*4.3. "Ilima" and "Ubuntu": The Importance of Strong Partnerships and Inter-Stakeholder Collaborations*

*Ilima* is an IsiZulu expression that refers to collaboration during a ploughing process. The etymology of this term emerges from an IsiZulu word which is -*lima*, a communal ploughing process. The reflections shared below illustrate how we, alongside other stakeholders, managed to exercise *ilima* during our flood response. We did not literally plough communally, as per the literal definition of the term *ilima*, but we managed to work with other stakeholders in order to respond collectively to the devasting effects of *floods*. The use of the term *ilima* in referring to collaborative work is common for IsiZulu-speaking social workers in the KZN province of South Africa. The collective response (*ilima*) that we employed, alongside other stakeholders, undoubtedly resonated with the principles of *Ubuntu*. *Ubuntu* Zulu expression has gained recognition in international social work federations such as the International Federation of Social Work. This term refers to "interconnectedness", and "humanity", but it is sometimes defined as I am because we are (Van Breda 2018). As argued by Afrocentric researchers, Mbiti (1990); Mboti (2015); Eze (2017); Gade (2017), African people are characterized by *Ubuntu-*.

The diverse nature of the challenges that faced the displaced community members required collaboration (*ilima*) and interventions embedded in the ethos of *ubuntu* from multiple stakeholders.
