“We are one big happy family”: The social organisation of artisanal and small scale gold mining in Eastern Zimbabwe

Abstract

In Eastern Zimbabwe, artisanal and small scale mining (ASM) has become a way of life that provides a source of livelihood to thousands of unemployed people. Moving away from the popularised discourse that views artisanal miners as ‘illegal’ villains who recklessly pollute the environment, this paper takes an inside look into their social organisation. It argues that artisanal gold mining is an entrepreneurial activity that is regulated by a set of socio-cultural processes. The paper looks specifically at the growth of ASM within Mutanda Range in Odzi communal lands in Eastern Zimbabwe; it is based on long-term ethnographic engagements involving interviews with miners and participant observation. Despite being labelled as criminals because of the informal nature of their activities, this paper will argue that gold miners working at Mutanda Range have well-organised working structures with clearly defined roles for those who undertake mining.