After ‘Siziphile’ Land Occupations: Youth Land Occupiers, Livelihoods and the Complex Realities of a Worker-Peasantry in North-Western Zimbabwe

Abstract

This research tries to reach an understanding of the relationship between youth, land, and livelihoods through an analysis of incidents of land self-provisioning by youth in a former labour reserve. Research was conducted in three villages over a 10-year period following what became known as ‘siziphile’ land occupations. The research contributes to contemporary debates on the youth employment, youth land struggles and livelihoods. This is done through the conceptual understanding of worker-peasantry dynamics. The fact that nearly all land occupants had abandoned the occupied land 10 years after the occupations attests to the complexity of issues around land and livelihoods in a worker-peasantry context. The conclusion emerging from this research is a contestation over the ‘land the economy and economy is land’ narrative, and argues that youth land struggles are not necessarily struggles for livelihoods, particularly among worker-peasants.