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Abstract

This paper examines the impact of land reform policies on the political development of South Africa and Zimbabwe. In particular, it focuses on the past policy approaches to land reform, principally the "willing seller and able buyer" market approach in the context of past injustices involving land reform. The politics of land reform and the inability of the hegemonic parties in South Africa and Zimbabwe, the African national Congress (ANC) and Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU) respectively, to implement satisfactory policy contributes to negative political and economic consequences for both countries. Simultaneously, opposition parties in both countries, in particular the Democratic Alliance (DA) in South Africa and the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), failed to effectively capitalize on this salient issue. Controlled by a neo-liberal ideology, both opposition parties have not articulated effective land reform policies. This fact points to the continued long-term maintenance of the dominant party systems in both countries. In the case of ZANU, the fast track land reform unleashed economic disaster on Zimbabwe and in South Africa; the land reform process remains almost completely stalled. Given these developments, increased land related violence and feelings of injustice would remain for many years in South Africa, while Zimbabwe's ineffective land reform will continue to create political problems for the foreseeable future. In both cases concerned, all political parties, whether in government or opposition, failed to articulate effective policies concerning land reform issues in a way that addresses past injustices.

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