Weapons Flows in Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Swaziland

This research paper introduces the 'Towards Collaborative Peace' (TCP) project by the Institute for Security Studies (ISS), which examines the illegal trade of small arms and light weapons in Southern Africa. The document outlines the project's goal to analyze how the proliferation of weapons—resulting from conflict legacies and porous borders—contributes to a 'culture of violence' and undermines democratization and socio-economic development in the region.

• The proliferation of small arms and light weapons (including landmines, machine guns, grenades, pistols, and rocket launchers) poses a significant threat to civilian security and post-conflict stability. Because these weapons are standard issue during conflicts and often remain uncontrolled afterward, they facilitate illegal use and abuse, which in turn hinders the socio-economic development and effective democracy required for successful conflict resolution.
• In Southern Africa, a 'culture of violence' is emerging as a result of a glut of light weapons and small arms being transported illegally across borders. This availability of weapons has led communities to abandon traditional negotiated conflict-resolution mechanisms in favor of violent solutions, and has prompted individuals to acquire weapons for self-defence, thereby jeopardizing democratisation programmes such as disarmament and policing.
• The TCP project classifies countries involved in weapons proliferation as source, transit, or end-user countries rather than simply suppliers or recipients. Under this framework: Zimbabwe is identified as both a source country (due to indigenous manufacturing) and a transit country; Mozambique is a source country (due to discarded weapons from civil war) and an end-user country (where weapons are used for crime); and Swaziland is a transit country (for weapons moving into South Africa) and an end-user country (where people arm for self-protection).
• The proliferation of weapons in the region is driven by porous borders connecting countries to states that accumulated massive surpluses of light weapons through internal strife and poorly managed disarmament during peace processes, specifically citing Angola and Mozambique.

APA

Nkiwane, T., Chachiua, M., & Meek, S. (1999). Weapons Flows in Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Swaziland. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.org/research/monographs/monograph-34-weapons-flows-in-zimbabwe-mozambique-and-swaziland-by-tandeka-nkiwane-martinho-chachiua-and-sarah-meek

Chicago

Nkiwane, Tandeka, Martinho Chachiua, and Sarah Meek. Weapons Flows in Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Swaziland. Institute for Security Studies, 1999. https://issafrica.org/research/monographs/monograph-34-weapons-flows-in-zimbabwe-mozambique-and-swaziland-by-tandeka-nkiwane-martinho-chachiua-and-sarah-meek.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Nkiwane |first1=Tandeka |last2=Chachiua |first2=Martinho |last3=Meek |first3=Sarah |title=Weapons Flows in Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Swaziland |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=January 1999 |url=https://issafrica.org/research/monographs/monograph-34-weapons-flows-in-zimbabwe-mozambique-and-swaziland-by-tandeka-nkiwane-martinho-chachiua-and-sarah-meek |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{nkiwane1999weapons, author = {Nkiwane, Tandeka and Chachiua, Martinho and Meek, Sarah}, title = {{Weapons Flows in Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Swaziland}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {1999}, month = jan, url = {https://issafrica.org/research/monographs/monograph-34-weapons-flows-in-zimbabwe-mozambique-and-swaziland-by-tandeka-nkiwane-martinho-chachiua-and-sarah-meek}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }