Industry and the Urban Sector in Zimbabwe’s Political Economy

by Pdraig Carmody and Scott Taylor Abstract The land question and Zimbabwe’s current crisis of governance appear to be intimately related. However, an extensive survey of the population in the mid-1990s ranked land access very low on the list of priorities when compared to employment creation. Zimbabwe’s current constitutional and political crises spring primarily from […]

Zimbabwe’s Triple Crisis: Primitive Accumulation, Nation-State Formation and Democratization in the Age of Neo-Liberal Globalization

by David Moore Abstract This paper utilizes classical and ‘modernization’ theoretical perspectives on primitive accumulation, nation-state formation and democratization to analyze the ‘conjunctural’ aspects of the current Zimbabwean crisis. Taking a structural perspective on the long-term factors, the paper provides the context to the violence-ridden and economically devastating current crisis of land reform, elections, succession, […]

The Dualities of Contemporary Zimbabwean Politics: Constitutionalism Versus the Law of Power and the Land, 1999-2002

by Susan Booysen Abstract This paper explores the dualities in the coexistence within Zimbabwean politics of constitutionalism and legality versus a complex combination of paralegal, supralegal, oppressive and brutal political action, especially as this pertains to elections and land. The analysis is set in the period 1999-2002. The investigation concerns the issue of how the […]

Effectiveness of Maize Cob Powder in Controlling Weevils in Stored Maize Grain

by C. T. Gadzirayi, E. Mutandwa, and T. J. Chikuvire Abstract The broad objective of this study is to assess the effectiveness of maize cob powder in controlling maize weevils in stored maize grain. A completely randomized block design, in which twelve small bags of maize containing 0.5 kg of maize grain (SC5313 dent variety), […]

South African Land Reform and the Global Development Industry

by Thackwray Driver Abstract Over the past decade, “land issues” have reclaimed centre stage in international development debates, with Hernando De Soto’s influential work on land tenure and capitalism playing an important catalytic role. Post-apartheid South Africa has been highly visible in international discussions and debates about land reform, land tenure and land administration. The […]

Comparative Assessment of Indigenous Methods of Sweet Potato Preservation among Smallholder Farmers: Case of Grass, Ash and Soil based Approaches in Zimbabwe

by Edward Mutandwa and Christopher Tafara Gadzirayi Abstract Lack of suitable storage facilities among smallholder farmers continues to expose farmers to intermittent food shocks. Farmers are thus making use of locally available preservation methods, derived from indigenous knowledge systems (IKS), to improve storability of sweet potatoes. However, not much is known about their efficacy in […]

‘We Want to Belong to Our Roots and We Want to be Modern People’: New Farmers, Old Claims Around Lake Mutirikwi, Southern Zimbabwe

by Joost Fontein Abstract Based on fieldwork carried out between June 2005 and July 2006, this paper questions common assertions which suggest that recent ‘fast track’ land reform in Zimbabwe did not fit with local understandings of land tenure. While fast track land reform was not officially planned as a form of ‘land restitution’, in […]

Stakeholder Participatory Processes and Dialogue Platforms in the Mazowe River Catchment, Zimbabwe

by Claudious Chikozho Abstract The introduction of water sector reforms in Zimbabwe was premised on the assumption that all stakeholders would be afforded a chance to fully contribute to the reform process. Neutral dialogue platforms were also expected to be put in place in order to afford various stakeholder groups the necessary space to engage […]

Securing Reform? Power Sharing and Civil-Security Relations in Kenya and Zimbabwe

by Alexander Noyes Abstract While international actors use power sharing to resolve a vast range of conflicts in Africa and view state security reform as critical to achieving durable peace, there is a distinct lack of studies that examine the relationship between power sharing and security sector reform. This paper argues that, in the cases of […]

African Studies Quarterly

Tag: Zimbabwe