Linking Harare and Johannesburg through Informal Cross-Border Entrepreneurship

Zimbabwe has witnessed a rapid expansion of informal cross border trading(ICBT) with neighbouring countries over the past two and a half decades. Thatexpansion has largely been due to a persistent decline in the economy since theintroduction of the Economic Structural Adjustment Programme (ESAP) in the1990s, which led to the closure of many industries, increased unemployment andforced many people into the informal sector. This 2014 study sought to providea current picture of ICBT in Zimbabwe by interviewing 514 informalentrepreneurs involved in ICBT between Harare (Zimbabwe) and Johannesburg(South Africa). The sample profile revealed that ICBT in Zimbabwe is dominatedby females and young adults and that traders are fairly educated. The studyresults demonstrate the important role played by ICBT in the survival ofhouseholds in the country.