ABSTRACT

This study interrogates the impacts of mining at Connemara Gold Mine on the environment and rural livelihoods for surrounding communities the mine. While we acknowledge that mining is a very lucrative business and one of the major drivers of the Zimbabwean economy, we argue that most of the benefits of mining tend to be enjoyed elsewhere and not by host communities. We roped in the Treadmill of Production and the Resource Curse theories to demonstrate the interplay between capitalism, the environment and local ordinary people’s livelihoods around Connemara mine. Data were collected through interviews with local community residents, leaders and stakeholder organizations with interests in mining who were selected through purposive and snowballing techniques. We collected data over a period of 13 weeks, interviewing twenty-five respondents in the process and undertaking a series of transect walks across the mined site and its adjacent surroundings. We discovered that mining caused extensive environmental destruction, creating artificial hills and open pits as well as promoting massive soil erosion, contaminating water and land with dangerous chemicals making them unusable for productive purposes. As a result, we conclude that mining at the site did not generate wealth for the local populace but for the mine owners and the state while impoverishing the host communities, destroying their livelihoods in doing so. We conclude by arguing that mining at Connemara is a perfect example of how the Treadmill of Production works and an evident testimony of the Resource Curse.

摘要

本研究探讨了康尼马拉金矿采矿对矿山周边社区的环境和农村生计的影响。虽然我们承认采矿业是一项利润丰厚的行业，也是津巴布韦经济的主要驱动力之一，但我们认为，采矿业的大部分收益往往会在其他地方而非东道社区享受。我们结合生产跑步机和资源诅咒理论来展示资本主义、环境和康尼马拉矿山周围当地普通民众生计之间的相互作用。数据是通过采访当地社区居民、领导人和对采矿感兴趣的利益相关者组织收集的，他们是通过有目的的滚雪球技术选出的。我们收集了 13 周的数据，在此过程中采访了 25 名受访者，并在矿区及其邻近环境中进行了一系列横断面步行。我们发现采矿造成了广泛的环境破坏，造成了人工山丘和露天矿坑，并加剧了大规模的水土流失，危险化学品污染了水和土地，使它们无法用于生产目的。因此，我们得出结论，在现场采矿并没有为当地民众创造财富，而是为矿主和国家创造了财富，同时使东道社区陷入贫困，破坏了他们的生计。最后，我们认为康尼马拉的采矿是生产跑步机如何运作的完美例子，也是资源诅咒的明显见证。