Kindheartedness Invites Betrayal: Oral Testimony Regarding the Land Dispute between Two Village Heads in Gutu District, Zimbabwe

Abstract

Like capital and labour, land is a prized resource, and where the land is inherited from one’s predecessors, it is held with reverence and is of particular significance to its inheritors. A situation involving land lies at the heart of a dispute between two village heads in Gutu district, Zimbabwe, the account of which is based on oral testimonies given by elderly members of the village which offered temporary shelter to a group of land seekers. The events recounted occurred during the late 1950s and early 1960s. Data was gathered through oral interviews and focus group discussions, supported by observations. Detailed interviews were conducted with the aggrieved village head as well as the former and current chief. Other elderly village members were also interviewed, and some were involved in the group discussions. The study revealed among other things the absence of tangible records pertaining to village boundaries, the lack of authority of the chief’s rulings, and the prevalence of corruption in the settlement of land disputes. Some focused deductions are made regarding possible outcomes of a pending court verdict. A number of recommendations are suggested with the aim of assisting in the resolution of similar land disputes in Zimbabwe