And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. Genesis 6:6


In the book madness and civilization there is a general appreciation that it difficult to see or rather to distinguish madness as we all are mad. The general unknown council for AHPCZ for a period of 9 months from January to end of September 2025 is a statistical deviation from the norm. The malady spread to the fact that the regulations for psychologists stood unrevised for that long period and the general psychology fraternity stood unperturbed with such malady. It is in the month of October that the journey back to normalcy started with the announcement of the AHPCZ council and its chairmanship. It will be understood to think that during the period when we had no council, the business there within allied was run by the secretariat. Generally people having had elections is an indication that they would want to be led by persons whom they want. A secretariat led council present a foisted arrangement one that was not desired or not to be desired. The challenge that went to the extreme was the non-communication on the part of AHPCZ to the practitioners. The question which will linger in our minds is on the possibilities for the council members elected to be able to assume and take their roles from the secretariat or they will be just ceremonial persons, with the council being run by the secretariat.


Role of AHPCZ to the practitioner?
Whilist it is understood that AHPCZ role is to protect the public from malpractices by registered practitioners. It remains questionable how the AHPCZ is of beneficence to the practitioners who contributes annually to this body. Apart from the practitioners paying fees annually which feeds to the salary structure of AHPCZ secretariat, what benefit a practitioner derives from such a financial structure in return. With commercialization and parading of patients in the rise which reflects practices in the 18th and 19th century and AHPCZ seemingly unperturbed by that, it is an honest concern that AHPCZ has stood indifferent to practices done by organizations which are parading patients on social media with uncivilized methods of rehabilitation. This stance questions the role of AHPCZ as a public protector to malpractices by persons purporting to be doing rehabilitation work. The question which then becomes rekindled is if AHPCZ is it able to protect the practice of psychology from which it takes fees from its practitioner or it remains weak in that aspect, yet it remains strong in fees collection.


Announcement of Psychology Educational Committee and Previous Psychology Educational Committee


Our view remains that transparency and communication is important to public roles. The previous psychology educational committee members which ended their work in 2024 were the following, Dr J Mutambara, Dr N Farzarna, Winnie Dari, Dr E Nharirire, Prof H Zirima as the chair of that committee. We are yet to know who the current educational committee members are. The previous dilemmas which the education committee had was in regulating psychology teaching in institutions especially universities and regulating psychological trainings done by itself as AHPCZ.


Universities have morphed teaching of psychology courses which require lengthy periods into modular systems which are just done in a few three weeks then exams rarely covering even what are basics. Modules such as psychotherapy are done in three weeks without even questioning how such person who has learnt psychotherapy in three weeks will be able to conduct long term psychotherapy or even intervene in psychological perturbations with a chronic history. It is understandable that persons in the Education Committee found them selves entangled in conflict of interests and guild interests, most of themselves being lectures and employed by universities they found themselves unable to correct this morphication of psychology modules because it was being done by their employer. To some extend some persons might have been active participants to this problem to such an extent that even to this day they find it difficult to even see the problems of such actions. When someone who has only trained for psychotherapy in three weeks and wants to intervene in deep seated psychological problems and unfortunately does so is analogous to a person selling snake oil, it exposes not only the person but more the practice of psychology itself.
AHPCZ training program and the compromises
AHPCZ has compromised its position more by offering paid trainings which focus not only to its practitioners but to the general public audience. Courses such as Psychological First Aid, a training for paraprofessionals has been a program which is done by AHPCZ to gain income. Since AHPCZ has rolled this program for economic gain it is now in competition with various practitioners and training institutions which it regulates for the same practice which it is doing. The question which comes from such is that who then regulates the regulator as it conducts these trainings for monetary purposes. It will also be unfair for AHPCZ to then regulate fellow institutions of training as it is also giving training or rather competing with the training institutions and persons it is supposed to regulate. Its understandable that at this stage we have institutions such as universities which by their change of programs has decimated learning and AHPCZ remains indifferent to such, maybe because instead of maintaining its posture as a regulator it has moved to the arena of training institutions and practitioners to extends that it regulatory arm has been greatly compromised to a position of becoming ineffective.
Time Gone
It should be understood that already we have lost nine months from the time of the election until the anouncements done by AHPCZ secretariat on who is the Council chair. It will remain unfortunate that some will not see this. By this time the council should have published psychology regulations of 2025, rather as announced it will start the process by November 2025. The November 2025 process although expedient will not redeem the nine months lost when AHPCZ operated without a known Council. Rather at this period, AHPCZ’s focus should have shifted to more important business which edifies the profession rather than being stuck in procedural processes as it is now. The delay, challenges within psychology and non-communication position of AHPCZ vindicates our position to have a separate council for psychology which is responsive and puts first the profession of psychology as prime above any other interests.
The Chairperson Position and the tenure of office
It is important to note that the council representative of psychologists has the unique privilege to represent psychology not just as a council member but as chairperson of the whole council (AHPCZ). It gives him the privilege to make final and decisive decisions not only for psychology but the whole council. In this unique position the representative of Psychology Prof H Zirima, as AHPCZ chairperson by procedure becomes a board member to the Health Professions Authority (HPA) which is the highest health professions regulatory authority above AHPCZ and other health profession councils in Zimbabwe. The HPA elects its own President and vice president, it’s another opportunity for all board members including Prof H Zirima. Historically the council representative of psychology was once a HPA representative when Dr Machando was AHPCZ chairperson from 2016-2020. The coming to the HPA board for psychology will be a historical second coming. What is important in this tenure is that it is the second and last tenure for Prof H Zirima as a council member of psychology and the term ends in 2030. The ending of a tenure is most important to Prof H Zirima and then to the family of Psychology. In respect to Prof Zirima this is a time to make significant contribution to psychology in Zimbabwe which will traverse generations to come, its either he makes it or not. In respect to the family of psychology after 2030 there has to be a new leader of psychology outside the candidature of Prof H Zirima, but as you will remember it’s not far away.

Prosper K Mushauri

Historian of Psychology