Routledge Studies in African Development

"This book provides refreshing reading about the intricacies of economic dualism, a pattern observed in most Southern African countries. Based on his expert knowledge of labour markets Daniel Ndlela offers new insights on how to envisage structural transformation under such difficult circumstances. By addressing the land question from a class perspective, he also adds to the debate of the historical and sociological dimensions of current ownership tensions, allowing convincing comparisons with similar realities in other parts of the world." - Carlos Lopes, Professor, Nelson Mandela School of Public Governance, University of Cape Town; 8th Executive Secretary, UN Economic Commission for Africa (2012-2016)

"Economic Dualism in Zimbabwe provides useful insights into the often-ignored and understudied historical complexities of political economies in post-independent African states. The dualistic nature of the economy of Zimbabwe as well as that of its neighbouring country, South Africa, is not accidental. Nevertheless, the author aptly and persuasively argues that while economic dualism was a colonial design, the post-independent African state embraced and continued with the colonial dualistic structures as the 'new normal, while loudly blaming colonialism and imperialism for having planted and perpetrated this form of underdevelopment'. Zimbabwe is presented as a classical case but the same blame game is observable in other post-independent African states. Therefore, the book is a must read for scholars and policymakers wishing to have an informed understanding of the trajectory of post-independent political economies such as Zimbabwe and South Africa, in particular." - Daniel Makina, Professor, University of South Africa