Socio-Economic Characterisation of Resettled Smallholder Farmers in Rural Zimbabwe

The socio-economic characterisation of resettled small-holder farmers under the Fast Track Land Reform Programme (FTLRP) in Zimbabwe has blind spots in relation to the emergent transformative social policy features such as ‘social cohesion’, ‘cooperation’, ‘protection’ and ‘accumulation’ which are equally important among land beneficiaries. Using the Sangwe farm, this article departs from the conventional use of the political economy, sustainable livelihoods, human rights-based and neo-patrimonial approaches to experiment with the transformative social policy approach. Using both quantitative and qualitative data in an exploratory research design, the article shows that viewed from the transformative social policy approach, the FTLRP was neither a resounding success nor a complete disaster. The programme actually produced mixed results. The article thus, recommends the use of in-depth, ideologically free and neutral approaches in its analysis so as to reveal its detailed outcomes. Additional studies in which existing land reform policies can be considered in the collective efforts of improving the transformative agenda of the FTLRP across the country are needed.

Succession Planning and the Sustainability of the Land Reform Programme in Zimbabwe

The influence of succession on organisational sustainability has been widely acknowledged globally, but studies focusing specifically on farms remain relatively limited. This article examines the factors influencing succession in the newly occupied farms under the fast track land reform programme in Zimbabwe and their implications for the sustainability of the land reform programme. The study followed a qualitative multi-case research design. Data were collected using a combination of unstructured interviews, informal discussions, lived experience narrations and direct observations. Notwithstanding other structural and institutional constraints, the absence of succession arrangements and the politics of survival have been found to be the major threats to sustainability.

The new Zambian president faces long-term challenges

Significance Hichilema's surprise win came despite extensive voter suppression and intimidation attributed to former President Edgar Lungu and the ruling Patriotic Front (PF) against supporters of Hichilema’s United Party for National Development (UPND). Impacts The broad scope of Hichilema’s reform programme will pose difficulties of prioritisation, particularly within current fiscal constraints. Higher copper prices may mitigate some of the social costs associated with debt restructuring and spending cuts. The cancellation of a meeting between President Joe Biden and Hichilema over LGBT rights concerns may complicate relations with Washington.

The Fast Track Land Reform Programme and its effect on the loss of forests: the case of the Mafungabusi Forest Reserve in Zimbabwe

Land reform in Zimbabwe, commonly known as the Fast Track Land Reform Programme (FTLRP), was established in early 2000. Since the inception of the FTRLP, loss of forests and biodiversity has been on the rise. In this paper, an analysis of the rate of forest loss pre-FTLRP, during and post-FTLRP to date (1995–2019) is presented for the Mafungabusi Forest Reserve. Data were collected from semi-structured questionnaires, interviews, satellite imagery and fieldwork. Land Cover, Land-Use Change Maps were obtained from supervised classification of satellite imagery and regression graphs for the rate of change of forest area were also obtained. Results show that the forested areas decreased at a rate of 308 ha per year (2.4%) during the FTLRP and at a rate of 481 ha per year (5.2%) post FTLRP. The inception of FTLRP and the withdrawal of funds to support the Community Involvement in Forest Management (CIFM) resulted in forest loss as the population grew and demand for land increased. Given the current rate of forest loss, the Mafungabusi Forest will probably disappear in the next 20 years if no measures are taken to reduce the rate of forest loss. Thus, there is need for the Zimbabwe Forestry Commission, Environmental Management Agency and other relevant stakeholders to engage resettled farmers in sustainable co-management of natural resources. Such efforts will help in combating effects of climate change and conserving biodiversity.

The 1641 Rebellion and Ireland’s Contested Pasts

The 1641 rebellion elicited three distinct historical narratives. The first, put most cogently by John Temple, held that the government had engaged on a reform programme to benefit both natives and newcomers, until the Irish, guided by their priests, attempted to massacre the entire Protestant population, and would have succeeded but for providential intervention. Old English authors countered by acknowledging that the Gaelic Irish had attacked the settlers, but only because they had been treated unjustly by officials. They denied that a massacre had ensued, and argued that the Old English themselves had resorted to arms only to defend their patrimonies and their king from Puritan enemies in both Britain and Ireland. The third response, formulated in vernacular verse, detailed the mistreatment of Gaelic lords, explained how they had been forced to defend themselves, lamented the destruction that ensued when Cromwell invaded, and left their redemption to Providence.

When Politics Prevail Over the Rule of Law: The Demise of the sadc Tribunal

The article questions whether the Tribunal of the Southern Africa Development Community (sadc) ought to have entertained human rights cases given that the sadc Treaty does not endow it with such jurisdiction. It then analyses its demise in 2010, which was prompted by several rulings against Zimbabwe, whose policy of expropriating land without compensation was held to violate human rights. The pertinent aspects of these cases are reviewed, and the significance of Zimbabwe’s land reform programme is explained. The article elucidates why sadc leaders were prepared to suspend the Tribunal’s operation. This was a combination of alarm that it could evolve into a quasi-regional human rights court but also solidarity with the then President Mugabe, a hero of Africa’s liberation struggle. Finally, the pronouncements of the Constitutional Court of South Africa and the High Court of Tanzania on the lawfulness of the sadc Tribunal’s suspension are considered.

The Influence of East African Community’s Cargo Clearance Procedures on Trade Facilitation in Rwanda

Trade facilitation is any process involved in the reduction in trading costs associated with enforcement, regulation, and administration of trade policies. This process intended to lower the related transaction costs for firms in global commerce thereby enabling continued growth in cross border trade in goods and service. Trade facilitation is a diverse and challenging subject with potential benefits for both private business people and governments at national, regional and international levels. Governments initiated a trade facilitation reform programme following complaints about widespread corruption and poor administrative practices. The reform programme included the implementation of single-point clearance and mechanism, the introduction of risk assessment procedures and the publication of customs nights and responsibilities in export clearance. The empirical literature indicates that, none of the study has been conducted in Rwanda to assess how the EAC custom union procedures improved the trade facilitation in Rwanda. To conduct this kind of study is very important because it helped to describe the extent at which cargo clearance procedures, tariff charges and other institution factors influence the trade facilitation in Rwanda. Rwanda is a land-locked country, facing tremendous difficulties in accessing major markets in the regional as well as in the rest of the world. These difficulties emanated from high transport costs owing to the fact that she has no direct access to the sea. Rwanda has been continually showing deficit in export and imports compared to other neighbouring partner states in EAC. Since there is no data about the procedures and systems applied by the individual partner around the boarders/Customs in Rwanda, the study therefore intended to analyze the influence of customs union on trade facilitation for Rwanda resulted from regional integration signed by the East Africa community. The results from the survey show that 0.83% strongly disagreed, 2.51% disagreed, 0.83% was not sure, and 42.3% agreed that they appreciate the cargo clearance procedures at the customs and 53.53% strongly agreed. The results from the survey revealed that majority of the respondents appreciate the cargo clearance procedures. The results further revealed that, the few cases where there is delay in the clearance originates mainly on the description on the rules of the origin. This is because to some products it becomes hard to determine the proportion of imported material in the mixture of the manufactured products. The results from the survey revealed that before EAC, each country used different clearance documents with different way of clearing the goods and description of the goods, but ever since the establishment of the EAC, all countries use the documents and same description of the goods. This helps in simplifying the clearance procedures of the goods since every trader knows what is required. The Partner States agree to simplify their trade documentation and procedures in order to facilitate trade in goods within the Community. The results from the survey revealed that the level of bureaucracy in the clearance of goods is low as evidenced by the majority of the respondents. This helps in reducing the time traders spends at customs during clearing and hence enhancing trade within the member state.

Russian security agencies vie for roles in repression

Significance The discreet power struggle is motivated by competition for budgets and powers, a desire to avoid blame and genuine disagreement about the best strategy to adopt. Impacts Efforts by different agencies to improve their standing with the Kremlin may encourage escalatory patterns of repression. The uniformed police's reform programme, centred on improving its interactions with the public, is on hold for the moment. The armed forces have played no role so far and Defence Minister Sergey Shoigu seems determined that this will continue.