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Paper short abstract:

Basing on ethnography the paper argues that uncertainty triggers reflexive action.Faced with the prospects of outsiders elbowing them out of jobs at the new mine,Mhondoro locals used protests and belonging in laying their claims to the jobs offered by Zimplats.Uncertainty is argued to be productive.

Paper long abstract:

Using the case of Zimbabwe Platinum Mines (Zimplats) in Mhondoro-Ngezi in Zimbabwe, this paper analyses the role played by chiefs as local traditional leaders in Zimplats' labour recruitment process. It sheds light on the nexus between Zimplats and traditional chiefs since the inception of the platinum giant and how chiefs exercised uncontested influence over Zimplats' labour recruitment. The paper argues that the ceding of labour recruitment by Zimplats to chiefly traditional authorities presented the all interested parties with a paradox situation. On one hand, cushioned by corruption in the chiefly office, the influx of outsiders onto the scene, led to the effective elbowing out of the locals from job opportunities. On the other, the company's perceived negative impacts of having a predominantly local general hand labour force presented Zimplats with a paradox situation of either improving its recruitment system to curb the influx of outsiders, or to turn its back on its initial commitment to employ locals. The paper argues that the company opted for the latter, as it perceived having a predominantly local labour force as disruptive to the production rhythm, especially during the rainy season. As the possibility of their effective elbowing out of the job opportunities dawned on the locals, pricarity and uncertainty consequently set in. Uncertainty was experienced as the locals stood outside the recruitment offices waiting for their names to be called out. However, the paper ultimately argues that uncertainty is not all dark and gloom but triggers reflex action to redress its root cause.