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Download/Documents/112000/Afr460342002en.Pdf Amnesty International Report, (2012) COPYRIGHT AND CITATION CONSIDERATIONS FOR THIS THESIS/ DISSERTATION o Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use. o NonCommercial — You may not use the material for commercial purposes. o ShareAlike — If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you must distribute your contributions under the same license as the original. How to cite this thesis Surname, Initial(s). (2012). Title of the thesis or dissertation (Doctoral Thesis / Master’s Dissertation). Johannesburg: University of Johannesburg. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/102000/0002 (Accessed: 22 August 2017). Post-Colonial Violence in Zimbabwe: Investigating The Significance of Peacebuilding Programmes Premised on Civilian Survival Strategies, 1980-2015 by Darlington Mutanda 216030029 Thesis Submitted in Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor Litterarum et Philosophiae in Politics and International Relations in the Department of Politics and International Relations of the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Johannesburg Supervised by Professor Cheryl Hendricks November 2019 Affidavit ABSTRACT Zimbabwe underwent periods of politically-motivated violence between 1980 and 2015. The aim of this study is to articulate the utility of the civilian survival strategy model and its significance in both addressing past injustices and reducing the recurrence of political violence in Zimbabwe. This thesis argues that Zimbabwe needs reconciliation through people-centred peacebuilding (PCP) that takes into account civilian survival strategies (CSS). The CSS used in this study are flight, silence, voice and joining the perpetrators of violence. CSS aid in identifying, from the perspective of the victims and even witnesses, the aspects that need to be built into the reconciliation process in Zimbabwe, and how these can enable reconciliation to take place. The CSS model demonstrated that the citizens wanted reconciliation to be effected through truth- telling, ending political violence, eliminating structural factors that lead to political violence, tolerance and the mending of relationships. These aspects provided the basis for understanding the rationality of people-centred peacebuilding inspired by CSS. What fundamentally emerges is that PCP is largely inspired by CSS. This study further discusses why reconciliation failed to happen between 1980 and 2015 and contends that for one to appreciate the practicalities and challenges of reconciliation in Zimbabwe, the interests of both the citizens and the state have to be factored in. Any model of peacebuilding has to take into account the competing realities of interests and power. This approach helps in explaining why reconciliation was difficult to attain not only in Zimbabwe but also in other conflict-ridden countries and those emerging from it. Keywords: Civilian Strategy, People-Centred Peacebuilding, Conflict Transformation, Reconciliation, Political Violence, Competing Interests, Tolerance, Pan-Africanism iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am grateful to Professor Cheryl Hendricks for her insightful criticisms and input. I came up with a research idea that she converted into PhD material. Hendricks expeditiously took me through the field of peacebuilding and enlightened me on how my topic could be made to fit in that discipline. The result was the production of this work. Thank you Prof for your guidance, wisdom, compassion and diligence. In addition, the University of Johannesburg Department of Politics and International Relations, the Faculty of Humanities and International Admissions were very helpful from the outset until the completion of this thesis. Overall, the whole UJ community was simply fantastic. I also want to thank the University of Zimbabwe for their resources I used in writing this thesis. I want to particularly single out the Women’s Law Centre for providing students with an ideal study environment. The personnel operating the place were exceptional. The Main Library Government Publications section has also been phenomenal since the days I was doing my Master’s degree. Cassian Bhema and Mostert Mutekwa and their families granted me exceptional hospitality during my visits to South Africa. No words can express my gratitude. Continue with that spirit of camaraderie! Your efforts were not in vain. I would like to applaud the informants for taking their time to share with me their thoughts on how to make Zimbabwe a peaceful country. My family, relatives, colleagues and friends, thank you very much for your huge support. My father, Mr Grey, I salute you for always encouraging me to aim higher. Mother’s love cannot be mentioned. Kudos to my wife Eliza and our two kids Miri and Mia for finally understanding that eight o’clock is not too late to get home when doing research. May God bless you abundantly. DEDICATION To all peace loving Zimbabweans. Do not despair in your struggle for peace. v TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT .............................................................................................................................................. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................................................................... iv DEDICATION ............................................................................................................................................ v ABBREVIATIONS ...................................................................................................................................... x CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................. 1 1.1 BACKGROUND TO THE RESEARCH PROBLEM .................................................................................. 1 1.1.1 THE EMPIRICAL SETTING: PEACEBUILDING IN ZIMBABWE ....................................................... 3 1.2 RESEARCH PROBLEM...................................................................................................................... 4 1.3 RESEARCH OBJECTIVES................................................................................................................... 5 1.4 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ............................................................................................................ 5 1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE RESEARCH ................................................................................................... 7 1.6 LITERATURE REVIEW ...................................................................................................................... 9 1.6.1 RECONCILIATION IN ZIMBABWE ............................................................................................ 10 1.6.2 RECONCILIATION IN AFRICA .................................................................................................. 16 1.7 THESIS STRUCTURE ...................................................................................................................... 25 1.8 CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................................... 26 CHAPTER TWO: AN OVERVIEW OF KEY CONCEPTS AND THEORISATION ................................................. 28 2.1 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................... 28 2.2 CONFLICT ..................................................................................................................................... 28 2.3 PEACEBUILDING ........................................................................................................................... 32 2.3.1 KEY PEACEBUILDING ACTIVITIES ................................................................................................ 36 2.3.2 TYPES OF VIOLENCE ADDRESSED BY PEACEBUILDING ............................................................ 41 2.4 RECONCILIATION ......................................................................................................................... 42 2.4.1 DEFINITION AND AIMS OF RECONCILIATION .......................................................................... 42 2.4.2 ACTORS IN THE RECONCILIATION PROCESS ........................................................................... 44 2.4.3 APPROACHES TO RECONCILIATION ........................................................................................ 45 2.5 THEORY OF CONFLICT TRANSFORMATION ................................................................................... 50 2.6 CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................................... 54 CHAPTER THREE: MASSACRE AND IMPUNITY: THE ENDURING LEGACIES OF GUKURAHUNDI AND OPPOSITION TO AUTHORITARIANISM (1982-1998) ................................................................................ 55 vi 3.1 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................... 55 3.2 THE SECURITY SITUATION AFTER INDEPENDENCE AND THE GOVERNMENT’S RESPONSES ............ 56 3.2.1 THE WHITES’ THREAT ............................................................................................................ 56 3.2.2 THE RENAMO THREAT AND THE ROLE OF SOUTH AFRICA .....................................................
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