Cross-border shopping by Zimbabweans in South Africa’s border town of Musina

Presenter:
Nedson Pophiwa,
Chief Researcher
(HSRC)/ PhD student (UKZN)

Date:    11 November 2015
Time:    12:30  – 13:30
Venue:    VCRs, Pretoria, Cape Town, Durban

The HSRC seminar series is funded by the Department of Science and Technology (DST). The views and opinions expressed therein as well as findings and statements of the seminar series do not necessarily represent the views of DST.

For many people shopping is an activity that requires less effort, few decisions on what to buy, which brands to select and at what price. It serves as therapy or just a leisure activity. But what if shopping becomes a survival strategy? What if the shopping experience involves traveling thousands of kilometres, traversing international boundaries, or paying bribes to circumvent excise duties?  In order to answer these questions this seminar will explore the case of Zimbabweans who shop in the South African border town of Musina. It is based on a study which investigates the surge in cross-border shopping by Zimbabweans in Musina, owing to the political and economic crisis since 2000.

It discusses the nature and extent of shopping and its socio-economic impact on Musina. The presenter will on one hand, elucidate ways in which cross-border-shopping enables ordinary Zimbabweans to sustain their livelihoods and on the other, will discuss the strategies they adopt to avert human security risks such as sexual harassment, crime, xenophobic violence and extortion by state officials. The level to which Musina benefited economically from unintended consequences of shopping is also discussed. 

The seminar may be attended in Pretoria, Cape Town or Durban

Kindly RSVP by 10 November 2015

Cape Town : HSRC, 12th Floor, Plein Park Building (Opposite Revenue Office), Plein Street, Cape Town. Contact Carmen August, Tel (021) 466 7827, Fax (021) 461 0299, or caugust@hsrc.ac.za, 
Durban :  First floor HSRC board room, 750 Francois Road, Ntuthuko Junction, Pods 5 and 6, Cato Manor, Contact Ridhwaan Khan, Tel (031) 242 5400,  cell: 083 788 2786 or rkhan@hsrc.ac.za,
Pretoria : HSRC Video Conference, 1st floor HSRC Library Human Sciences Research Council, 134 Pretorius Street, Pretoria. Arlene Grossberg, Tel: (012) 302 2811, e-mail: acgrossberg@hsrc.ac.za.