Zivanayi MANYIKA works as a provincial planning officer for Matabeleland North Province in the Department of Physical Planning, Ministry of Local Government and National Housing, Zimbabwe. The department's role is to provide and facilitate sound physical planning to government, local authorities and the general public in order to ensure a coordinated and orderly spatial development of the whole country. As provincial planning officer, Z. Manyika is responsible for physical planning matters in seven rural local authorities, three urban local authorities and oversees the preparation of the annual provincial development plan. He also chairs the Provincial Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Subcommittee which is responsible for the donor funded Rural-District Councils Capacity Building Programme. He is currently coordinating the multidiciplinary Victoria Falls Environmental Capacity Enhancement and Master Planning Project funded by CIDA. He has been involved in a number of rural and urban studies including the International Strategic Environmental Assessment of Developments Around Victoria Falls coordinated by the IUCN.

Z. Manyika graduated from the University of Zimbabwe with a bachelors of arts degree and a master of science degree in regional and urban Planning. He is a corporate member of the Zimbabwe Institute of Rural and Urban Planners and was the Institute's Vice President for two terms (1998-2000).