Stakeholder Coordination in the Tokwe - Mukosi Disaster Response in Masvingo Province, Zimbabwe

Abstract

Physical displacement and natural disasters have occurred in Zimbabwe since preindependence times, always posing a threat to human life and developmental gains. Disasters in the form of flooding continuously contribute to loss in human lives, destruction of shelter, damage to household assets and in internal displacement. In 2014, a combination of high rainfall and damages on the Tokwe-Mukosi dam wall contributed to flooding of communities in close proximity to the dam. The disastrous outcome was the flooding of the immediate catchment area which communities were unable to cope with. The government sought for assistance from disaster management actors during and after the flood with mixed response. This paper explores roles played by stakeholders in responding to flooding of Tokwe-Mukosi dam in Masvingo Province. Data for this paper was collected through structured interviews, observations and focus group discussions. Relying on 'habitus' and 'pastoral power' as conceptual tools, the paper broadly found out that communities resorted to various reservoirs of knowledge and experience to limit their post-disaster vulnerabilities while also demonstrating abilities to negotiate various power structures. Finally, the paper recommends that the interventions from various agencies recognise the agency of displaced actors in attempting to alleviate challenges. In addition, researchers ought to equally embrace more innovative methods and conceptual lens when exploring social phenomena in order to go beyond narrow narrative approaches and developmentalist discourses.

Forced displacement: critical lessons in the protracted aftermath of a flood disaster

“…The third type of resettlement was self-settlement outside Chingwizi after the violence. The IDPs either moved to other places of choice within Chivi (Zikhali, 2018 ) or back to the original resettlement site (Hove, 2016 ). Zikhali ( 2018 ) notes that IDPs who moved to various parts of Chivi District were in search of autonomy from government control, agricultural land for livestock and crop farming.…”

“…The IDPs either moved to other places of choice within Chivi (Zikhali, 2018 ) or back to the original resettlement site (Hove, 2016 ). Zikhali ( 2018 ) notes that IDPs who moved to various parts of Chivi District were in search of autonomy from government control, agricultural land for livestock and crop farming. IDPs who moved back to Tokwe-Mukosi still had habitable homesteads, unaffected by the floods (ZHRC, 2014), despite the risk of future flooding.…”

“…Building on insights from the first author’s visit to the Tokwe-Mukosi area in 2014 and ethnographic research with flood disaster survivors in other regions of Zimbabwe over the last several years by the second author, we critically analyse literature from 2010 to 2021 to probe evolving themes on flood and dam-induced resettlement and power dynamics centred on the struggles that occurred in Tokwe-Mukosi. Studies on the Tokwe-Mukosi disaster have focused on human rights (Chitimira, 2017 ; Hove, 2016 ), policy (Chipangura et al, 2019 ), vulnerability (Mavhura et al, 2017 ; Mukwashi, 2017 ; Mutangi & Mutari, 2014 ), livelihoods (Chazireni & Chigonda, 2018 ), stakeholder coordination (Zikhali, 2018 ), and traditional leadership (Tarisayi, 2018 ) perspectives. Yet, few scholarly sources have explored how state power influenced vulnerabilities and undermined resilience building in the Tokwe-Mukosi flood-disaster resettlement processes.…”

Ethical and Practical Reflections of Resident Anthropologists in Conflict Zones: Experiences from the Tokwe Mukosi Dam Project and Displacement at Chingwizi, Zimbabwe

“…The flooding put human life, the villagers’ property and livestock at great risk. An estimated 6,393 families, translating into over 20,000 villagers were inundated by floods (Zikhali, 2018). Under such circumstances at law, the state was justified to declare the flooding a state of emergency, which therefore warranted intervention of the police and the military.…”

Death and the sociocultural dimensions of forced relocations: experiences from the Tugwi-Mukosi displacement in Masvingo Province, Zimbabwe

“…The first phase would target 1 247 families regarded as at risk by 2013. Phase Two would move 1 878 families, whilst the last would move 3 268 families who inhabited the peripheral areas of the dam (Zikhali 2018). But the area that was marked for the resettlement did not have any social amenities.…”