SUMMARY

The Land Reform programme in Zimbabwe has been a major area of international discussion for almost five years now; mainly due to the hitherto unprecedented approach taken by the government of Zimbabwe to address this very emotive issue. From the world’s marginalized communities there has been a lot of admiration for such a bold move, while there has been condemnation from other sections of the international community who sympathise with those perceived to be at the losing end of this exercise. This paper takes a critical look at the issues surrounding the land reform programme. It investigates the historical background to land ownership in Zimbabwe before and after independence from colonial rule. The paper will also look at the Zimbabwe government’s Land policy since 1980 and what has influenced same. The legal framework under which this exercise is proceeding will also come under scrutiny. The government policy will then be evaluated against the Global Plan of Action of the Habitat II agenda, to which the government is a signatory. Finally the paper will question the actual implementation of the land reform programme, with the aim of drawing lessons from the Zimbabwean experience