As the euphoria surrounding the achievement of independence and the ending of eight years of war dies down, the new Government of Zimbabwe is faced with a whole range of social and economic problems, some directly related to the war, some resulting from decades of economic policies which in practice neglected the needs of the black majority. Critical issues include land reform, employment, the distribution of wealth and income and the need to expand basic social services to the rural poor. Already tensions and conflicts are surfacing in relation to the speed with which change can be effected and in the difficult task of policy implementation.