The Role of Indigenous Knowledge Systems in Promoting Social Development of Communities in Zimbabwe A Case of Masvingo Urban District Ward 1

Abstract

The study explored the role of indigenous knowledge systems in promoting the social development 
of communities in Zimbabwe as many of the social development initiatives in Zimbabwean do not 
sufficiently harness indigenous knowledge systems in their processes. In Masvingo Urban, poverty 
manifests through social problems such as a high school dropout rate (Annual Education Statistics 
Profile Masvingo Province, 2017) and poor health delivery system. The study sought to establish 
the role of indigenous knowledge systems in promoting the social development of communities in 
Zimbabwe. The participatory development approach was used in this study. Using Masvingo 
Urban District Ward 1 as the study setting, the study applied a mixed methods approach, marrying 
qualitative and quantitative tools for investigation and analysis of data.  For qualitative data, 8 key 
informants were purposively selected for in-depth interviews, while 8 more participants from the 
community were purposively selected for focus group discussions. The key informants were 
selected from 8 categories deemed to have expert knowledge for the subject under study. This 
enabled generation of hypothesis, and then validation was done quantitatively with 296 
participants drawn from a population of approximately 1275 households from Ward 1 of Masvingo 
Urban District (ZimStat, 2022). Major findings indicated that the concept of IKSs is found to be 
ill-defined and insufficient within communities, thus failing to convincingly incorporate the same. 
The study established that when IKSs are ignored, there is unwillingness and withdrawal by locals 
from active participation in developmental initiatives. The study, therefore, recommends that the 
definition of IKSs needs not be limited to prior, perceived to be archaic knowledge, but to present 
and continuously refined indigenous beliefs, values and expectations which transcend into the 
confidence and willingness of local people to contribute to community development. This paper 
also recommends that there is need to educate communities and explore IKSs that are 
development-oriented in Zimbabwe. To achieve sustainable development in Zimbabwe, the study 
further recommends a collaborative inclusion of local persons, beliefs, and methodologies, 
consensually refining them to harness a developmental attitude and locally-birthed energy that 
fuels participation and dedication to development.