ABSTRACT
In Zimbabwe, access to and use of natural resources, including water and fish, have a pronounced political and power dimension, which often triggers conflicts. This chapter examines conflicts in small-scale fisheries through a case study of Norton and the nearly lakes of Manyame and Chivero. In understanding the diverse array of conflicts existing, it is necessary to detail the governance system pertaining to fishing, not only the formal centralised system in place but also the informal and parallel mechanisms of governance in Norton. Conflicts exist between fishers and local officials of the Zimbabwean government, but there are also intra-group and inter-group conflicts. Intra-group conflicts occur within fishing syndicates and cooperatives especially pertaining to leadership and control of resources. Similarly, inter-group conflicts tend to be engendered by territoriality and access to strategic fishing and marketing spaces. The system of fisheries governance conditions and configures these and other conflicts in that, although the governance system is hierarchical and centralised, some local syndicates and cooperatives linked to the corridors of power challenge this system. This mode of resource governance has specific modalities of inclusion and exclusion, which lead to conflicts between ZimParks rangers and fishers, politicians, and small-scale fishers and fishing cooperatives.