At Independence in 1980 the government of Prime Minister Mugabe was faced with the

challenges of restructuring the inherited colonial economic and social imbalances that had
been caused by the colonial regime. In trying to address the imbalances , the government faced
many challenges as they had inherited the Lancaster Constitution which was prescriptive
especially on the land issue hence making it difficult to address the imbalances hence Mugabe`s
government only succeeded to a larger extent in solving these imbalances.

The government of Zimbabwe after independence was faced with challenges of addressing the
problem of freedom of speech, assembly and press. The government also inherited economic
debts from the Rhodesia front government, and was expected to continue paying out pension
to the 2nd world war veterans who lived in Zimbabwe ,the majority of whom where whites. This
was a challenge since this required a lot of money. The civil service was characterized with
salary discrepancies due to racial imbalances. Blacks could not compete with whites in
business. Education and health facilities for blacks were far much behind than those of the
whites .Worse still was the marginalization of women in all affairs of the state. It is under this
background that the government introduced reform in the economy and social structure.
However it proved to be a difficult task to achieve.

The government restored the freedoms of association , press assembly , speech and many
others .These were extended to all races in trying to reconcile all people of Zimbabwe and
provide national healing to the war torn nation. This helped to ease the tempers among the
jittery white community who had feared an imminent racial war. Efforts were made to improve
the life of the underprivileged groups , notably workers , women and the disabled .Rights of
women were recognized , promoted and protected. Discrimination in all its manifestations was
outlawed .

Educational reforms were introduced in post independence Zimbabwe. In 1980 , ZANU (PF)
promised to establish free and compulsory primary and secondary education for all children in
Zimbabwe .In this regard free education was difficult to attain as pupils were required to pay
tuition fees and levies in most urban schools. The levies were actually stupendous and proved
to be impediments to the provisions of free education .By the year 2000 Tertiary education had
had some of its departments privatized like food and accommodation therefore students were
required to pay due to the deteriorating economy Auret (1990) .The existence of streetkids by
year 2000 also is an indictment against any claim that education in Zimbabwe was ever free and
compulsory.

Schools were built in both rural and urban centers mostly in areas that lagged behind in terms
of infrastructural development. The government introduced the Zimbabwe Integrated Teacher
Education Course (ZINTEC) programme , crash course which trained primary school teachers .
Hot sitting in schools was introduced to accommodate large numbers of pupils .Expanded
tertiary education was launched through the establishment of polytechnics, universities and
colleges. It sent science teachers to Cuba and offered scholarships, bursaries and grants to
students Zvobgo (1986).

The government also introduced upper top schools in rural areas which made secondary
schools accessible. Booklets and pamphlets were made available in the schools provided by the
curriculum development unit . Zimscience kits were made in schools .Adult literacy was also
launched . According to Mackenzie ( 1988) There was a marked increase in the enrolment in
schools which was a positive more against Smith regime`s bottle –neck pyramid education
system. In 1979 a total of 885 801 were enrolled in primary and secondary schools ,that
number has increased by 73,3% to 2 159 288 in 3 years and by 1986 total enrolment was nearly
3 million .It must be noted that according to Dr Mutumbuka`s positive and forceful approach to
the functions of this ministry certainly produced remarkable quantitative results. Besides
providing educational opportunities for hundreds of thousands of children who would never
otherwise have attended school ,his policies also encouraged children to stay in school.
Therefore not only did Zimbabwean administration improve initial access to school education at
both the primary entrance point and the secondary school threshold ,but it had also enhanced
opportunities for pupils to progress through the school system. Hence educational reforms
were success to a larger extent.
There was introduction of free health delivery to pregnant women and children under five
years. This reduced infant mortality rate. More hospitals were build, a hospital in every district
especially in areas that had no mission hospitals. However during the ESAP period from 1990
the health delivery services plunged into darkness due to the economic problems that were
faced by the nation. According to Mlambo (2014) Public expenditure on health care declined by
39 percent in 1994-95, while per capita annual spending declined from $58 in 1990-91 to 36 in
1995-96, leading to what came to be known as ESAP deaths. These were the deaths of poor
people who could not afford medicines due to the cost recovery policies under ESAP.This led to
stagnantation of public health sector whilst there was a growth in the private sector which was
obviously unreachable to the majority who were earning low wages

To curb the problems of being underpaid during colonial era, the government set a minimum
wage for all categories of workers with a view a view of providing a living wage. Workers were
encouraged to form worker’s committees at their work places in order to bargain for better
working conditions. The trade union movement strengthened through legislation. According to
Mlambo (2014) the 1980 minimum wages Act, enabling government to periodically set
minimum wages for workers.....the employment Act of 1980,protecting the workers from
arbitrary dismissal by employers, as well as the 1985 labour relations Act which spelt out the
rights of workers’ unions.

Government also decreed measures to protect and promote women and their interests as they
were marginalized during the colonial period. Rights of women were protected and promoted.
A ministry of women ‘s affairs was set up in 1980,which oversaw the implementation of the
1982 legal age of majority Act, giving both sexes majority statuses at the age of 18 years. This
was done to correct the colonial dispensation under which women were regarded as minors
who could not enter into a legal contract in their own right but always needed the permission
of a male guardian, even in some cases ,the male guardian was their own child Mlambo
(2014)Women were in 1991 allowed to buy immovable property on their own without their
husbands’ consent .However this did not mean government had actually achieved gender
equality as women were still shortchanged, until many organizations promoted that stood for
women’s recognition in society and parliament

There was need to redress the inequalities in land ownership, which predated
independence,and and were the most paramount reason for the outbreak of the liberation
struggle, and the subsequent Lancaster house negotiations . At independence the average
commercial white farm was 3000 hectares while that of a black communal farmer was 20
hectares . Hence the white settlers occupied the largest no of hectarage of farms yet they were
a minority . It must be noted that the whites occupied the most fertile soils .In this regard after
independence the government faced many problems as the white farmers were not willing to
relinguish their land. On the other hand the Lancaster constitution stated that land would
acquired after ten years through the willing buyer willing seller basis with the British
government footing the bill . By 1983 the government had not reached its target on resettling
people. According to Sachikonye (2003) the failure to achieve the projected settlement target
was due to resources constraints and limited political will. Another scholar , Thomas (2003)
points out that the other reason for the failure to meet the target was caused by the white
farmers who pegged the most lucrative prices for their properties in line with the willing buyer
willing seller .

However in the 1990s there was there was less urgency attached to resolving the land question
. This was perplexing in view of the earlier impetus ,and the expiry of the restrictive clauses of
the Lancaster house constitution in 1990 .Although two legal developments in the form of a
Land Acquisition Act (1992) and the 14th constitutional amendment were passed during this
period ,there was still little political will and momentum for land reform according to
Sachikonye (2003).The final phase of the land reform came in February 2000 in the form of the
Fast track land reform.Sachikonye (2003) has convincingly argued that what made the
government embark on a fast track land reform was not necessarily the frustration with the
slow pace of land reform and inadequate financing .Rather it was the fact that the ruling party
,ZANU PF having lost in the February 2000 referendum for a new constitution , feared that such
a duplicated in the upcoming June parliamemtary elections . Therefore ,judging from the
outcome ,it is valid argument to assert that the first twenty years of land reform and
resettlement were slow but consistent, achieving limited but definite results.The latter stage
,however was disastrous and the country moved from being a bread basket of SADC to a
perennial beggar surviving on donor handouts.

Economically the government had made some inroads in the first decade of independence but
these did not last long. The economy went through the negative effects of the drought of 1987
and 1992. IMF and World Bank compelled the government to introduce ESAP which also
brought devastating results .Many companies and industries closed down and many workers
were laid off .This five year developmental plan led to the removal of price control on essential
goods and commodities. According to Mlambo (2014) the result of ESAP was permanent
joblessness ,hopelessness ,and economic insecurity for the majority and the mortgaging of
Zimbabwe ”s economy to foreign capital .By enforcing the privatization of state owned
enterprises such as Grain marketing board , it meant that the government was forced to sell off
or close down many outlying depots as well as halt many construction of silos countrywide
leading to increased unemployment in the rural areas.

The government introduced Basic Commodity Supply Side Intervention (BACCOSI) programme.
Collective free bargaining for wages was introduced and employers were given permission to
hire and fire employees with little government interferences .According to Saunders (2000)
although the country did well economically , it did not escape the problems of neo-colonialism
.foreign aid and loans forced local authorities to modify their programmes in line with
conditions imposed by donors. In 1997 the government introduced ( ZIMPREST ) ,The
Zimbabwe Programme For Economic and Social Transformation to replace ESAP. This was
done to reduce budget deficits and increase private sector participation in the economy.
However ZIMPREST was also a failure just like ESAP .According to Bracking (1999) like ESAP
before it, ZIMPREST failed to deliver on all its targets. The government ”s decision to
compensate the war veterans added problems to the economy. According to Mlambo (2014)
compounding the country`s economic problems in the late 1990s were two fateful decisions, in
November 1997 to award a lump sum of fifty thousand dollars to the veterans of the liberation
struggle and later to deploy Zimbabwean soldiers into the Democratic Republic of Congo to
defend Kabila regime. This further strained the economic development as it was not budgeted
for.

Therefore the government managed to do away with the racial imbalances in the socio-
economic organization of Zimbabwe after independence though there were challenges due to
neo colonialism .Hence up to year 2000 there were successful to a greater extent in solving the
imbalances in the social life of Zimbabweans .In the economy it was to a lesser extent as land
had not been redistributed and most industries were in the hands of the white minority.