The Truth About Zimbabwe’s Land Reform Policy from 1991-1998

The Lancaster House Agreement signed in 1979 was the basis of Zimbabwe’s land policy from 1980- 1990. In that agreement, the black majority government had agreed to wait 10 years before beginning any land reform agenda. After 1990, the Zimbabwe government revised their land reform policy with the goal of increasing the amount of land allocated to black Zimbabweans. They passed the Land Acquisition Act in 1992, which was supposed to speed up the land reform process through Land Designation and Compulsory Acquisition. This policy allowed government to acquire, for compensation, land that it deemed unproductive. Part of the basis for this decision were World Bank studies that showed white large-scale commercial farmers were utilizing less than half of the 11m hectares of land they owned.

The 1992 Act designated the following types of land for compulsory acquisition:

• Under-utilized land, i.e., land undeveloped by farmers and lying fallow.
  • Land owned by absentee or foreign landlords who were mainly British.
  • Land owned by farmers with more than one farm.
  • Land contiguous on communal areas

This process was slow and black Zimbabweans did not receive much land through this process. By July 1997, government had only acquired 3.5 million Hectares. Out of that acquisition, only 71,000 families were resettled. While at that point in 1997, 4 000 white farmers still owned over 50% of land, an average of 2 000 Hectares each.

About 1 million black Zimbabwean families were still living in overcrowded communal lands. The average black family only had 3 hectares compared to the 2,000 for white farmers. The land reform process also stalled because the British government under Tony Blair, the US under Bill Clinton and other donor countries stopped providing the resources they had promised during the Lancaster House agreement. Their excuse was they did not want to fund a process unfair process in which the government compulsorily acquires farms.

As a result, the land reform program stalled because the government which was dealing with its own IMF induced economic problems did not have the funding to continue purchasing land. The problems were compounded because many resettled families could not get access to agricultural loans to purchase the necessary farming inputs. To save the land reform process, the government convened the Land Reform Donor Conference in 1998 with plans for a second phase of the Land Acquisition process.  It is also rumored that in the mid-1990s, Robert Mugabe, Zimbabwe’s President at the time was pressured to slow the land reform process to allow a successful transition of power in neighboring South Africa.

Land Reform Donor Conference (1998)

When the government of Zimbabwe convened the Land Reform Donor Conference in September 1998, 48 major countries and donor organizations such as Britain, the United States, South Africa, Middle Eastern and Asian countries as well as the major world organizations such as the United Nations, African Union, IMF and World Bank all attended. The government published its policy framework for the Land Reform and Resettlement Program Phase II (LRRP II) as it sought financial support for it. The Zimbabwe government estimated that it would need US$1.1 billion for the land reform process. The funds would be used for land acquisition, development, infrastructure and services such as roads, schools, clinics and farming implements for the newly resettled farmers. The government also required money to provide as credit for the resettled farmer as banks were not willing to lend the money. For the plan to work, the government would have to compulsorily purchase 5 million hectares from the 11 million hectares owned by black and white commercial farmers, parastatals, corporations and multi-national companies. The government intended to purchase 1 million hectares every year for five years from 1998 to 2003. All the participants at this conference agreed and passed a resolution. They believed that land reform was essential for poverty reduction, economic growth and political stability. The participating countries also agreed that it was necessary to fast track the program. However, the major donors only pledged US$100 million and the British government under Tony Blair reneged on the Lancaster House Agreement. Even though the British did not want to give more financial resources they insisted that the process be based on the willing buyer willing seller process as was being carried out in South Africa for example.

Zimbabwe’s Commercial Farmers Union offered some land to appease the government, however, the farmers were slow to offer any land prompting the government to pass a 2000 Land Acquisition Act for compulsory acquisition without compensation for the land. The policy proposed to compensate the infrastructure and capital improvements made on the farms. However, this was challenged constitutionally by the farmers and donors became reluctant about giving the $100 million they had pledged at the conference.

We will continue to cover the land reform process in Zimbabwe and in many other African countries to empower black people with the accurate information about their history which informs our future. A future filled with economic prosperity.