The Victimhood of Communities Induced by Infrastructure Projects in Zimbabwe: Case of Tokwe-Mukosi

Abstract

In the conventional economic paradigm, societal change through development projects will always take place, and ‘talk' on whether the change is positive or negative will certainly tag along. This paper is the product of observations and focus group discussions conducted with the residents of flood victims holding camps in Zimbabwe. A participatory approach was engaged to solicit the honest opinions and feedback of the community regarding a dam construction project that displaced them from their ancestral lands and has arguably left their living standards worse off. In the discussion of victimhood induced by infrastructure projects, the author asks a pertinent question of do people matter more than projects do. The paper reveals that the Tokwe-Mukosi Dam construction was not wholesomely embraced by the community adjacent to the construction site. It is this aspect of having the project continued without community's ‘blessings' that attracts a question on whether the government and its contractors valued the envisaged dam over community's welfare. In posing the rhetorical question, do people really matter? The paper discusses if policies are supporting the developers interests at the expense of communities that are being affected by development? The paper proposes how development should be incorporated in policies to ensure that developmental projects are approved by both the community and developers.