Politicisation of urban space: Evidence from women informal traders at Magaba, Harare in Zimbabwe

Abstract

It is widely accepted, Zimbabwe has undergone a socio-economic and political crisis thereby seriously
crippling livelihoods of skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled Zimbabweans. In particular, political
polarisation has contributed to politicisation of urban space to retain the long lost glory of the ruling
party. However, the present study unfolds that the government has deliberately politicised urban space
through using state organs: police, militia and customs, these are on vanguard disrupting efforts by
ordinary women traders who live through their ingenuity. The study further revealed that despite the
adversity they encounter in daily operations, women traders are not ‘trapped’ in structures but seek to
negotiate and manoeuvre their way in and sometimes beyond these structures. These findings were
elicited through in-depth interviews and a survey which are a genre of both qualitative and quantitative
techniques. These findings are proposed within the Sustainable Livelihood Framework to examine the
vulnerability context which complicates the lives and livelihoods of women traders.