Women's Land Rights in Tanzania and South Africa: A Human Rights Based Perspective on Formalisation

Securing land and property rights in sub-Saharan Africa: The role of local institutions

“…On the death of a spouse, women usually cannot inherit the matrimonial home, a matter of growing concern given high death rates from AIDS in much of the continent. Women's rights are often affirmed unequivocally in constitutions, but customary law in which they do not have equal rights usually prevails on the ground (Kaarhus et al, 2005).…”

Challenges and methodological flaws in reporting the global land rush: observations from Tanzania

“…However, the way that the case is reported should not imply that the company BioShape is still active. The Oakland Institute (2011a), probably referring to a figure obtained in Kaarhus et al (2010), lists the Swedish company EcoEnergy (formerly SEKAB) as active in a process to acquire 200,000 ha in Rufiji District while according to indications from our sources (Rufiji District Natural Resources Officer interviewed by Sulle in November 2012, company manager interviewed by Locher in 2010, Agro EcoEnergy Tanzania Ltd 2013), the company - with full name Agro EcoEnergy Tanzania Ltd. -has been focusing on developing its land plots in the district of Bagamoyo since around 2010, and there do not seem to be more plans for securing land in Rufiji District at the time of writing. Nevertheless, news on the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD) website in November 2011 stated that 'SEKAB has already planted 20,000 ha in Tanzania's coastal region and has plans to expand this to 400,000 ha' (Chinweze et al 2011, para.…”

“…We define these as data collected by an author or authors based on materials from involved government offices (e.g. Kaarhus et al 2010 use a table on companies involved in biofuels by the Ministry of Energy and Minerals) or information from interviews with involved government officials, local key persons or representatives of the investing company, or direct observations in the field. Secondary data (data from reports quoting other publications) are not included in our tables.…”

“…RUBADA is currently looking for a new investor for this area (RUBADA official, personal communication by . Friis and Reenberg (2010), Kaarhus et al (2010) and FAO (2012) all list a project from the Dutch company BioShape, which ceased its activities in Tanzania in 2009 and went bankrupt in 2010 (Chachage andBaha 2010, Valentino 2011). Of course, reporting the deal is justified, as there had been a land acquisition process and initial activities were implemented; implications for local people might still be relevant (particularly if the project is to be continued by a future new owner, see Valentino 2011).…”

Formalisation of land rights in the South: An overview

“…This glosses over very important distinctions in how property is accessed, held, and governed, ranging from stolen goods at one end of the spectrum, through unauthorised possession, to organic and smoothly operating customary institutions with high degrees of security on the other (see, e.g. Payne, 2001;Cleaver, 2003;Kaarhus et al, 2005).…”