The language policy issues in Zimbabwe are embedded in three documents which are the Education Act of 1987, the Nziramasanga Commission, and the current constitution which was passed into law in 2013. The paper examines the negatives and positives of these policies in education and how they facilitate the inclusion and exclusion of Sotho. The vague policies which are evasive on how indigenous languages should be treated when it comes to their use as media of instruction are problematised. Data used in this paper was supplemented with information that came from interviews with eight teachers from schools in Gwanda. It is argued in this paper that the policies and pieces of legislation are not devoted to the equal advancement of indigenous languages. It is concluded that the functionality of Sotho in the education sector in Zimbabwe is mainly hindered by the government policies that do not recognise the co-existence of languages but rather create a linguistic war zone where they have to fight to dislodge one another.  The paper advocates for the recognition of harmonious co-existence of languages in education where all the languages found in a geographical space are not restricted but are made to function equally and simultaneously.   Received: 12 September 2020 / Accepted: 17 December 2020 / Published: 5 March 2021

This chapter seeks to explore how colonial education was used as a double-edged sword to promote interests of colonialists while hindering the development of African cultural and multilingual ideologies. It looks at how post-colonial Zimbabwe has done no better in handling issues of -isms in the education sector. It considers problems that Zimbabwe encounters in its education systems and could be linked to colonial periods. Contemporary complications would then be a ‘colonial heritage'. Certain -isms would be evident and the paper aims at unpacking them vis-a-vis maiming of indigenous languages in Zimbabwe and the world at large by actions of colonizers. When Zimbabwe became independent, it inherited an education system that was purely in the hands of colonial masters. The education system was segregatory and planned on racial grounds in colonial times. The chapter embraces the ‘one language' ideology concept that was used by colonialists to enhance their presence in Africa, thus Sesotho in Gwanda South is one of the many languages that has seen its demise through the numerous -isms.

The object of research: Contemporary research suggests the use of an instructional language different from students’ home language as a major contributing factor to academic underachievement. This has also been the case in Gwanda South, Zimbabwe, where Sesotho speaking secondary school learners are taught through English only and have been underperforming. Analysts have suggested the use of a language different from their learners’ home language as the major cause of academic underachievement. Investigated problem: This study explores how concurrent use of multiple languages can enhance learning in a bilingual community. Results from national examinations show learners from Gwanda South perform comparatively lower than most districts in the country, resulting in calls for transformative pedagogy. This mixed methods study used a descriptive survey design that opted for face-to-face interviews and questionnaires to collect data from 120 secondary school learners, 20 parents, 20 teachers, 10 head teachers and 10 Teachers-in-Charge. Convenience sampling was used to identify participants. The main scientific results: Results from the study indicate participants’ willingness for pedagogies that acknowledge multiple languages. They also indicate an enhanced academic performance among students when the TDS model is used for pedagogical purposes. As a result, the article introduces a model that is being proposed and recommended for use in bilingual settings, called The Dual System (TDS) Model. The TDS Model has a number of variables that make it operate effectively and efficiently. Its basis is two languages in an environment and community with a keen interest in the successful use of those languages in the classroom. Both teacher and learner ought to be tuned to dual language use and to accept full roles for both languages in the classroom. Translanguaging then is a key element that defines academic activities. Bilingual education where Sesotho and English are key classroom languages is recommended for Gwanda South, Matabeleland South, Zimbabwe. The area of practical use of the research results: The TDS Model has a number of variables that make it operate effectively and efficiently. Its basis is two languages in an environment and community with a keen interest in the successful use of those languages in the classroom. Both teacher and learner ought to be tuned to dual language use and to accept full roles for both languages in the classroom. Translanguaging then is a key element that defines academic activities. Bilingual education where Sesotho and English are key classroom languages is recommended for Gwanda South, Matabeleland South, Zimbabwe

This article seeks to evaluate the level and type of changes in Sesotho as a result of language contact in multilingual Gwanda South, Zimbabwe. It will indicate choices that speech communities have and reasons for specific language preferences. It looks at the multilingual situation in Gwanda South and the language choices that the community is free or forced to make. It seeks to indicate how language contact could result in language shifts in supposed multilingual communities that could be affected by other languages appearing and being used for essential social, political, religious, and administrative purposes. Survey data reveals that Gwanda South has the following languages: Sesotho, Ndebele, Chi-Jahunda, Venda, and English. Sesotho is the home language while Ndebele has come through administrators and its being the original national language for Matabeleland South. Chi-Jahunda is a primary/ indigenous variety for Gwanda South. Attention is centered on the apparent move from the home language to other varieties that have moved into the district over time. The main worry is the apparent demise of the home language due to both internal and external forces. While there might be a high level of retention of the language in the home domain, the use of languages that are spoken by the few combined with English as the official language tends to interfere with the retention and continued use of Sesotho. This suggests that language contact leads to a shift influenced by a speaker’s inability to preserve their mother language by switching to dominant languages as mediums at home and school once such languages have been learned and mastered.