Institutional exclusion and the tragedy of the commons: Artisanal mining in Matabeleland South Province, Zimbabwe

Abstract

This study analyses the institutional frameworks that govern access to mineral resources in Zimbabwe. It assesses the efficiency of these frameworks and highlights how institutions affect the management of other natural resources/ecosystem goods and services. The study was carried out in Matabeleland South Province, Zimbabwe; it was predominantly qualitative in nature and used multistage sampling techniques. The sample was the rural population of Matabeleland South Province, drawn from six of its case study wards. The districts, rural centres and key informants were purposively sampled on the basis of secondary data. The study findings showed that the institutional framework governing mining was sensitive only to formal mining operations but blind to rapidly-expanding informal artisanal and small-scale mining. Furthermore, formal institutions have become a major catalyst in converting common property into an open access regime that is susceptible to the Tragedy of the Commons. The study also showed that the reigning status quo had negative effects on other rangeland-inclined ecosystem services and compromised the ability to effectively manage them.