When sustainable development competes with African Ubuntu: A case study.

• Sustainable development discourse has been dominated by individualist perspectives. • SDG 7 currently does not respond sufficiently to calls for energy justice by the Global Majority. • Sustainable development is tied to values, power dynamics and human perception. • The Zimbabwean case study shows that sustainable development must be transformative, not just utilitarian. • There is a need for relational Ubuntu-informed sustainable development. Globally, one Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 7) has gained currency as a lever for sustainability and a reference point for energy transition. That said, we know little about contested views of this goal. Thus, this paper explores competing views of experts versus communities. Further, we analyse alternative architectures of knowledge and practice that constitute different understandings of sustainable development. Drawing on qualitative research, it emerged that the elite (government authorities, NGOs and experts) are inclined to the hegemonic 'Western' and modernist view of sustainable development. On the other hand, communities contest this view arguing that sustainable development should be relational, context-dependent and shaped by their knowledge and culture. Insights into these differences are a launchpad for a new relational and forward-looking sustainable development agenda. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]