Primitive Accumulation and Exploitative Labour Relations in Zimbabwe’s Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining (ASGM) Sector: The Case of Mhondoro Ngezi

One of the major outcomes of Zimbabwe’s Fast Track Land Reform Program (FTLRP) implemented in 2000 was the way it allowed landless peasants access to land and natural resources which were previously enclosed and enjoyed by a few whites. Post the land reforms, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of people engaged in artisanal gold mining. These include peasants, unemployed urbanites, the Chinese, military personnel and other local businessmen based in Zimbabwe’s towns and cities. The upsurge in the number of people engaged in ASGM is not limited to Zimbabwe alone, across sub-Saharan Africa, the number of people engaged in ASGM has dramatically increased. Due to the 2007 global financial crisis, gold has been viewed as safe haven by capitalists running away from risky financial investments in the banking sector. This has contributed to a dramatic increase in gold production globally, with ASGM being a major contributor. Despite its strategic role as a source of non-farm livelihoods for the rural and urban poor, ASGM is underpinned by exploitative labour relations. The most poor and vulnerable who tend to do most of the dangerous work are underpaid for their laborious work. The major beneficiaries of the gold boom tend to be those higher up the ASGM value chain. Miners often operate in hazardous environments such as dilapidated mine shafts. In addition, miners often face periodic violence sponsored by criminal gangs who sometimes operate in collaboration with state agents such as the police and the military. Apart from its exploitative nature, ASGM contributes significantly to ecological destruction which might have a negative impact on rural livelihoods in the long term. This paper is an ambitious attempt to map out the dynamics of labour relations and environmental degradation in Zimbabwe’s ASGM sector during a new wave of primitive accumulation in the global resources sector. The paper is based on ethnographic data gathered with miners in central Zimbabwe.