Changing Livelihoods and Coping Strategies Among Ethnic Minorities and the Manyikas in the Honde Valley Borderlands Since the 1970s

Abstract

Borderland livelihoods are always impacted, in significant ways, by the changing economic and socio-political developments in both the “edges” and the “inlands” of the state. In this chapter, we explore how the Honde Valley’s ethnic minority groups of Ndau, Malawian and Mozambican origins, as well as the majority Shona families of Manyika roots undertook various forms of livelihoods from the late 1970s to 2020. Although historically diversified, working in the tea plantations, subsistence farming, small businesses and cross-border trading have always remained central to the Honde Valley communities’ livelihoods. The Zimbabwean economic and political crisis that started in the early 2000s affected the operations of tea estates such as Aberfoyle and Katiyo where most im/migrant families worked. The crisis affected the livelihoods of people of foreign roots and the locals too. However, for the locals, banana farming became the main source of their livelihoods, leading to what has been termed the Honde Valley “banana boom” which started in the early 2000s. While the banana boom has witnessed a significant transformation of the Honde Valley people’s livelihoods, it has been characterised by many challenges, including land disputes, unstable markets and state meddling in the face of Zimbabwe’s deteriorating economic and political contexts.