Land disputes in the southern province of Zambia: a case of the Kafue flats 1890 – 1964.

This study reconstructs a history of land disputes on the Kafue Flats of Zambia. It covers the period between 1890 and 1964.
The study begins by giving an historical overview of traditional land tenure focusing on the kinds of land rights and land use rules that existed among the egalitarian societies of the Kafue Flats on the eve of colonial take over. Thereafter, a detailed description of colonial land administration up to 1964 is given. Here, the study shows that colonial intrusion; that is British colonisation that began in 1890, radically modified the land tenure system on Kafue Flats. The study also argues that the customary tenure system that guided the administration of land in native reserves was a colonial formation. Later, the study investigates the causes of land disputes. It establishes that there were a lot of causative factors to land disputes on the Kafue Flats. These included among others alienation of land, creation and institutionalisation of traditional authorities, creation of administrative district boundaries, game ordinances, fishing activities, population and animal increases. The study ends with an examination of interventionist measures undertaken by the colonial state to deal with the persistent problem of land disputes.