Paper short abstract:

Zimbabwe's urban informal sector is characterised by colonial economic policies which were inherited by the post-independence state. Metal manufacturing was at the centre of this transformation. Anthropological study was done at the height of the economic downturn as western embargo took effect.

Paper long abstract:

Zimbabwe's urban informal sector is young owing to discriminatory and draconian laws that characterised colonial economic policies which were inherited by the post-independence state. Race and class relations were replaced by neocolonial elite control since the 1980 independence. This invoked a war veteran-led economic revolution that sought a rupture from elite dominance and alliance with domestic settler economy and international capital. Most popularly expressed as a land occupation upheaval was an informal sector revolution with unprecedented potential to drive the economy even beyond the economic siege. With the highest literacy rate and occupying the second position in industrial development on the continent, Zimbabwe's informal sector has experienced unique comparative advantages. Anthropological investigation revealed a visionary and inventive workforce behind this third world economy that was suffocating under the weight of globalisation and western imperialist attacks. The cause of adversity with Europe and its western allies led by Britain, was the bottom up revolution. Political independence lost meaning as this was not commensurate with economic power transfer to the black majority. A new political environment, with vicious opposition to the twenty-year-old ruling party, emerged as a backdrop to this economic challenge viewed by some analysts as completion of National Democratic Revolution. Metal manufacturing was at the centre of this transformation serving as a microcosm to reflect what was happening in the economy generally. The study applied was both quantitative and qualitative approaches and was done at the height of the economic downturn as western embargo took effect. The struggle continues.