Escaping government resettlement plots for self-resettlement

Livelihood accounts of former Chingwizi residents from southern Zimbabwe

Dados Bibliográficos

ID6030846
AutoresElmon Mudefi (0000-0003-3448-5432, Walter Sisulu University, autor correspondente), Thabisani Ndlovu (0000-0001-5592-7522, Walter Sisulu University)
Ano2025
Páginas1-17
Data de publicação2025-02-06
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessNão
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoAfrican Identities (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 1472-5843 • E-ISSN: 1472-5851
EditoraInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/14725843.2025.2451858
OpenAlexW4407192130
IdiomaEN
Referências citadas40

This article investigates the practices of reconstructing livelihoods by migrants in self-resettlement contexts. It draws on experiences of migrants who departed from their state-designated Chingwizi resettlement plots established in 2014 in southern Zimbabwe choosing instead to settle ‘elsewhere’ in Mwenezi district. The article is a reflection informed by researchers’ experiences while investigating how the displaced Tugwi-Mukosi community grappled with their livelihoods five years into their resettlement in Chingwizi. The first-hand livelihood accounts of four interlocutors encountered ethnographically and through referrals while conducting the main study are documented as they narrate their experiences both in the former Chingwizi resettlement area and the new ‘self-resettlement’ locations. In this way, the article provide insights into how self-resettlement differs from state-led resettlement in livelihoods reconstruction. Our findings revealed that in state-led resettlement, households were allocated small plots and lacked opportunities for diversification and the institutional support needed to rebuild and maintain their livelihoods. They were also denied land ownership rights and access to forest resources and grazing areas essential for rural livelihoods. However, many of these challenges were mitigated through self-resettlement. Despite challenges faced by both resettlement models, the article underscores significant policy considerations regarding the intricacies of livelihood reconstruction in resettlement settings

Agriculture · Archaeology · Development economics · Economic growth · Economics · Geography · Livelihood · Political economy · Political science · Socioeconomics · Hydropower, Displacement, Environmental Impact · Migration and Labor Dynamics · Urban and Rural Development Challenges