Land Apportionment Act (1931)

White family planting tobacco in Rhodesia 1958 at their family farm.

• After deliberation of the Morris Carter Commission in 1925, it was agreed that land in Zimbabwe be divided into three areas
• Whites got prime land which was 51% of the total land
• Africans onwed about 30% of the land but it was in less productive areas
• Africans were given reserves and Native Purchase Scheme
• The only way Africans could own land was either through a collective trust called Tribal Trust Lands (TTL) or Native Purchase Areas
• This Act was passed in 1931 and was racist and segregatory in nature
• Africans were restricted from acquiring prime land by this law
• Very few Africans could access the capital funds needed to buy large pieces of land available to them in the Native Purchase areas
• The European got areas in the uplands with higher rainfall and thinner soil
• These areas were optimal for large scale, mechanized farming and included mainly irrigated areas and very large scale foreign owned ranches
• Africans became permanent workers on European farms
• The Act paved way for more racist and colonial policies to consolidate the powers over land

To access more topics go to the History Notes page.