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The Land Crisis in Zimbabwe Viewed from South of the Limpopo
Author(s) -
Lahiff Edward,
Cousins Ben
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
journal of agrarian change
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.63
H-Index - 56
eISSN - 1471-0366
pISSN - 1471-0358
DOI - 10.1111/1471-0366.00022
Subject(s) - land reform , pace , government (linguistics) , white (mutation) , criticism , land law , property rights , political science , development economics , economic growth , land tenure , agriculture , political economy , geography , economics , law , philosophy , biochemistry , chemistry , archaeology , geodesy , gene , linguistics
Farm invasions in Zimbabwe have highlighted the pressing need for land reform throughout the southern African region. In South Africa, where the racial disparities in land holding are most severe, the events in Zimbabwe have raised the temperature of the land debate and led to calls for land invasions by some rural groups. The ANC‐led government, facing criticism from both right and left for the slow pace of reform, has veered between strident defence of private property rights and threats to expropriate white farms. White farming interests have reacted differentially, with some progressive voices joining the calls for an accelerated reform programme. Current land reform policy in South Africa seems set to advance the interests of emerging black commercial farmers and tribal chiefs at the expense of the rural poor and landless.