REFORMA AGRARIA EN TIEMPOS DE AJUSTE NEOLIBERAL: LOS CASOS DE ZIMBABWE, NAMIBIA Y SUDÁFRICA

Abstract

Neoliberalism and agrarian reform are antithetical. The latter implies
land re-distribution in favor of the majority while the former entails
land concentration in the hands of a decreasing number of individuals
and the marginalization of large sectors of the population. In Southern
Africa, indigenous population extreme dispossession of their land for
the benefit of the white colonists was among the basic objectives of
colonialism, racism and apartheid and was central to the ensuing liberation
fights. Except for the cases of Mozambique and Angola – where
the massive emigration of the white landowning class facilitated the
nationalization of the land, events developed in a different manner in
the rest of the sub region.
Based on the experiences of Zimbabwe (since 1980), Namibia (since
1990) and South Africa (since 1994), this article reviews the obstacles
that neoliberal policy poses to land distribution projects and concludes
that the profound agrarian reforms rural masses in these three
countries have been claiming for can only be performed by breaching
the principles of neoliberalism.