The Gendered Experiences and Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Livelihoods of Informal Cross-Border Traders in Zimbabwe

Abstract

Informal cross-border trade (ICBT) sustains a large share of livelihoods in Zimbabwe, yet the COVID-19 lockdowns closed the borders and markets on which it depends. This paper examines how the pandemic and the subsequent containment measures were experienced differently by women and men in the trade. The study used a qualitative case study design at Highglen Shopping Centre in Harare, an inland departure point for cross-border buses, drawing on in-depth interviews with 20 traders and key informant interviews with three officials of the Zimbabwe Cross Border Traders Association. Data were analysed thematically and read through the lens of the Sustainable Livelihood Framework, Bourdieu’s notion of habitus, and an intersectional account of the participants’ positions. Both groups faced higher operating costs, contracted mobility and lost income, but through different mechanisms. Women, who had built relationships with malaicha and border officials since the 1990s, activated social capital that already existed, while men, who entered the trade later, paid premiums, lost confiscated consignments, and were subjected to abuse at ports of entry. Women faced sexual coercion in place of cash, lost access to sanitation and to sexual and reproductive health services, and reported psychosocial strain, especially for those who were sole earners. Coping followed the assets each group held: women turned to rotating savings schemes, WhatsApp networks and home-based enterprises. Men turned to new product lines and speculative income. The paper argues that lockdown policy turned chronic structural vulnerability into acute crisis, and sets out recommendations for social protection, border governance and pandemic preparedness.