Zimbabwe’s Land Question in the Context of Large-Scale Land Based Investments
Abstract
The history of land in Zimbabwe is mired in complexity. The emergence of new
large-scale forms of investments in Zimbabwe has to be understood within this
complexity. Colonisation initiated a protracted land struggle in which race, gender, class, ethnicity and nationality have become important sites of contestation. This paper outlines the evolution of the land question in Zimbabwe, highlighting key junctures and events since colonisation. Such a historical analysis is important if we are to understand the emergence of large-scale land deals geared towards bio fuel production. Large-scale land deals reflect the latest point on the continuum of the land question, which has consumed Zimbabwe’s political and social spheres since colonisation. What these deals mean in the long-term might not be clear at the moment but they represent another complex turn in an emotive issue that has led to many contestations.
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