Reflections on the ‘Zimbabwean crisis 2000–2008’ and the survival strategies: the sustainable livelihoods framework (SLF) analysis

ABSTRACT In this paper, the author applies the Sustainable Livelihood Framework (SLF) to unravel the complexities inherent in the ‘Zimbabwean Crisis’. When unravelled from the SLF, the ‘Zimbabwean Crisis 2000-2008’ portrays a decimation of various forms of capital–financial, social, human, physical and natural–and forced Zimbabweans to innovate, show resourcefulness and ingenuity in generating various forms of capital to survive the scathing crisis. Broadly, the kukiya kiya strategy has received little scholarly study and despite various survival strategies inherent in the kukiya kiya strategy. The kukiya kiya livelihood strategy prominence is seen in its adoption across the broad spectrum of society–educated, uneducated, employed, and unemployed, women, and men, young and old. The study of kukiya kiya livelihood strategy is important because it sustained thousands of households as the Zimbabwean formal sector collapsed. This reality is largely unappreciated in literature.