This study of the town of Beitbridge on the Zimbabwe/South African border shows how neoliberalism, prevaricated by HIV/AIDS, has brought about far-reaching social change in the country, and unprecedented levels of poverty and social precariousness. It argues that these circumstances have led to insecurities in identity and 'insider-outsider' sociological configurations, and to identity politics assuming a role in the desperate and unprecedented struggles over access to resources.