Reign NHETA
For centuries, Africa’s land and resources have been exploited by colonial powers, who carved up the continent, claiming its wealth as their own. This history of theft, dispossession, and exploitation has left deep scars, with many African nations still battling to reclaim what is rightfully theirs. FromCape to Cairo, African nations are engaged in a courageous and necessary fight to regain control of their land. The land reform programs are not simply policies; they are patriotic acts of defiance against historical injustices. African land belongs to Africans, and we should not apologise for reclaiming what was taken from us.
In Zimbabwe, the situation is a stark reminder of the damage done during colonial rule. Before independence, just 4,400 white settlers controlled over 51% of the country’s fertile land, while over 4 million black Zimbabweans were relegated to only 42% of the land, much of which was arid and unsuitable for farming. After Zimbabwe's independence in 1980, the Government, under the leadership of the late former President Robert Mugabe, pursued gradual land reform, but it was not until the year 2000 that the Government took decisive action with what the “fast-track” land redistribution program. The move redistributed land to black Zimbabweans and aimed to correct the historic wrong of land dispossession.
Western powers, particularly Britain, heavily criticised the program, accusing the Government of not respecting property rights, rule of law, human rights and of perpetrating political repression. However, the truth is far more complex. The British government had failed to meet its obligations to fund the land reform, leaving Zimbabwe with no choice but to act unilaterally by implementing the land reform program at its own terms. Despite the challenges, Zimbabwe’s land reform program was a brave and necessary step toward justice and sovereignty. It was a declaration that Zimbabwe’s land would not remain under the control of whitesettlers who had profited from colonial theft. African land must be in African hands, and Zimbabwe’s actions were a bold assertion of that principle.
The land reform struggle is not unique to Zimbabwe. In South Africa, the issue of land ownership remains deeply tied to the legacy of apartheid. Although apartheid officially ended in 1994, South Africa remains one of the world’s most unequal societies in terms of land and natural resource distribution. A significant portion of the country’s agricultural land is still owned by a white minority, leaving the majority of black South Africans without access to productive land. The South African Government has made attempts at land restitution and redistribution, but these efforts have been slow and grosslyinsufficient.
In 2018, South Africa took a landmark step by amending its constitution to allow for land expropriation without compensation. This decision, which aims to address the historical injustice of land theft, has been met with fierce opposition from Western countries, particularly the United States and the United Kingdom. These nations have warned that land expropriation could lead to economic ruin and social unrest, echoing the same criticisms that were levelled against Zimbabwe. Yet, the reality is that South Africa’s land reform is a necessary and overdue step toward rectifying the legacy of colonial and apartheid land dispossession.
The criticism from the West fails to address the underlying issue that African nations, like South Africa, are simply seeking to return land to its rightful owners, the black Africans who have been denied access to it for centuries. Just as Zimbabwe’s land reform sought to right historical wrongs, so too is South Africa’s land expropriation an attempt to restore justice. The land was taken from Africans by European settlers, and now it is time for it to be returned to the African people. It is an act of sovereignty and an assertion of Africa’s right to self-determination.
The land reform issue is not limited to Zimbabwe and South Africa. In Namibia, land reform has been an ongoing challenge since the country’s independence in 1990. The Namibian government has been working to return land to the indigenous people who were dispossessed during colonial rule, but progress has been slow. In Kenya, land distribution remains highly unequal, with much of the country’s fertile land still in the hands of a few wealthy individuals, many of whom are descendants of colonial settlers. In these countries, as in Zimbabwe and South Africa, land reform is a struggle to regain control over resources that were taken by force.
Africa’s land must be in African hands, not in the hands of former colonisers or their descendants. These reforms are not just about land, they are about restoring Africa’s sovereignty and economic independence. For too long, Africa’s resources have been exploited by foreign powers, leaving the continent dependent on others for economic survival. Land reform is essential to change that dynamic. By reclaiming the land, African nations can begin to reshape their economies, create jobs, and ensure that resources are used for the benefit of the African people, not for the benefit of foreign interests.
However, as African nations pursue land reform, they face significant opposition from Western powers. The United States, in particular, has been outspoken in its criticism of land expropriation policies in Zimbabwe and South Africa. Since the early 2000s, the U.S. has imposed targeted sanctions on Zimbabwe, punishing the country for its land reform efforts. These sanctions, which have been in place for over two decades, have had a devastating impact on Zimbabwe’s economy, causing widespread poverty and economic instability. Despite the hardship caused by these sanctions, Zimbabwe has stood firm in its decision to redistribute land and has continued to negotiate for fair compensation to white farmers.
South Africa, too, faces the threat of sanctions if it proceeds with land expropriation without compensation. Western Governments have repeatedly warned that such policies could trigger economic collapse, but they fail to acknowledge the underlying cause of the problem, the historical injustice of colonial land theft. The real threat is not the land reforms themselves, but the challenge they pose to Western economic dominance in Africa. The U.S. and European powers have a vested interest in maintaining control over Africa’s resources, and the land question is central to that control. When African nations assert their right to manage their land, Western powers push back, seeking to maintain their influence through diplomatic pressure and sanctions.
The imposition of sanctions is a form of economic warfare used by Western powers to keep African nations in check. These sanctions are often framed as responses to human rights violations or governance issues, but the reality is that they are a tool to punish countries that dare to assert their independence. Zimbabwe has been subjected to sanctions for its land reform efforts, and South Africa is now facing similar threats for its push toward land expropriation. These sanctions are not about promoting democracy or human rights, they are about maintaining control over Africa’s resources and ensuring that the West remains the dominant economic force in the region.
The threat of sanctions must not deter African nations from pursuing land reforms. The time has come for Africa to take control of its own destiny. We cannot continue to allow foreign powers to dictate our policies or control our resources. The land belongs to the African people, and it is our right to determine how it is used and distributed. We must stand firm in the face of Western opposition and continue to assert our sovereignty.
Land reform is not just an economic issue, it is an issue of justice and sovereignty. The land belongs to Africa’s people, and African nations have the right to reclaim it. The struggles in Zimbabwe, South Africa, Namibia, Kenya, and other African countries are part of a larger movement to restore Africa’s economic independence and rectify the historical wrongs of colonialism. Despite the threat of illegal sanctions by the Western, African nations must continue to pursue land reform and reclaim control over their resources. Africa’s future depends on it.
