The Emerging Spatiality of Rural Settlement Patterns in Zimbabwe: A Critique

Abstract

The study critically examines the geography of rural settlement patterns in Zimbabwe. The population of Zimbabwe remains, in spatial terms, largely rural, with most of the people living in areas that lack clear spatial planning. Zimbabwe has experienced unprecedented illegal sale of state land by land barons (commonly called, in colloquial vernacular parlance, Sabhuku deals), who exercise authority, be it traditional or state authority. The study problematises the lack of spatial planning and control of rural settlement development as Zimbabwe continues to experience unplanned development of settlements. The research adopts a qualitative research methodology as the approach best explains social facts without reducing them into codes and statistics. The research utilises a case-study research methodological design. It uses secondary information as a method of data collection, using journals and news reports. It utilises thematic data analysis. The research findings reveal that the geography of rural settlement patterns in Zimbabwe bears a colonial legacy, with nucleated rural designs being one of the colonial settlement patterns. The study shows that scattered rural settlement patterns in Zimbabwe are a result of the land reform programme that aimed to address colonial legacies in post-colonial Zimbabwe. The research concludes that the Zimbabwean rural settlement is an ambivalent balance between colonial legacies and post-colonial ambitions to address inequalities by creating scattered rural patterns to address nucleated settlements. The research recommends policies that address land barons and land use changes.