Zimbabwe's collapse fuelled by government mismanagement

ZIMBABWE, once a prosperous and agriculturally rich nation in southern Africa, experienced one of the most devastating national collapses in modern history, driven largely by government mismanagement, corruption and repression.

- NEWTON TAPIWA MPOFU | UK

The crisis began in the early 2000s when President Robert Mugabe's administration launched a fast-track land reform program aimed at redistributing land from white commercial farmers to black Zimbabweans.

Though rooted in the desire to correct colonial-era injustices, the execution of the programme was chaotic and often violent.

Productive farms were seized and handed over to political allies with little farming knowledge, causing the agricultural sector to collapse. As a result, Zimbabwe went from being a regional food exporter to struggling with widespread hunger and extreme poverty.