Where the power lies: multiple stakeholder politics over natural ...

than that they were elected by the community. This allegation is made despite the fact that
some of the committee members were re-elected from the old committee.
Table 2.1 Three meetings to discuss strategies to collect money from defaulters
Purpose of meeting Outcome
Meeting To review fund performance Committee used concern by IES as
with IES and finalise accounting leverage to approach the traditional
before receiving new money leaders and the community to resolve
for the fund the issue of defaulters.
Meeting Coopting traditional leaders The one traditional leader with
between into a plan to address no kinship ties to the defaulters
the committee the community and make (especially from one powerful family)
and traditional strong resolutions is asked to lead the community
leaders about defaulters discussion, and minutes which are
traditionally presented by
the secretary, a woman, are presented
by a feared man (a war veteran).
Again at this meeting the committee
and the leaders dissociate themselves
from the issue and project the purpose
of the meeting as a response to IES
demands (or commands).
Meeting with To present the status of In this meeting, 7 people speak,
the community the fund and ask mostly from one family, including
(over 100 the community to make the traditional leader designated
members) resolutions about to lead the discussion. In particular
defaulters one woman seems to dominate
the discussion and silences most
people. No resolution is made to
the problem; instead, the legitimacy
of the current committee
is questioned.
As shown in Table 2.2, the deputy chairperson (Chondoita) is the biggest defaulter in the
scheme and even used an alias to get more money for himself. The deputy secretary is
feared as a war veteran who has been participating in unlawful occupations and violence
on private property in the past year. A retired headmaster holds various key positions in
the community. He is sometimes ignored because local people regard him as an outsider
because he is an immigrant. The chairperson of the committee is well respected in the
community and was an officer in the army. There is one woman on the committee who is
the secretary. She rarely speaks and is reluctant to speak in formal gatherings. In public
the deputy secretary reads the minutes and performs her role. She is married to one of
the four brothers in the Ngonyama family - Musodza, but does not get on well with her
sister in law - Mavende, who is a powerful woman in the village. She tends to be sidelined
in family discussions and often acts as if she is outside that Ngonyama family’s influence
and control. Her husband on the other hand is very much part of the Ngonyama family
and features prominently in the political dynamics in the project.
We also observe at one of the committee meetings how members plan strategically on
how they should address the issue of defaulters and who should say what and support
23