Revisiting the politics of land recovery among white commercial farmers in Zimbabwe: implications for transitional justice

in: International Journal of Transitional Justice 15 (2), 370-385

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/ijtj/ijab010
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The land question in postcolonial Africa, particularly in former settler colonies, has an enduring legacy. To illuminate the enduring dimensions of the land question, this article explores various land recovery options adopted by (former) white commercial farmers in Zimbabwe as they renegotiate access, ownership and control of land expropriated via the Fast Track Land Reform Programme. Zimbabwe has been fluid in handling these recovery options as it strives to reposition the economy and score political goals locally and globally. A transitional justice approach ensures that the contemporary land question, rooted in a historical racialized struggle, is resolved on an equality basis that transcends the current politicized productivist land recovery discourse. As the transitional justice approach takes cognisance of longstanding marginalization and embraces robust institutions that withstand political whims and the test of time, it ensures meaningful policy and practical interventions that confront the contentious land question in Zimbabwe and beyond.