6 become a smokescreen for blunt attempts to maintain political power. 2 Some observers even argue that the land reform process is the sole basis for the current economic decline in Zimbabwe. 3 The rationale behind the skepticism over the centrality of the land issue lies in concerns over the extreme violence that has accompanied the nationalization of the commercial farming areas, as well as the timing of the violence around elections, particularly those in 2000 and 2002. 4 However, it is indisputable that land has been an issue since Independence, even though the issue often smouldered rather than burned until the late 1990s. Thus, the origins of the current dispute over land are long-standing, and were raised well before Independence in 1980, 5 and, subsequently, land redistribution was high on the agenda at Independence in 1980, especially when a total of 14.5 million hectares of land was in the hands of farmers of European descent, who dominated the large-scale commercial farming sector. More than 3 million hectares of this land were redistributed between 1980 and 1997. However, following spontaneous land invasions in 1997, the issue became more contentious, and led to an international land conference in 1998. However, it was not evident that land acquisition generally was a major concern for ordinary Zimbabweans, despite the claims of the government, as was indicated by several national opinion polls. 6 In June 1998, the government set a target for its land-reform programme, aiming to redistribute an additional 5 million hectares of land within six years to settle 300,000 A1 smallholder subsistence families, and 52,000 A2 commercial farmers. However, two years later only about 3 percent of this target had been achieved, and legal wrangles had begun between the commercial farmers and the Zimbabwe government. Shortly after the rejection of the proposed new 2 See Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum (2003), Zimbabwe, the Abuja Agreement and Commonwealth Principles: Compliance or Disregard? 8 September 2003, HARARE: ZIMBABWE HUMAN RIGHTS NGO FORUM. 3 See Craig J. Richardson, “Property Rights, Land Reforms, and the Hidden Architecture of Capitalism”, DEVELOPMENT POLICY OUTLOOK, No. 2, 2006. American Enterprise Institute. See Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum (2001), Politically motivated violence in Zimbabwe 2000-2001 A 4 report on the campaign of political repression conducted by the Zimbabwean Government under the guise of carrying out land reform. August 2001. HARARE: ZIMBABWE HUMAN RIGHTS NGO FORUM. 5 6 See Riddell, R (1978), The Land Question, From Rhodesia to Zimbabwe. No.2. LONDON: CIIR. In a survey conducted by the Helen Suzman Foundation, land only figured as fourth in people’s concerns, whilst two surveys conducted by the Afrobarometer, both before and after the land grab had taken place, indicated that land was an issue for only 1% in 1999 and only 4% in 2004. See Helen Suzman Foundation, Public Opinion in Zimbabwe.2000. JOHANNESBURG: HELEN SUZMAN FOUNDATION; AFROBAROMETER (1999), Public Opinion and the Consolidation of Democracy in Southern Africa: An Initial Review of Key Findings From the Southern African Democracy Barometer, Afrobarometer Paper No.12; Chikwana, A., Sithole, T., & Bratton, M. (2004), The Power of Propaganda: Public Opinion in Zimbabwe, 2004, Afrobarometer Report No. 42. A Preliminary Report on Human Rights Violations on Commercial Farms, 2000 to 2005.