The Mafala chieftaincy of Zvishavane AI assignment writer over-dependence a threat to assessments
CONTEMPORARY tertiary education is at the limelight as a result of perennial tuition fee increases every academic year, at universities and colleges.
Thus, with such rises, one cannot afford to fail the course programme. The candidates exert extended effort to pass and will ensure that their Continuous Assessment (CA) mark look “healthy” as it will have a superior advantage to profit on the final examination.
The purpose of writing an assignment is to assess the student’s subject knowledge by questioning and exploring unconventional perspectives, while improving their writing skills proficiency.
However, there is now a paradigm shift in assignment writing whereby some students are opting to use Artificial Intelligence (AI) essay/ assignment writer tools to help them write and score good marks in the written assessments.
Over the years, the education sector has embraced the amalgamation of AI in various practises that benefit students, teachers and administrators to accelerate learning and to save time.
However, the sophistication of technology in contemporary education is seemingly at risk of hatching lazy-thinkers in tertiary institutions.
In this analysis, a lazy thinker is described as someone who does not put in the effort to think critically or logically but depends more on
Artificial Intelligence (AI) to figure out ideas and adjudicate.
Nowadays, a significant number of students are overly dependent on the AI-generated content knowledge, thus lessening their ability to synthesise, analyse and assess information independently.
Over-dependence on AI assignment writers rob students of the opportunity to enhance their vocabulary and syntax skills.
AI addiction inspires laziness that results in lack of creativity, inventiveness and asphyxiates critical thinking abilities to nurture broad learning and academic growth.
Moreover, AI usage increases the risk of plagiarism by students. Sadly, the use of internet-based similarity detection services such as Turnitin may be at risk of being overpowered by AI-powered plagiarism changers, which are designed with the intention of eluding plagiarism detection systems thus encouraging academic dishonesty.
This will undeniably dent the principles of academic veracity and the significance of original concepts and research since the students will represent the work as their own.
Although AI is important for scholars in generating ideas and offering consistency in tone and style of writing, it may not be as good as those written by an individual, especially if the assignment question is nuanced or complex.
In essence, humans already have intellectual capabilities better than AI.
Coalescing
AI-generated content with human creativity will lead to knowledge expansion and augmentation of cognitive abilities that bear more effective and authentic write ups.
*Simbarashe Murima (PhDc) writes in his own capacity as an Education, Tourism and Hospitality expert in Namibia and Zimbabwe. Feedback: s.murima@yahoo.com or +263781480742
TODAY we will look at yet another chieftaincy that was uprooted from Matabeleland, the Mafala chieftaincy, which is found in Zvishavane.
The Mafala chieftaincy in Zvishavane originates from the Indinana regiment, which was held by the Matshazis in Mzilikazi’s Ndebele state.
Mbungwana Matshazi, son of Nyanzamakhanda had an alliance with the Ndwandwe people in the early 1800s.
Mbungwana later shifted his allegiance to the Khumalos of Matshobana and it was him who led the Matshazis into present day Matabeleland under King Mzilikazi Khumalo.
Mfangilele Matshazi succeeded his father Mbungwana who had become a chief of Indinana, which in Matabeleland was located not far from Mhlahlandlela. This was prior to its relocation to the Insiza River, at its confluence with Indida River.
Chief Mfangilele Matshazi’s first wife was Memezi Nzima, a daughter of Sithiba. Later on, he married the daughter of King Mzilikazi by the name of Nsimukhulu. MaNzima’s house became a junior house. The oldest son of Nsimukhulu, Ntembuzane, thus took over as chief of Indinana.
He took precedence over his elder brother born to MaNzima.
The succession was thus retained within the Ntembuzane line, he being succeeded by Mafala who in turn was succeeded by Jobe. The chieftaincy in Zvishavane is thus named after Mafala Matshazi.
The other chiefs co-existing with Chief Mafala in the Zvishavane area are Chiefs Mazvihwa, Masunda, Mapanzure and Wedza. The area has about 19 rural wards.
Chief Jobe Matshazi, who succeeded Mafala Matshazi was born on the 25th December 1928 and became chief in 1958 when the chieftaincy and its subjects migrated from Insiza to Zvishavane, then called Shabani. He was killed in 1979 during the liberation war.
When others were forced to move to Shabani, to pave way for white farmers and miners, some of the Matshazi people and subjects refused to go there but instead opted to go to Lupane.
It is from Mfangilele
MaNzima’s house that headmanship in Lupane established in 1957.
Thus Indinana is unique in that from a single ixhiba it yielded both an existing chieftainship in Zvishavane and a headmanship in Lupane.
The current Chief Mafala — Jongilizwe Matshazi was installed as a chief in his area aptly called Ndinaneni at Mabhetshula Village in Zvishavane in 1990. Ndinaneni has homesteads of the Dlaminis, Khumalos, Hlambelos, Msizas, Ndatshanas etc.
The late veteran educationist, Professor Meshack Jongilanga Matshazi affectionately known as “MJ” was a prominent and respected Zimbabwean hailing from the Matshazi clan. The Matshazis are also dotted around Nkayi, Lupane, Fort Rixon and other parts of Matabeleland and Midlands.
In future, we shall discuss the migrations of more Ndebele communities from Fort Rixon under Chief Mazetese to Mberengwa and other groups that migrated to Masvingo. This explains the existence of Ndebele communities in those areas often called or
in short.
Matshazi’s wife the Goduka District was