The Lower Manyame Sub-catchment (LMS) is one of the most heavily polluted in Zimbabwe. Its waters are valuable for irrigation, domestic and industrial purposes. LMS has serious eutrophication problems emanating from human activities within it, and lakes Manyame and Chivero upstream. Data collected from October 2018 to April 2019 were used to test an integrated methodology based on field measurements and remote sensing. This study illustrates the production of multitemporal spatialised maps of total suspended solids (TSS), chemical oxygen demand (COD), total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) concentrations from satellite data acquired from Sentinel-2. The analysis confirmed the pollution (eutrophic and organic matter) status of LMS water, for the period considered by this research. As a result, careful land planning must be done through the joint operation of local authorities, regional agencies and regional institutions, since Manyame River is a tributary of the Zambezi River (a transboundary river).

The Manyame River Catchment area in Zimbabwe, is experiencing severe land degradation mainly due to legal and illegal land husbandry practices. These practices are negatively impacting on the sustainability of the existing ecosystems. The conditions of land can be inferred using its vegetative cover e.g., Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). Quantitative data relating to land degradation based on notable physical features such as gullies, for Manyame River Catchment at landscape scales is poor. This study focused on the distribution and magnitude of land degradation in the Manyame River Catchment area. The study mapped out the contours of human induced land degradation using a residual trend analysis (RESTREND) method. In particular, the study used remote sensed data (NDVI and precipitation time series) to analyse the shifts over period 2000 to 2017. The analysis used R statistical software packages (RESTREND and Kendal) and Geographic Information System (GIS) techniques to quantify the degradation trends. The results indicated extracts of those areas which experienced significant human induced land degradation during the study period. RESTREND effectiveness was assessed using Mann Kendal Test. The results of this study can be used by natural resources practitioners in monitoring, assessing and managing environmental changes using GIS tools.

Mixed research design methods were used to assess the spatio-temporal variation of rainfall and streamflow in the Dzalanyama Catchment, Malawi. Trend analysis was carried out using the Mann-Kendall trend test and showed that only three stations had statistically significant trends at the 5% level in rainfall at different time scales. Three out of five stations indicated statistically significant increasing trends at 5% level on streamflow analysis. The streamflow analysis results indicated that the warm-wet season has high mean values, the highest being 16.95 mm/month (February). The cool-dry season had lower mean values, the lowest being 0.45 mm in September. The coefficient of variation was higher in the wet than the dry months, its highest being 123% in December and the lowest 58% in September. The variability at various stations might arise from factors associated with human activity, and thorough knowledge and analysis of rainfall and streamflow regimes on different time scales are necessary for water resource management to mitigate floods and droughts.

Background: Women continue to be underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine (STEMM), globally including in Africa and, indeed in Zimbabwe. The gender gap, absence of formal research mentorship and the male-dominated academic culture common among low- and middle-income countries makes scientific growth dire for Africa- and Zimbabwe-based female science researchers. Aim: To address some of these challenges, a group of researchers (90% female) created the African Excellence in Research Initiative (AFRIESEARCHI) Zimbabwe Gender in STEMM Mentorship Programme. Setting: Public universities and research institutions in Zimbabwe. Methods: The team crafted a research mentorship curriculum, informed by stakeholder engagement and needs assessment, and piloted it from October 2021 to December 2022. Results: The inaugural 12-month programme capacitated 30 members (80% female) with skills for research. The participants’ mean age was 42.5 (6.9) years, with minimum qualifications of Master’s degrees. Specifically, 5 (17%) members either registered for or graduated with doctoral degrees, 14 (50%) members completed visiting fellowships. Five individual projects were awarded grants all totalling over $300 000.00, while this mentorship project was shortlisted for the Free STEM Fund award (€50 000.00) for the 2022–2023 cycle. Half of shortlisted team members were selected for the competitive Zimbabwean Emerging Faculty Development Program. Almost 90% of participants were satisfied with their mentorship experience, although resources and time were needed. Conclusion: Despite challenges, the team resolved the need to prioritise formalised research mentorship, within the Zimbabwe setting. Contribution: Such efforts will enhance scientific growth for women (and indeed all academic researchers) in the sciences.