The article is an attempt to provide a kaleidoscopic interpretation of how social science scholarship views the socio-cultural terrain of Zimbabwe during and after the global health crisis, and the societal and business haemorrhage induced by the coronavirus (COVID-19). Built through a multi-perspective and triangulation involving a modified Delphic approach that engages archival methods involving document and literature review, content analysis and expert interpretation; the article unveils the various effects of COVID-19 on Zimbabwe. It is concluded that COVID-19 by its nature is disruptive to everyday life, restrictive to human-social relations and is an instigator to tradition, spirituality and intellectuality in the country. The challenge of the virus brings to society a deliberate consciousness that global processes and events are converging (borders are porous) while local embeddedness is being entrenched through practices like lockdowns and confinement.

Zimbabwe has been experiencing rapid peri-urbanisation. As a result, the way of life in most peri-urban areas is now mainly urban. What is yet to be determined, however, is whether peri-urbanisation within the country is a blessing or a scourge for the original inhabitants of peri-urban zones. This study therefore examined the Quality of Life of the original inhabitants of Domboshava peri-urban in the wake of peri-urbanisation. The study used a mixed-method approach and collected data from 80 original inhabitants sampled from the area. The majority of the study participants reported a low Quality of Life as a result of peri-urbanisation, which has brought about or exacerbated realities such as financial deprivation, unemployment, seasonality, energy, water and housing challenges. Assistance required to improve the Quality of Life of the original inhabitants includes entrepreneurial and job opportunities, provision of water, sanitation and energy facilities as well as financial and food aid. The study concluded that peri-urbanisation could be more of a scourge than a blessing for the original inhabitants of Domboshava peri-urban.

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This chapter explores and discusses the instrumentality of planning in the pursuit of rural sustainability using Zimbabwe as a case study. This is against the background that there is a growing bias towards urban areas in terms of planning for sustainability even though there are still more people living in rural places than in urban areas and that urban areas largely depend on rural areas for resources. The chapter argues that sustainability in rural areas is a function of deliberate planning. It engages the qualitative research approach, making use of document reviews and key informant interviews as data collection instruments. It is revealed that sustainability in rural Zimbabwe can remain a pie in the sky if the current approaches to planning are not revisited. Sustainability being plural and multidimensional concept, planning for it requires a multi-stakeholder approach, transcending rural and urban areas, the public and private sector, civic organisations and the rural communities as well as strong institutional arrangements that provide for transparent governance.