Southern African Journal of Communication and Information Science
The Southern African Journal of Communication and Information Science will be a peer-reviewed journal that aims to provide in-depth coverage of current developments in the management, provision and dissemination of information in Southern Africa. The Journal seeks to contribute towards policy and principles that underpin the effective creation, organization, storage, communication and utilisation of information and knowledge resources. The journal seeks to influence how policies and practices in the broader themes of Records and Archives Management, Journalism and Media Studies, Library and Information Science and Publishing can be used to build theoretical and practical foundations to achieve a greater impact in the socio-political and economic transformation of Southern African countries.
National University of Science and Technology
Role of AI in climate change communication: Implications on understanding and trust in climate science
Climate change has emerged as a major contemporary global concern, especially as the scientific consensus on anthropogenic causes grows. Extreme climate events continue worsening as global temperatures increase, leading to loss of human lives and slow economic progression at the global level, with the Global South being the most affected. However, despite the notable challenges caused by climate change, concern from the public and policymakers often does not match the magnitude of the impact of climate change. Amidst such concerns,artificial intelligence emerges as a powerful tool for climate change communication, with its integration fostering understanding, concern, and trust in climate science. The emergence of generative artificial intelligence, catalysed by OpenAI’s introduction of ChatGPT,revolutionised the way climate science is communicated to the public, although it came with challenges for communicators. This study, therefore, sought to explore Zimbabwean legislators’ perception of the role of AI in climate change communication and its implications on trust in climate science. The study also intended to determine policymakers’ perceptions of the challenges associated with the integration of AI in climate change communication in Zimbabwe. This qualitative study used in-depth interviews targeting Zimbabwean parliamentarians. The impetus of this study arose from a dearth of literature on the application of AI in strategic climate change communication and its implications for audience understanding and trust in climate science. The qualitative thematic analysis revealed three key perspectives: AI as an effective tool for enhancing public climate change communication and fostering trust through its fact-checking capabilities; skepticism towards AI due to perceived complexity and concerns over Western epistemic dominance; and AI as a potential conduit for climate misinformation in the hands of contrarians, thereby undermining public trust in climate science. These perspectives have an impact on parliamentarians' behavioural intention to support AI policies.
Artificial Intelligence in Zimbabwean media: ethical concerns, governance issues, and societal impact (2016-2025)
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has gained attention in Zimbabwean media, with reports highlighting its applications in healthcare, education, parliament, marketing, and agriculture. This study explores how Zimbabwean media reports AI adoption and usage, focusing on socioeconomic impacts, ethical concerns, and regulatory issues. An analysis of 575 news stories using media classification methods, sensitising codes, and grounded theory revealed key themes through Leximancer and RStudio Bibliometrix. The findings show increased AI coverage from to 2023-2024, coinciding with generative AI tools and governance concerns. The media presents utopian views emphasising AI benefits while giving less attention to dystopian concerns such as privacy, bias, and neo-colonialism. The Zimbabwean media emphasises data sovereignty and Ubuntu philosophies in AI development. Dystopian perspectives highlight privacy, bias, access, ethical decision-making, job loss, and neocolonialism issues. The media suggest stakeholder collaboration to address insufficient funding, skills, infrastructure, and connectivity challenges through network expansion, re-skilling, expert consultation, and developing comprehensive AI frameworks aligned with regional policies. This study demonstrates the media's role in raising awareness of AI's benefits and risks of AI and influencing public perception and policy development. Recommendations include an increased coverage of ethical issues and infrastructure upgrades to promote societal readiness. Developing a clear AI framework is essential to govern the adoption of ethical AI in Zimbabwe. This study offers insights to policymakers and researchers in low-resource settings. Future research should explore public AI perception using web scrapping and sentiment analysis, track international AI commitments, and investigate sectoral AI implementations. Amplifying diverse voices and enhancing journalists' training in AI reporting are essential for a balanced, in-depth coverage of ethical and governance issues as AI continues to evolve.
The uptake of AI in Zimbabwean mainstream newsrooms: Perspectives of journalists
The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has intensified around the world and the journalism and media industry has not been left behind as journalists have also adopted its use. The paper investigates the adoption and integration of AI in the journalism and media industry in Zimbabwe, coming from a social constructionist perspective. The paper interrogates how journalists in the mainstream media are utilising AI in their journalism practice. It reveals the negative and positive impacts of using AI in the practice of journalism in third world countries like Zimbabwe. The study reveals that Zimbabwean journalists take advantage of the opportunities offered by the use of AI. The study exposes that Zimbabwean journalists use AI in advancing their sourcing, news gathering and writing news stories. The paper also provides an understanding of how Zimbabwean journalists use AI in a world where technology seems to be taking over in almost every industry and overcoming the traditional ways of doing things. The study combined both qualitative and quantitative methods and it was carried out in Harare and in-depth interviews and questionnaires were used to gather data from ten and 12 journalists respectively. The journalists were purposively selected from three traditional media houses in Harare comprising Alpha Media Holdings, Zimpapers and Radio Zimbabwe. The findings reveal that AI has not been fully embraced and more needs to be done to promote its uptake and adoption. It was also established that journalists believe that AI is more like a double-edged sword offering opportunities and threats.
Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) in News: A case study of selected digital-native news outlets in Zimbabwe
The excitement and widespread publicity of OpenAI’s Chat Generative Pre-Trained Transformer (ChatGPT) in 2022 further allowed news outlets and journalists to reimagine their interactions and engagements with audience members. Newsrooms, particularly digital-native, have increasingly woven generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools such as, among others, Google Gemini, ChatGPT, DALL-E 2, Canva, Grammarly, Headline Hero, StoryMap, Chartbeat, GitHub Copilot and Microsoft Copilot into their news production processes. Such AI tools are harnessed for their potential to automate text, image, video and audio creation, streamlining workflows and personalising content. Arguably, these are profound capabilities that are swiftly becoming essential for digital-native news outlets in a competitive environment. This study investigates how four digital-native news outlets, namely Matabeleland Pulse, Community Podium, Centre for Innovation and Technology (CITE), and Eco Climate Network, are adopting generative AI, their motivation in deploying such tools, and how newsroom leaders perceive the influence of these tools on journalistic practice. The study is anchored on the Social Construction of Technology (SCOT) framework, which emphasises that social, economic and cultural forces shape the adoption of technologies as much as technical efficiency does. This study analyses this phenomenon along the three axes of the journalistic field. These are, (i) techno-economic means, that is, financial and technical resources that enable or constrain an adoption, (ii) subject of journalism, that is, journalists’ perspectives on AI in their professional practice and (iii) object of journalism, that is, audience reception, trust and engagement with AI-generated content from the newsroom editor’s perspective. The study employs a qualitative design methodology using online surveys and brief follow-up interviews with newsroom leaders.
Reimagining Textbook Editing in the Age of Artificial Intelligence: Perspectives from Textbook Publishers in Zimbabwe
The emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) has had a profound impact on several industries, including education. As AI technologies transform established editorial practices worldwide, the textbook publishing industry is undergoing a significant shift. Grounded in the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology, which highlights user intentions in using an Information System (IS) and the subsequent usage behaviour, this paper explores the future of editing with AI among textbook publishers in Zimbabwe. The study adopts a qualitative approach informed by a multiple case study design. The study targeted two editors from five major textbook publishing houses in Zimbabwe, selected purposively for their national footprint and history of textbook production. Semi-structured interviews were used to gather data, which was then thematically analysed. Findings indicate that AI tools like Grammarly and Microsoft Editor are commonly used by textbook editors. Automatic content generation, improved efficiency, and enhanced productivity were found to be some of the benefits of using AI in editing. However, several challenges were identified, including, lack of infrastructure, loss of employment and ethical considerations. Strategies for the successful implementation of AI in textbook editing include human-AI collaboration, innovation as a market need and gradual implementation and continuous improvement. The study concludes that meaningful AI integration requires contextual adaptation, human oversight and capacity building. The researchers recommend that textbook publishers continue integrating more AI tools into their processes, and they should be provided with training on the use of AI tools so that they gain knowledge on how to use them effectively.
Copyright (c) 2025 Southern African Journal of Communication and Information Science
Covid-19 information disorders on WhatsApp and non compliance to Covid-19 prevention measures
The impact of social media on communication and information sharing is undeniable. However, it has also become a breeding ground for sensationalism, misinformation, and falsehoods. This has been argued in literature to have a significant impact on public opinion and decision-making. Social media platforms such as WhatsApp are prominently used for news dissemination. However, the ease of sharing information that these platforms have provide has led to the proliferation of information disorders such as misinformation and disinformation. Information disorders affect public opinion and decision making, shaping sentiment and influencing policymakers. Guided by Rothkopf's (2003) concept of ‘information disorders’ and Stuart Halls reception theory, this study uses content analysis and interviews to explore the nature of Covid-19 misinformation and disinformation that circulated on WhatsApp and how it influenced people not to adhere to Covid-19 prevention strategies that were meant to slow its spread. It found out that misinformation and disinformation about Covid-19 varied focusing on issues such as vaccine efficacy, Covid-19 cure and treatment among other issues. This paper argues that misinformation and disinformation influenced some people to not adhere to Covid 19 prevention measures.
Evolving library staff skills during a health crisis: A case of Rimuka public library in Zimbabwe
The purpose of this study was to assess the evolving library staff skills during a health crisis. The focus was on skills that library staff could adopt in the novel coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) era in Zimbabwe and worldwide. The aim was to generate insightful knowledge that could be used by information professionals facing health pandemics in order to provide current and relevant library services to their user community. The research employed a qualitative research design using a case study research strategy. Interviews were conducted with six library staff and four administrators who were chosen based on the purposive sampling procedure. Data was analysed thematically and presented textually. The significant findings were that the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic had caught the Library unprepared for providing distant services. The library staff did not possess the requisite skills to offer distant services. The Library lacked resources, including ICT gadgets, which could have been used to provide such services. The main recommendations were for the Library to organise in-house training programmes, workshops and seminars to equip staff with digital literacies. To this end, the Library could upskill its staff and use the general digital competencies framework to focus the training. The Library could appoint a systems librarian to set up and run a digital library. The staff could participate in collaborative activities with other local council libraries and events organised by institutions in the library profession. The current study adds to our knowledge of how staff skills in public libraries in Zimbabwe during health crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, have changed over time. Numerous studies have been conducted in developed and developing nations evaluating the extent of harm to library services in health environments. Nevertheless, there is little research on how staff skills could be developed and enhanced during health crises in African public libraries, especially in Zimbabwe.
A contribution to the disinformation and misinformation debate in Zimbabwean science communication
Drawing on African philosophy and indigenous theory, this article is aimed at examining, through views and perceptions of Zimbabwean journalists and scientists, the problem of misinformation and disinformation in science communication. This qualitative study gathers empirical data through in-depth interviews with purposively selected journalists and scientists from Zimbabwe. It is argued that Zimbabwean indigenous knowledges could be instrumental in addressing the problem of misinformation and disinformation in science communication in the country. In other words, adopting Zimbabwean-African values embedded in Ubuntu media ethics can potentially be the panacea to misinformation and disinformation problems riddling science communication.
Digital technologies and public health communication in Zimbabwe: The case of Harare Health Services Department
This paper analyses digital technologies used in public health communication to assess if they allow for stakeholder engagement. It also examines the challenges encountered by stakeholders in utilising digital technologies for public health communication. Using strategic communication and second-age media theories, the paper identifies communication technologies used by the Harare Health Services Department (HHS) for public health communication, and for what purposes. We further assess whether the communication technologies utilised by HHS for public health communication allow for stakeholder engagement and the challenges encountered. A qualitative case study methodology utilising in-depth interviews with personnel and key administrators from five health facilities under the HHS Department was employed. In addition, qualitative content analysis was conducted on the Department’s Facebook and X pages. The findings reveal that the Harare Health Services Department is lagging in using digital technologies and only intermittently disseminating public health information during specific periods. Further, HHS has not fully embraced digital media use specifically social media for stakeholder engagement and targeted health messaging. Several challenges are identified such as failure to strategically implement and embrace digital technologies for communication; lack of training; resistance to change and accountability; lack of adequate and reliable resources; and a top-down management approach. The study concludes that digital technologies have the potential to enhance stakeholder engagement and improve public health services. However, there is a need for the integration of strategy in public health institutions’ communication approach.
Political disinformation during Zimbabwe’s 2023 harmonised elections
Political disinformation is heightened during election periods world over and Zimbabwe is no exception. Leveraging on technological advancements to create hyper reality social media content, the period leading to the 2023 elections experienced complex and sophisticated forms of content that made it difficult for the audiences to tell whether it was real or fake. Audiences re-shared and re-posted such content with an assumption that it was real — and one such is an MP4 campaign message purported to be emanating from the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) political party. Such content has the potential to threaten a healthy democracy in any society. Against this background, this study sought to explore the nature of political disinformation used by political parties, candidates, interest groups, civil society and individuals for campaigning and de-campaigning purposes. Factored in is an analysis of how online audiences, particularly on the X platform, were deciphering meaning, and exploring the possible implications of such ‘problematic information’ in society. Rooted in the interpretivist paradigm, the study achieved its objectives by employing a non-participatory observation (netnography) approach to collect and archive data on the micro-blogging site, X. The data that were analysed using thematic and semiotic analysis revealed that the period under study experienced a high proliferation of political disinformation in its varied and diversified forms such as, among others, doctored images, edited audios and videos, and memes. Due to technological advancements, a contemporary form of political disinformation emerged such as deepfakes; content which blurred the lines between real and simulated media texts. The study submitted that deepfake content resulted in the polarised nature of online audiences. Furthermore, the study established that a polarised audience has the potential to impede democratic dialogue and threatens a healthy democracy.
Living at the borders within the metropolis in post-apartheid Gauteng, South Africa
Most African migrants, living in Johannesburg, South Africa, are undocumented and as a result illegalized. In that, borders are no longer fixed at the physical boundaries between nations but are in a state of flux extending into the interior of nations, most African migrants live their lives ‘at the border’ even though geographically within Gauteng, the country’s richest and most metropolitan province. This paper considers the coloniality of borders and their violence in postapartheid South Africa. It traces border existence for many black Africans in daily negotiations to survive xenophobia. These negotiations are between the migrants, the law andm law enforcers. It is about how migrants survive outside the formal economy and the formal structures that govern life in Gauteng, and the struggle to access government services such as health and education. Located in postcolonial and decolonial theoretical frameworks, the paper takes the border as a contested space and also considers ways in which the migrants also construct their own borders as a way of resisting the violence of the nation and the state. These daily survival strategies of the excluded African Others are theorized as decolonial politics deployed in resisting the coloniality of the border.
The coverage of Cyclone Idai in Zimbabwe’s The Manica Post newspaper
This study examines the coverage of Cyclone Idai in The Manica Post newspaper in Zimbabwe. Drawing upon decolonial theories, the study explores the knowledge contestations that characterised The Manica Post’s depiction of the natural disaster. Data were purposively selected from the news articles published by The Manica Post. Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) was employed to analyse the news stories. The study establishes that The Manica Post reproduced and promoted a Western-centric understanding of disasters. Local knowledge about disasters was largely ostracised. Therefore, the study concludes that Western knowledge systems about journalism and science influenced how news stories were framed. As such, there is a need to decolonise African media systems and promote Afro-centric coverage of natural disasters.
Factors influencing the transfer of training in internal training programmes: the case of the National University of Science and Technology (NUST) Library
Whereas academic librarians’ knowledge, skills, and attitudes (KSAs) need to be constantly updated through training to meet professional demands in the field, such training should be transferred to the job for improved job performance. This study identified factors affecting the transfer of training in internal training programmes at NUST Library. A multi-methods research design was employed. Data were collected by administering questionnaires to trainers and trainees while senior library management was interviewed. Data from 32 responses were presented and analysed using Microsoft Excel software. Trainee characteristics, training design and delivery, the work environment, and trainer characteristics were the major factors that affect training transfer. Although trainees had high cognitive abilities, they were not highly motivated to train and transfer trained KSAs. The training design did not include trainees fully and training content was decided by library management. The work environment lacked relevant equipment and technological infrastructure. Training methods in place were sufficient although the need to utilise a blended learning approach incorporating online tutorials was realised. Trainers were experienced in the delivery of training although their pedagogical, presentation, interpersonal, and communication skills needed honing. The importance of training transfer should be emphasised before, during, and after training. Supply of adequate equipment as well as sending trainers for the training of trainers’ courses targeting deficient areas were recommended.
Health-information-seeking behaviours of Gwanda Rural Communities during the Covid-19 pandemic
This study was conducted to examine the health information-seeking behaviour of the Gwanda rural people in the wake of the pandemic. Wilson's (1981) information-seeking behaviour model guided the study&#39;s objectives, which included identifying health information needs, information sources, information access barriers, and information uses. The study utilised a qualitative research approach. A case study research strategy was used to understand the health information- seeking behaviours of Gwanda rural dwellers in a time of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Using non-probability sampling techniques, a suitable sample was drawn from Gwanda rural communities, Edward Ndlovu Memorial Library community workers (ENML), and Village Health Workers (VHWs). The respondents' data was gathered through focus group discussions and semi-structured interviews. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the people of rural Gwanda exhibited unique information-seeking behaviours, influenced by their diverse information needs. To fulfil these needs, the Gwanda communities preferred information sources that relied on word-of-mouth, such as village health workers, broadcast media (radio), and family/friends. The challenges in accessing information were attributed to the lack of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) infrastructure and the digital divide, as COVID-19 information was primarily available online. Despite these access barriers, the Gwanda communities utilised the COVID-19 information they had obtained in various ways, including preventing illness, deciding how to seek care, and recognising disease symptoms. The study brought attention to Zimbabwe’s rural dweller's health- information-seeking behaviours as they were often overlooked during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Documentary Films as Tools for Combating misinformation and disinformation: A Case Study of Sunshine Cinema in Zimbabwe
Misinformation and disinformation (mis/disinformation) have emerged as pervasive global challenges rapidly spreading and influencing perceptions. While fact-checking organisations have played a prominent role, especially during COVID-19 and election periods, in combating these challenges, limited research exists on the integration of marginalised communities as active participants in this critical undertaking. This article examines the potential of documentary films as a tool for empowering citizens with critical skills to counter misleading information. Using Sunshine Cinema's work in Zimbabwe as a case study, this paper investigates the use of documentary films in empowering communities to identify and resist false narratives. Through focus group discussions with individuals who have watched the films, this paper examines how documentary films are used as pedagogical tools to enhance critical media literacy within communities. The findings demonstrate the transformative power of films in promoting dialogue, fostering critical thinking, and empowering communities to become active agents in addressing information disorders within their spheres of engagement.
Implications of Environmental Reporting in Nigerian Newspapers on Attitudes of Ilorin Elite Towards Environmental Care
The Nigerian environment is experiencing a high level of degradation leading to the tendency for wanton anthropogenic modification of the environment. These modifications, which occur as an attempt to meet the need for food, shelter, recreation and infrastructural facilities, have negative impacts on the environment. Environmental sustainability can only be attained soon if the attitude of environmental care is imbibed by the populace. The media are an important institution in the creation of awareness of existing and emerging critical issues that affect the environment. This study examined the implication of Nigerian newspapers’ environmental reporting on the attitude of the elite class towards environmental care, with a focus on elites in Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria. The survey research method was adopted while a structured questionnaire was used as an instrument for data collection. A sample of 410 respondents was selected using the stratified sampling technique. However, 403 copies of the questionnaire administered were retrieved, representing a 98% response rate. The analysis of data found that most of the elite became environmental enthusiasts as a result of frequent reading of environmental stories in Nigerian newspapers. Although the newspaper was not their only major source of awareness and education on environmental issues, it played a significant role in improving their environmental care attitude.
Zimbabwe’s print media coverage of Gender Based Violence: An analysis of the factors influencing journalists’ coverage of Gender-Based Violence issues
Purpose: This paper interrogates factors influencing journalists' coverage of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) in the Global South, specifically in Zimbabwe. The study analyses mainstream daily newspapers the Chronicle and NewsDay, is motivated by the numerous pressing GBV issues and cases affecting Zimbabwe, chief among them child marriages, sexual abuse, and domestic violence, largely against women. Therefore, the expectation is that with all these challenges on women and children, GBV stories will dominate the front pages of newspapers and airwaves in Zimbabwe as the media plays its role of mitigating the negative perceptions on issues of gender-based violence. Methodology: The study adopted a qualitative research approach and utilised qualitative content analysis for the news articles and in-depth interviews with journalists and editors. Findings: The study reveals that there is generally low coverage of GBV stories in both media, with rape dominating such stories. Further, law enforcement officers are major sources in GBV stories, rather than the victims. Key factors identified include lack of prioritisation of GBV stories by newsrooms, lack of journalistic skills to cover GBV issues, and a culture of silence within society on such issues. Originality: Combining journalistic agency, the social construction of reality, and political economy of media theories in this paper helps unravel how gender-based violence issues remain absent in the order of priorities within Zimbabwean newsrooms, leading us to conclusions that GBV remains de-prioritised rendering the media ineffective in the fight against the GBV.
Preparedness of the book sector in Zimbabwe for the development of e-learning materials for the new curriculum
Purpose: In January 2017, the Zimbabwean government implemented a new curriculum for the primary and secondary school education level emphasizing e-learning. This has implications on the publishing sector, producing the new curriculum's necessary teaching and learning resources. However, there is no e-learning policy in Zimbabwe and the availability of infrastructure for elearning is of concern. The study sought to explore the e-readiness of the local textbook publishers for the new curriculum by establishing the availability of e-content, ascertaining schools’ capacity to implement e-learning and ascertain the availability of skilled e-content producers. Methodology: This was a qualitative case study that adopted open-ended questionnaires and interviews for data collection. The study participants were purposively drawn from educational publishers and primary schools in the Bulawayo Metropolitan Province. Findings: The findings revealed a lack of stakeholder preparedness to implement the e-learning initiative and inadequate e-learning infrastructure. Implications: The study will influence policy and practice in developing textbooks and other teaching and learning materials for the new curriculum, emphasising e-learning. Originality: The unplanned implementation of the new curriculum for the primary and secondary education system in January 2017, coming on the heels of the curriculum review consultations which had just ended in the mid-year of 2016, prompted the need to establish the preparedness of developers of textbooks and other learning materials for this move.
Leadership in food security: African traditional and humanitarian organisations’ leadership perspectives in food aid delivery. A case of Matabeleland in Zimbabwe
Relief food aid delivery has failed in Africa to create beneficiary resilience in recurring drought and famine disasters. The deliveries of food aid to starving recipients delay or the food quantities delivered never match the amount and type of food needed. The traditional leadership participation is lacking at designing, planning and very limited at the implementation of the emergency response. Humanitarian relief aid leadership focuses on fulfilling the donor mandates and the rights of beneficiaries to adequate food. It is oblivious to the needs of the food recipients due to the leadership’s ignorance of beneficiaries’ traditional and indigenous coping methods against famine disasters. African traditional leadership has, however, had household and community coping mechanisms against drought and famine disasters, but the leadership is ignorant about the operations of contemporary humanitarian relief food aid leadership. This research assesses traditional and relief aid NGOs leadership mechanisms that can increase food aid beneficiaries’ resilience against progressive drought and famine disasters. The study was qualitative and semi-structured interviews were used to collect data that was analysed using MAXQDA (2018) that generated leadership thematic classifications in response to drought and famine disasters. The traditional and relief aid nongovernmental organisations’ leadership mechanisms contrasts in the study of food security resulted in three main leadership outcomes, namely Knowledge, creativity and adaptation for traditional leadership and limited outcomes and focus for the non-governmental organisations’ leadership. The research also highlights that the basis of the success of the traditional leadership model in ensuring food security is the relationship with and dependence on the natural environment produce.
Accessibility and utilisation of reproductive health information among youths in Songwe and Chunya districts, Tanzania: a longitudinal study
Most youths in Songwe and Chunya Districts dropped out from school due to unplanned pregnancies, and some are infected by sexually transmitted diseases. Thus, it was assumed that, reproductive health information was not accessible to youths in the study area. Data for the study were collected twelve years from the previous study on the related title and topics. The aim was to study the trends on accessibility and utilisation of reproductive health information among youths in the study area. The specific objectives were to evaluate youths’ awareness on matters related to reproductive health, to identify sources frequently consulted and factors constraining access. The study employed a mixed method approach for data collection methods and analysis. Also, the study was underpinned by Wilson’s (1999) model of information behaviour. A total of 128 respondents participated in the study through questionnaire, interview and focus group discussion. Results show that most youths in the study had little awareness and access to reproductive health information available in different sources. The mostly preferred sources by youths were peers and friends followed by reading from published and unpublished sources. Furthermore, the mostly accessed information was preventive measures on sexually transmitted diseases. Hence, in conclusion, youths in the area had little awareness and access to reproductive health information, and rarely used the rarely accessed information. Therefore, for awareness creation on the matters and making sure that youths use the accessed information, recommendations have been provided to youths, parents, teachers and government.
Infopreneurship as a career option among African University Students
Purpose– This study gives a review of infopreneurship in terms of motivations, curricula, teaching and learning environment in African universities. Design/methodology/approach– The benefits of using the internet in business communications cannot be overlooked as it has opened up wide prospects not only for large businesses but more essentially for micro-enterprises. This opens entrepreneurial avenues especially among the youths through collecting and selling information to the needy. A critical review of research papers and articles was done using a five-step approach. Findings– Evidence showed that challenges associated with the curricula, teaching methods, motivation to students, integration of infopreneurship courses with practical business, creativity and entrepreneurial aspects, are among the key findings of this study. Originality/value–The study represents original research, it is an attempt to evaluate quality of curricular, teaching and learning environment and motivation to infopreneurship as a career option among university graduates in Africa.
Grain and Vegetable Amaranth Adoption in Binga Rural District of Matabeleland North, Zimbabwe
This study seeks to popularise the traditional grain and vegetable aramanth crop in Manjolo and Sikalenge wards of Binga Rural District of Matabeleland North in Zimbabwe. The study of the grain and vegetable amaranth project by Ntengwe for Community Development (NCD) in collaboration with Tugwi Mukosi Multidisciplinary Research Institute (TMMRI) of the Midlands State University comprised of 74 farmers in the two wards aims at enhancing household nutrition, food and income security for the communities. Data for the study was collected by interviewing the aramanth farmers, 3 retail outlets (supermarkets) manangers, 3 hoteland lodges managers, as well as 2 crop science specialists in April and May 2020. The SPSS version 24 was used to analyse the data. Findings from the study indicate that the communities were not aware of the food value of the but knew aramanth as an indigenous weed which grew on abandoned cattle pens and homesteads. Findings further indicate that the farmers have a positive perception towards the production and consumption of amaranth which can be exploited to create demand for the vegetable locally and beyond . Observed dynamics militating against commercial production of amaranth in the two wards include the poor transport delivery system, water shortages, costly farm inputs and information asymmetry on potential markets and suppliers. The study recommends further researches into amaranth productivity with regards to possibilities of value addition and beneficiation to tap international markets.
Social media use and the proliferation of fake news during the COVID-19 pandemic in Botswana: the archives and records management dilemma
Purpose- To assess the impact of the proliferation of fake news through social media during COVID-19 pandemic on archives and records management in Botswana. Design/methodology/approach – This is a conceptual paper which adopts the qualitative research approach. Documentary review on fake news, Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID19), archives and records management and social media is used to collect data for the paper. Findings- The main findings were that even though Batswana appreciate social media platforms as they enable easy access to information, these platforms make them more susceptible to fake news and intolerance. This situation has led Botswana to legislate some laws to try to curb the spread of fake news. The paper also established that the digital era has made it difficult for records professionals to identify and preserve authentic records for evidential purposes. As a result, and particularly due to COVID-19, automation of the records manual processes through the use of modern smart technologies has become inevitable for organisations in the country. Consequently, there is need for continuous training of the archives and records personnel. Research limitations/implications- The findings of this paper are limited to the reviewed literature on Botswana and may not be generalised to other situations. Practical implications- Findings of this study could assist archivists and records managers in their professional decisions during the post-truth era. The results points to the importance of the preservation of the authenticity and integrity of records.
The Management of Metadata in the Digital Photographic Collection at Celebration Ministries International in Harare.
Metadata plays a significant role in facilitating the authentication and retrieval of digital photographic records. The purpose of this study was to assess how the capturing of metadata and the use of a photographic management software can facilitate easy retrieval and access to digital photographic records. According to Getaneh (2014), metadata is structured information that describes, explains and locatesinformation resources. Types of metadata such as descriptive, administrative and structural metadata are essential in managing photographs since they support the findability and retrieval of photographs. The study used a case study design, where interviews and questionnaires were employed as data collection instruments. The objectives of the study were to evaluate the types of metadata captured for retrieval purposes; understand the challenges associated with the storage and retrieval of photographs as well as establishing the extent to which metadata assist in easier management of photographic collections of the church archive. The findings of the study revealed that the system used in managing the collection has incomplete retrieval metadata fields. This was due to the fact that the system used to capture metadata traits has pre-defined metadata fields, thus creating shortfalls in the captured information. More so, the software system used at the church archive is open-source software and it lacks defined metadata standards. The study recommended the adoption of socially-constructed metadata standard. Furthermore, there is need to use proprietary client-oriented photographs management software (PCOPMS) since it allows the capturing of sufficient metadata.
Measuring the Impact of Institutional Repositories in selected Zimbabwean State Universities
Purpose This paper reports on a study that was conducted to investigate the citation impact of institutional repositories (IRs) in selected Zimbabwean state universities using the Scopus cited reference search facility. The study assessed the extent to which archived content is cited by publications indexed in Scopus. Design/methodology/approach The Scopus cited references search facility was used to mine for documents citing IR content from 2014 to 2018. Results from Scopus searches were exported into text files then transported to excel workbooks for filtering and analysis. The impact of an IR was analysed from two perspectives; cited and citing documents characteristics including but not limited to the number of publications, document types and country affiliation of citing authors. Findings Results show that on average 8.6 documents per year were cited for all IRs combined within the 5 year period selected for the study. The most frequent Scopus indexed document type citing IR content were research articles, constituting over 50% of all citing documents across all IRs selected for the study. The most cited document types in all IRs were thesis and dissertations followed by research articles. The University of Zimbabwe IR was found to be the most influential, with 34 citers affiliated in 12 countries. Originality/value The study demonstrated the feasibility of using the Scopus cited reference searching facility to mine for documents citing IRs. The research puts forward a new measure of research impact which involves analysing the extent to which IR content is cited by documents indexed in a major commercial citation database (Scopus).
We would like to thank the following guest editors and reviewers for SAJCIS Volume 01 (2021).
The Southern African Journal of Communication and Information Science (SAJCIS) is an outcome of eight successfully hosted conferences by the Faculty of Communication and Information Science at the National University of Science and Technology (NUST). The 7th and 8th ICCIS produced peer reviewed proceedings and there was determination not only to produce peer reviewed proceedings but an accredited journal. The SAJCIS is a peer-reviewed journal that aims to provide research on current developments in the management of information. The journal aims to understand policies and practices in the broader themes of Records and Archives Management, Journalism and Media Studies, Library and Information Science and Publishing Studies
Copyright (c) 2022 Southern African Journal of Communication and Information Science