Political economy of crisis, mining and accumulation in Zimbabwe : evidence from the Chegutu Mhondoro Area.
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Date
2013
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Abstract
This thesis has its foundations in a 2007 master’s research on the political economy of
“illegal” gold panning in central Zimbabwe. A book chapter (Moore and Mawowa, 2010) and
a journal article (Mawowa, 2013) have since resulted from that work. The former work
argues that illegal gold panning demonstrates a distinctive pattern of accumulation
characterising post-2000 Zimbabwe. Four aspects of this pattern are identified namely, i) the
link between coercion, chaos and disorder and wealth accumulation and political power
retention, ii) the role of the state in this imbroglio, in particular, its pervasiveness and
centrality, iii) that this pattern was shaped by and has remodelled the acquisitive instincts of
Zimbabwe’s ruling elite and iv) a culture of ‘strategic contradictions’ within ruling elites
abets this pattern of accumulation.
This thesis does not move substantially from this premise. Instead, it recasts these
observations within a much broader scope. While the Masters work was restricted to a very
small area, this work looks at a much bigger area and in fact much further away from the area
of MA research. While retaining the focus on political economy of mining, this work goes
beyond illegal gold panning to encompass what is generally defined as artisanal and small
scale (gold) mining (ASM) in the Chegutu Mhondoro area. Since this is an area where
successful platinum mining is also taking place, it was opportune and indeed relevant to
extend the question of political economy to this sector. This is not to suggest that there is a
direct link (formal or informal) between ASM and platinum mining other than proximity.
However, evidence presented in this thesis is telling in terms of the commonality between the
two with regards to the four aspects of Zimbabwe’s post-2000 regime of accumulation.
Description
Ph.D. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 2013.
Keywords
Gold mines and mining--Zimbabwe., Platinum mines and mining--Zimbabwe., Mineral industries--Zimbabwe., Mining law--Zimbabwe., Chegutu (Zimbabwe)--Economic conditions., Mhondoro District (Zimbabwe)--Economic conditions., Theses--Development studies.