during the fast track land reform in Zimbabwe

This paper explores the road walked by women since chaotic land reforms beginning 2000 in Zimbabwe. The paper argues that women have been actively involved in the civil strife in the country. They are active agents who make choices, possess critical perspectives of their own and organise in response to the civil strife situation. To set the stage for the discussion the terms civil strife and women as active agents are defined fist followed by the role of women in civil strife or war situations elsewhere before tracing the path travelled in Zimbabwe since the year 2000. Key words: civil strife, women, conflict, fast track, land reform 1. Definitions of terms Civil strife is synonymous with the terms civil unrest and civil disorder. These terms are used to describe situations where people protest against major socio-political problems such as economic stagnation, severe inflation, devaluation of currency, disasters (be they man-made or natural), severe unemployment, oppression, political scandal, and so on. Civil strife manifests itself in form of illegal parades, sit-ins, riots and sabotages (Ibrahim and Nicholas, 2000 in Ogbonna-Nwaougu, 2008). In Zimbabwe such was the order of the day especially after the year 2000 (Human Rights Watch, 2009)