (2011), married too soon; child marriage in Zimbabwe;

the research and advocacy; Harare.

Staff reporter, (2015), the financial gazette; 2 July; Harare.

Upenyu 2017, water crisis in Chivi as boreholes dried up, Tellzim
news 11/04/2017; www.tellzim.com.