Livelihood Outcomes of Informal Cross Border Traders Prior to the Rise of the Virtual Cash Economy in Gweru, Zimbabwe

Dzawanda, Beauty; Nicolau, Melanie; Matsa, Mark; Kusena, Winmore

doi:10.1080/08865655.2020.1865187

Cited by 9 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…The people of TTU get higher profits from selling commodities to the people of the district of Oecusse because the people of Timor Leste use the US$ currency. Meanwhile, the people of Timor Leste, like it or not, have to value Indonesian commodities at high prices to meet basic needs, as happened in Zimbabwe (Dzawanda et al 2021). This problem arises because access to basic needs is more accessible in Indonesia than from the country itself.…”

Section: Culture and Emotional Attachmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Family genealogy and friendship are the main factors in the occurrence of border trade. The latest research in several border countries shows that every border trade phenomenon must reap conflicts behind profitable opportunities to form a global economic network to emphasize that both parties are competing on the regional autonomy stage (Krainara & Routray 2015, Grillot 2016, van den Boogaard et al 2018, Elsing 2019, Shahriar 2020, Dzawanda et al, 2021. On the other hand, borders play a strategic role in developing trade, export-import activities, and increasing foreign exchange.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Illegal trading in the cross-border of Indonesia and Enclave Oecusse, Timor Leste

Pala

Zamili

2023

MKP

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Cross-border trade wrapped in kinship is the hallmark of residents of the borders of Indonesia and Timor Leste. This study aims to analyze the cross-border trade activities of district Timor Tengah Utara Republic of Indonesia and District Enclave Oecusse, Republik Demokrasi Timor Leste. Research on illegal trade was carried out from January 2019 to December 2021. Throughout the study, the authorities were aware of the illegal trade but there was omission because the profits earned were greater than the legal transactions. The types of illegal trade include: subsidized fuel household furniture clothing, cigarettes, and groceries. A qualitative approach is used to explore the context of the border area and the main phenomena. Opinions, perceptions, and feelings of participants regarding the activities of trade area known as the mouse paths (Jalan Tikus) were obtained through field work and indepth interviews. The results of this study indicate several factors, from an economic perspective, such that it provides many benefits because the currency transactions used are US$; security supervision at the border is not yet tight and maximal; geographical conditions close to residential areas make it easier to smuggle goods into Timor Leste. This study concludes that there is a need to improve supervision of exit gates, entry of people and goods passing through the border entrance and the management of cross-border markets that have been built in support of bilateral cooperation.

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Section: Culture and Emotional Attachmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Illegal trading in the cross-border of Indonesia and Enclave Oecusse, Timor Leste

Pala

Zamili

2023

MKP

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“…Keshavarz and Khosravi (2022) define smuggling as a “situated activity that is enmeshed within the historical and geopolitical conditions of borderlands” (Keshavarz and Khosravi 2022, 2). During my fieldwork, I noted that migrants, smugglers, border police, and local communities often rely on smuggling and corruption as strategies to promote survival practices in response to economic marginalization and political violence from central governments (Dzawanda and Matsa 2023) as well as to gain protection against repressive border security policies (Augustova and Suber 2023).…”

Section: Relevant Theorymentioning

confidence: 99%

Corruption and Bribery at the Border: Strategies of Survival and Adaptation between People Smugglers and Border Enforcement

Suber

2023

The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Scie

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Border corruption can help facilitate the smuggling of people and irregular migration, but it receives limited attention in academic research. In this article, I explore how smugglers use corruption and bribery to circumvent border restrictions. I focus on the role of bribery in the survival economy of border communities, including migrants, smugglers, and border authorities, and on its role in facilitating cross-border movement. This study draws on extensive ethnographic research conducted on land routes between West Asia and Europe, interviewing smugglers specifically on the Syrian–Turkish border and the Evros border between Turkey, Greece, and Bulgaria. My findings indicate that on both borders, smugglers and border guards accommodate each other’s interests in creative collaborative processes. As such, corruption and bribery are not merely illegal practices but rather strategic adaptations in response to harsher border enforcement policies, stemming from specific needs of local border realities.

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“…The economic landscape of Gweru is thus characterised by a high degree of participation in the informal sector. Dzawanda et al (2021) state that over 70 per cent of the economically active population in Gweru works in the informal sector.…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The informal sector plays a dominant economic role in the city of Gweru (Dzawanda, Nicolau, Matsa and Kusena 2021), and thus the city provides the perfect case study for research that documents the economic impact of lockdowns associated with COVID-19. In Gweru, informal traders, cross-border traders, and street vendor markets play a vital role in providing clothing, fresh vegetables, and other food essentials to the population.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Poverty on the rise: The impact of the COVID‐19 lockdown on the informal sector of Gweru, Zimbabwe

2021

Self Cite

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The informal sector in Zimbabwe employs more than 80 per cent of the population, whose livelihood strategies are under severe threat because of the COVID-19 lockdown. This paper examines the effects of the lockdown on the informal sector in Gweru. Anchored within the legalist theory of informality, the paper analyses the response of government to the plight of the informal sector in Zimbabwe. A qualitative research design was applied and convenience sampling implemented to select 30 individuals whose livelihood depended on informal cross-border trade, informal transport, forex trading, hairdressing, and street vending. Results reveal that despite many involved in the informal sector having lost their means of survival during the COVID-19 lockdown, the government introduced additional restrictions on this sector, thus almost destroying it. In the absence of government assistance, many have adapted their operations, albeit through illegal activities. The study offers recommendations that may ensure the survival of the informal sector beyond the COVID-19 pandemic. This is important, given that the informal sector is the largest contributor to household income and food security in Zimbabwe.

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Livelihood Outcomes of Informal Cross Border Traders Prior to the Rise of the Virtual Cash Economy in Gweru, Zimbabwe

Cited by 9 publications

References 8 publications

Illegal trading in the cross-border of Indonesia and Enclave Oecusse, Timor Leste

Illegal trading in the cross-border of Indonesia and Enclave Oecusse, Timor Leste

Corruption and Bribery at the Border: Strategies of Survival and Adaptation between People Smugglers and Border Enforcement

Poverty on the rise: The impact of the COVID‐19 lockdown on the informal sector of Gweru, Zimbabwe

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