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Theses and dissertations (Management Sciences)

Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://ir-dev.dut.ac.za/handle/10321/14

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Subject: search.filters.subject.Reconciliation

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    Building capacity for reconciliation through a restorative-based intervention in Zimbabwe
    (2017-05) Mhandara, Lawrence; Kaye, Sylvia Blanche; Harris, Geoffrey Thomas
    Policy makers and scholarship on peacebuilding are increasingly attracted to the notion of reconciliation. In recent years, this interest has expanded. This is especially visible in the aftermath of the South African experience following the activities of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC). In fact, peacebuilding efforts after violent experiences are usually accompanied by powerful calls to go the reconciliation route. Reconciliation as a process can be seen as involving transformation in attitudes and perspectives toward others. As an outcome, it can be regarded as mutual acceptance of the other in a peaceful relationship and the sustainability of that acceptance; accompanied by a commitment to bind relationships on future interest than being stuck with the past. Yet reconciliation remains a profound challenge in societies that experience political violence. Equally, Zimbabwe is facing a similar situation despite a series of state-centred efforts at reconciliation. From the 1980 policy of national reconciliation to the National Peace and Reconciliation Commission (NPRC), a constant pattern of inefficacy is observed. This study was born out of the need to find out why reconciliation in Zimbabwe has become elusive which has negatively affected people’s relationships. The aim of the study was to devise a restorative- based intervention to build capacity for reconciliation among a small sample of adults in Harare. The primary question was: How can people affected by political violence but continuing to live together participate in building their own capacity to promote reconciliation in the absence of effective state interventions? I conceptualised reconciliation based on the theory of restoration as an approach that can transform relationships toward peaceful interaction. This yielded a theoretical framework that combined elements of reconciliation, restorative justice and conflict transformation theories, which was the basis for designing and analysing findings. A qualitative methodology combining interviews and focus group discussions was utilised. Within this paradigm, action research was the main design, in which one cycle was utilized by the action group to implement an intervention. Action group participants’ responses offer evidence of how building capacity for reconciliation needs to be conceptualised through interventions that are participatory, collaborative and centred on the locals. The study further reveals that restorative-focused dialogical conversations followed by symbolic gestures of reconciliation are useful in restoring broken relationships. This was found to be a viable alternative to promoting reconciliation in the absence of effective state responses. This study is significant in that it integrates academic and practical knowledge while contributing to peacebuilding practice.
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    Transforming post-conflict relationships via peace gardens in Masvingo, Zimbabwe
    (2018-10) Rukuni, Tinashe; Kaye, Sylvia Blanche; Harris, Geoffrey Thomas
    The study discussed ways of transforming post-conflict relationships via peace gardens in Masvingo, Zimbabwe where political party supporters had failed to cope with the aftermaths of election-related violence since 1980.The motivational factor for carrying out this research arose from the philosophical perspective that working together for a common goal builds sustainable and durable peace. This study was underpinned by the peace and power theory which promotes working together in cooperative and peaceful ways. The study was carried out with a sample of 36 participants from the key informants and focus group discussions from which an action team of 10 participants was formed. The overall aim of this study was to explore the use of peace gardens as an intervention strategy in transforming post-conflict relationships with specific objectives being to explore the causes and effects of election-related violence in Masvingo, Zimbabwe and to examine the use, effectiveness, and challenges of using peace gardens in transforming post-conflict relationships. The type of inquiry used in this study was advocacy participation world view while the research design was a qualitative paradigm with exploratory action research and evaluation components. Data for the study was generated through focus groups, interviews, and participant observations. The study findings revealed that politics and elections were the main causes of conflict in Masvingo with hate speech, the creation of division and partisan distribution of food as tools by which the conflict was enforced. The findings revealed the effectiveness of peace gardening as an intervention strategy in peacebuilding through its ability to dismantle barriers of division, hatred and thereby creating debate platforms for conflict resolution modalities among former political rivals.Though the results of this peace gardening intervention strategy demonstrated embedded yielding effects of action research, the study concludes that peacebuilding initiatives do not work like magic considering the sensitivity of politics and conflict. Participants in action research do not change their attitudes overnight, a scenario which calls for more or prolonged intervention cycles in promoting durable peace.
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    Peacebuilding among ex-prisoners and their families : enhancing the impact of the Second Chance Rehabilitation Centre, Zimbabwe
    (2016) Moyo, Ntombizakhe; Harris, Geoffrey Thomas; Kaye, Sylvia
    The retributive justice system has been used in most parts of the world aimed at rehabilitating, deterring and incapacitating offenders. High prison rates reveal that the retributive justice system has not been too effective when it comes to reducing recidivism and addressing causes of crime. The system makes offenders to be accountable to the state, while victims of crime are left out of the picture. Family members of offenders, who are the secondary victims, are also closed out of the system, while in essence; they suffer a lot including loss of family members to imprisonment, which affects the family fabric. This research seeks to enhance the restorative justice work with ex-prisoners done by Second Chance Rehabilitation centre. The question that this research seeks to answer is: can restorative justice models have a positive impact on the lives of ex-prisoners and their families? An Action Research paradigm was used during this study. Eleven restorative justice interventions were implemented with a group of twelve ex-prisoners, while four sessions were implemented with ten family members of the ex-prisoners. The findings of this research reveal that, participants attained new knowledge through these interventions, which influenced their attitudes and behaviour about life and relationships. Additionally, the study revealed that human beings are social beings, who can be socialised into doing right, which is a message that should be passed on to policy makers, so they would implement effective rehabilitative processes which will yield transformative results.
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    Exploring transitional justice options for Zimbabwe
    (2017) Madenga, Innocent; Kaye, Sylvia; Harris, Geoffrey Thomas
    Zimbabwe is in dire need of wholesale reform. Gross human rights violations which date back to the pre-colonial period could have been abated in 1980 when the magnanimous policy of national reconciliation promised a new start. The watershed opportunity was, however, lost mainly because no deliberate efforts were made to account for the wrongs of the past in order to start afresh. The result was that Zimbabwe won the independence, but peace remained elusive. This is evidenced in the continued instability, insecurity and uncertainty. The non-retributive pledge had inherent weaknesses; it lacked inclusive participation, hence, no broad ownership. Simply drawing a line between the wounded past and the present, meant burying the past without the prerequisite rituals bent on ensuring non-recurrence. The futility of this blanket amnesty is evident in the sustained legacy of gross human rights abuses and impunity. Political violence has been institutionalised through politicisation of all aspects of life. This research is guided by Lederach’s reconciliation theory which uses Psalms 85:10 to emphasise the importance of commitment in converging the seemingly divergent aspects of truth, peace, justice and mercy into a ‘meeting place’ called reconciliation. Using a mixed methods approach, this research established that the invariably top-bottom approaches massage the symptoms rather than address the root causes of conflicts. The victims’ agitations for revenge and retribution prompted me to design action research processes aimed at engaging the research participants in interactive activities. The action research component aimed at sensitising participants to the merits of letting go of the burdens of the past, and to use scars as reminders of hope and not victimhood. The issues of forgiveness without apology, compensation or even remorse were contentious. However, through give-and-take concessions, the dialogue intervention yielded invaluable by-products such as maximisation of indigenous knowledge systems. Building on the participants’ input, sustainable healing and reconciliation can be achieved through deliberate truth-recovery, the right to justice, reparation, forgiveness and non-recurrence assurances. The research outcomes show that Zimbabwe urgently needs a ‘hybrid’ transitional justice framework based on inclusive participation. Inclusivity is critical because politicians are not necessarily experts in peacebuilding. The yet to be implemented National Peace and Reconciliation Commission can be used as a tool to seek public opinion on how to overcome the entrenched ‘fearology and militarism’ (Oberg 2016) ahead of the watershed 2018 general elections. Uncensored national debates can be used to gather information on the way forward. The multiple merits of Information Communication and Technology should be fully maximised in peacebuilding.