The political economy of land reform in South Africa and Zimbabwe: A comparative study

This study compares the political economy of land reform in South Africa and Zimbabwe, after independence. The pre-independence political economy of both countries produced inequalities in land distribution, which led to uneven economic development along racial lines between black and white. Immediately after independence, with black majority rule, there was an urgent call from civil society to redress apartheid injustice and to promote extensive land reform.;The dissertation examines the complex issues that are associated with land reform policies in South Africa and Zimbabwe and identifies the underlying constraints that affects land policy in both countries. It examines the structure of land reform and the basic political and economic issues associated with it. In South Africa, the land reform policy is designed to reduce rural poverty, contribute to government's growth, create employment for the population and enhance social equity. Likewise, in Zimbabwe, the land reform policy emerged as a measure to ameliorate land conflict, reduce uncertainty in the region's political economy and create growth and equity. The study shows that the implementation of land reform in Zimbabwe and South Africa has attained only limited achievements since independence.;The findings reveal that weak political commitment to land reform, institutional inadequacy, bureaucratic feud, external actors, domestic constituency, and inadequate resources have negatively contributed to undermine the process of land reform.;The overall assessment in this study confirmed the state's weakness in the political economy of sub-Saharan Africa. Both South Africa and Zimbabwe were significantly dependent on external aid to survive and carry out their development obligations with regard to land reform.;The study used comparative historical analysis and case study. The research was conducted through field studies in South Africa and Zimbabwe.