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May 25, 20260 citationsOpen Access

Cashing in on mobility: cross-border shopping and the political economy of the Zimbabwe-South Africa borderland

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HCHuman Sciences Research Council

Key Points

  • This chapter aims to examine the impact of cross-border shopping on individuals reliant on mobility within the Zimbabwe-South Africa border region.
  • Discusses the role of actors in facilitating diverse types of border crossings including smuggling and duty evasion.
  • Critically assesses the economic activities surrounding the border, particularly in Musina, South Africa.
  • Utilizes border markets theory to analyze the retail boom in Musina.
  • Highlights that border towns like Musina see increased retail activities due to cross-border shopping.
  • Reveals how actors involved blur legal boundaries to enhance their livelihoods.
  • Indicates that these dynamics create a complex political economy influencing local and cross-border relationships.

Abstract

This chapter discusses how cross-border shopping impacts on actors whose livelihoods are premised on mobility and facilitating these activities across the Zimbabwe���South Africa border. It critically assesses how these actors blur the lines by facilitating all kinds of border crossings including border jumping, excise duty-busting and smuggling. The border markets theory is used to explain why Musina, the border town on the South African side of the Zimbabwe���South Africa border, has experienced a retail boom.

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Cite This Study

Human Sciences Research Council (2026) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a13e8030e02ee3982d32b5chttps://doi.org/10.14749/32382333
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Also Consider

Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context:

  1. 1Bordered Voices: Cross-Border Zimbabwean Traders, Vernacular Community Radio and Urban Citizenship in Musina, South Africa2026
  2. 2Free Movement of Persons and Cross‐Border Trade in Southern African Development Community (SADC): The Zimbabwean Example2025
  3. 3Just across the River: Rural Commerce, Border Towns, and the Risk of Border Crossing between Lesotho and South Africa, 1902–20222026
  4. 4Criminality or monopoly? Informal immigration enforcement in South Africa2026
  5. 5Navigating Borders and Drones: A Case of Zimbabwean Migrant Women Entrepreneurs in Botswana2026