Southern African Land Issues Discussion Forum

Since 1999, land invasions of white-owned farms in Zimbabwe have highlighted the need for land reform in Zimbabwe. The implications of these invasions have been felt throughout Southern Africa, notably in South Africa, where a highly racially skewed distribution of land still exists today. The land question has re-emerged in South Africa today as a top priority. The idea of land invasions has captured the imaginations of a broad range of South African society, with many warning that land invasions are inevitable if land reform does not speed up. A research project being carried out by Harriet Geary-Jones at the University of Leeds, under the supervision of Rachel Slater, focuses on the land question in Southern Africa. The main aim is to undertake a comparative analysis of the land issue in Zimbabwe and South Africa in order to ascertain whether land invasions will happen in South Africa as they have in Zimbabwe. A secondary, but important aim is to assess the potential of the internet as a research tool for interviewing and the use of a discussion forum for generating ideas. How far is it possible for us to answer questions about the land issue in Southern Africa using the internet, when so many South Africans and Zimbabweans do not have access to the internet? How can one achieve a high response rate to e-mailed questionairres? As a launch pad for discussion plaease refer to arguments put forward in the Daily Mail and Guardian (May 5th, 2000) by Ben Cousins from the Programme for Land and Agrarian Studies at the University of the Western Cape. We hope that this forum will offer the opportunity to voice their opinion on the land issue in South Africa and Zimbabwe. Any comments and contributions are greatly appreciated.