The unsettled land: the politics of land redistribution in Matabeleland, 1980–1990

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Abstract
Since independence, the question of land redistribution has been central to Zimbabwe's rural politics. Scant attention has, however, been paid to the western Matabeleland Provinces. This paper takes Insiza District as a case study to illustrate the atypical experience of the region. In 1980 and 1981, relatively few people moved from communal areas to the formerly European areas, reflecting a locally perceived shortage of grazing land and the dearth of abandoned ranches. Subsequently, conflict between ZAPU and ZANU‐PF led to severe military and political repression. The ZANU‐PF dominated government interpreted local demands as subversive and prevented the development of patron‐client relationships with national ZAPU politicians. Resettlement land acquired by the state in the mid‐1980s, often as a result of dissident attacks and drought, was frequently used by ranchers, civil servants and parastatals. Communal area cattle owners, under severe pressure from drought, used encroachment tactics to gain access to neighbouring ranch land. Party political unity in 1987 renewed debate but patronage politics and illegal encroachment are likely to remain the dominant means of achieving access to land.

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