Gender, Politics and Land Use in Zimbabwe: 1980–2012

Authors

Onias Mafa
Enna S. Gudhlanga
Norman Manyeruke
Ephraim H.M. Matavire
John Mpofu
DOI: https://doi.org/10.57054/codesria.pub.58

Keywords:

Gender, Politics, Zimbabwe, Africa

Synopsis

The agrarian reform dynamics in southern Africa have to be understood within the framework of colonial land policies and legislation that were designed essentially to expropriate land and natural resource property rights from the indigenous people in favour of the white settlers. Colonial land policies institutionalised racial inequity with regard to land although conditions are not homogeneous there broad themes that cut across the southern Africa region. Colonialism dispossessed and impoverished the people by taking away the most productive lands. Neoliberal globalization has undermined the people’s wellbeing through direct influences on agriculture and rural economies in conjunction with policies promoted by national governments and international agencies. Another shared feature is to be found in the high rates of unemployment, poor returns to smallscale agriculture, lack of access to social services such as health and education all of which serve to erode existing livelihood activities and perpetuate relative and absolute poverty in rural areas.

This comparative study on Zimbabwe’s agrarian reforms may provide countries such as South Africa and Namibia with valuable lessons, as they attempt their own land reforms. Conflicts between colonialists and the indigenous people in the then Rhodesia centred mainly on the land question. This inequitable distribution of land resulted in Africans waging liberation struggles in order to reclaim their land from the colonialists. In most post-colonial countries, calls have been made for land redistribution as a way of redressing colonial injustices in land tenure systems. The process of reclamation of land and redistributing it to the indigenous people is fraught with problems and has resulted in the present-day land crisis in many parts of Africa and other continents. These are some of the issues this book examines, attempts to understand and explain from a gender perspective. Gender relations are viewed in terms of land use and ownership in pre-colonial, colonial and post-colonial Zimbabwe. These socially constructed roles have been found to be unequal in terms of power and decision making It is argued that lessening of social inequalities between men and women reduces poverty, raises farm efficiency and improves natural resource management. The book emphasises that once women are empowered, the quality of life of their households improves.

 

 

Chapters

  • Gender, Politics and Land Use in Zimbabwe
    1980–2012

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Author Biographies

Onias Mafa

 is a Senior Lecturer and Programme Coordinator in the Department of Education at the Zimbabwe Open University, Bulawayo Region. He was the Coordinator of the 2009 Comparative Research Network (CRN), Zimbabwe Team, which was commissioned by the Council for Social Science Development
in Africa (CODESRIA). He is a holder of BEd (Agriculture), MEd (Educational Administration) and PhD (Didactics). He is also a published author and poet. He has a keen interest in land reform, environmental issues and the indigenisation of African economies.

Enna S. Gudhlanga

 is an Associate Professor and the Chairperson of the Department of Languages and Literature at the Zimbabwe Open University. Enna holds a Certificate in Gender Mainstreaming from OSSREA; Certificate in Gender and the Labour Market from CODESRIA; Certificate in HIV and AIDS Care and Counselling from UNISA; BA General, BA Special Honours and an MA from the University of Zimbabwe. She is currently studying for an M Phil in Land and Agrarian Studies at the University of the Western Cape. Enna has published book chapters, refereed journal articles and books including; Gender Dynamics
in Shona Culture: The Case of Yvonne Vera’s Novels (2010) and Miles or Mirages? Women and the Public Sphere in Zimbabwe (2011), among other publications. She has presented papers on gender issues at many international conferences. Enna is interested in the study of Africa and the development of its literatures, cultures and world outlooks. Her main concern is the ultimate self-definition and complete mastery of the African people’s own life. She is also interested in socio-linguistic issues like democracy, language rights, planning and policy

Norman Manyeruke

is a holder of BA Honours in Geography and Masters of Science in Population Studies. He is a Lecturer in the Department of Environmental Science and Health at National University of Science and Technology (NUST). His areas of research interest include rural development, irrigation systems in Africa and their impact on sustainable livelihoods, migration, and HIV and AIDS.

Ephraim H.M. Matavire

 is a holder of Bachelor of Accounting Science and Master in Business Administration degrees, and is a Fellow of the Institute of Administration and Commerce (FIAC). He is a Lecturer and Programme Coordinator at the Zimbabwe Open University with special interests in land reform and African economic indigenisation.

John Mpofu

is a Lecturer and Programme Coordinator in the Department of Media and Journalism Studies at Zimbabwe Open University, Bulawayo Region. He is a holder of Bachelor of Arts degree, a Graduate Certificate in Education, and a Master of Education degree. His principal research areas are in monitoring and evaluation, governance, land reform and the role of the media in development.

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