Discursive Constructs of the Sabhuku Land Deals in Zimbabwe: A Conflict-Prevention Analytical Perspective

Abstract

The principal aim of this inquiry is to analyse how village heads (Sabhuku) shape conflict-preventive land governance in rural Zimbabwe. Specifically, it interrogates the tensions that arise when lineage-based authority, oral memory, and reciprocal obligations intersect only loosely with statutory frameworks, creating gaps that can compromise security of tenure and heighten the risk of boundary or inheritance disputes. Guided by discursive institutionalism, legal pluralism and conflict theory, the research adopts a qualitative case-study design, drawing on document analysis, participant observation and semi-structured interviews with villagers, traditional leaders and district officials in Mashonaland West province. Evidence shows that the Sabhuku’s culturally resonant mediation often delivers swift, low-cost settlements and nurtures social harmony, yet opaque decision-making, selective favouritism and limited record-keeping fuel perceptions of bias and legal ambiguity. The study concludes that durable peace and equitable land administration demand integrative reforms that formally recognise Sabhuku allocations, introduce transparent oversight and cultivate community-led capacity-building to harmonise customary practices with statutory frameworks.

Keywords: Customary practices, Sabhuku, Conflict prevention, Legal pluralism, Discursive institutionalism, Land governance.

DOI: 10.7176/PPAR/15-3-03

Publication date: July 30^th 2025