The main reason for unrest and violence in Zimbabwe in recent years is due to

The principal cause of unrest and violence in Zimbabwe has been the contested land-reform process. Colonial-era dispossession left a small white minority holding much of the fertile land while many Black peasants were land-poor, creating a deep historical grievance that underpinned later conflicts [1]. The chaotic Fast-Track Land Reform beginning around 2000 — involving forcible farm seizures and violent invasions — was meant to redress this but produced widespread violence, politicised redistributions benefiting party loyalists, and international backlash that worsened the crisis [2]. Subsequent mismanagement and politicisation of land policy contributed substantially to Zimbabwe’s political and economic collapse and large-scale social unrest [3].

Sources

1. [1] Political Theory, Class XI (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 6: Citizenship > LET'S THINK > p. 89
2. [2] https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c3d15lx10k1o
3. [3] https://cws.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/_/Zimbabwe%20Hot%20Topic.pdf