IN ZIMBABWE, HOPE GIVES WAY TO DISAPPOINTMENT AS MNANGAGWA REVERTS TO MUGABE-ERA AUTHORITARIANISM.

By Nokutula Mhene, Roland Ngam & Rebone Tau ANALYSIS 12 / 08 / 2020

IN ZIMBABWE, HOPE GIVES WAY TO DISAPPOINTMENT AS MNANGAGWA REVERTS TO MUGABE-ERA AUTHORITARIANISM. NOKUTULA MHENE, ROLAND NGAM & REBONE TAU

forces shut down shops and arrested activists while President Mnangagwa and ZANU-PF spokesman held press conferences to warn that all those who dared take to the streets would be dealt with harshly. This event was just an extra layer of unrest in an already tough season of strikes and protests organised by various trade unions.

Is has not really come as any surprise to those who have come up against the ZANU-PF in the past that Mnangagwa is reverting to Mugabe-era tactics to maintain control over the country. After the liberation struggle, followed by decades of working closely with the state’s coercive apparatus to govern Zimbabwe, violence has become a deeply ingrained part of the A defiant Chin’ono raises his fist as he is whisked away by the ZANU-PF’s managerial DNA. The “open for business” mantra police after bail hearings on July 23, 2020. is gone and nobody even talks about the socialist utopia that Source: The Africa Report (https://www.theafricareport. was promised during the liberation era anymore (O Holec, com/35715/zimbabawe-joint-statement-on-arrest-of-journalist- 2019). The hope that blossomed following Mugabe’s removal hopewell-chinono/). from power has given way to despondency, disappointment, and even confusion as those who cheered President Mnangagwa into office come grips with the fact that they were Tensions have been growing steadily in Zimbabwe since played by him and the military. Perhaps the biggest questions 2019 as a confluence of crises (health, financial and political) right now are, how did we get to this point, and perhaps more rock Mnangagwa’s administration. Hundreds of soldiers and importantly, when the Coronavirust pandemic is dealt with, will police officers were deployed to major cities in late July 2020 the ZANU-PF’s authoritarian streak give way to an atmosphere ahead of a planned march called by the president of opposition that enables the creation of an efficient, functioning Transform Zimbabwe party Jacob Ngarivhume, to draw attention bureaucracy that can help the country achieve its potential? to the country’s worsening economic situation. The security

Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung 1 An economic maelstrom activists, Joana Mamombe, Cecilia Chimbiri and Netsai Marova were abducted in June 2020, tortured and then dropped off 60 Unrest has been growing steadily in Zimbabwe since 2018 kilometres from Harare for speaking out against the state and as Mnangagwa’s promised reforms fail to materialise. ZANU-PF’s corruption and patronage networks. Unemployment currently stands at a staggering 90%, although Zimstat is adamant that only 6% of the population is Tensions were ratcheted up significantly when investigative unemployed (Zimstat counts subsistence farmers as employed journalist Chin’ono published an article on an alleged people). $60-million-dollar procurement scandal which fingered Health minister Obadiah Moyo and Mnangagwa’s son for stealing The latest iteration of the Zimbabwean dollar has collapsed Coronavirus response funds. The minister was fired, but that and people are desperate to pull their money out of financial didn’t cause public anger to subside. Hot on the heels of this institutions. The bottom fell off the currency when the publication, Nelson Chamisa ally and Transform Zimbabwe government decided to remove the 25 Zim dollars = 1USD peg leader, Jacob Ngarivhume urged the public to take to the streets rate. Runaway inflation currently stands at 737%, according on July 31, 2020 to protest against government corruption. to Bloomberg (Daily Maverick 2020). Covid-19 lockdowns and The two men were quickly picked up by security forces and curfews have prevented the majority of the population from remain behind bars ever since. Chin’ono recorded his arrest on going out to earn an income, with the obvious consequence of Facebook Live. increased hunger and vulnerability in the communities. Water shortages, falling incomes and an exodus of healthcare workers Following Chin’ono’s arrest, Justice Minister have left the poor vulnerable and exposed to Covid-19. UNICEF said that all those who were working to topple the regime, and other UN agencies are predicting that economic instability including the USA and the UK would be dealt with harshly. and erratic rainfall could push as many as eight million people His exact words to the media were that: “Anyone who goes into into food insecurity. the streets against that advice is equivalent to a terrorist … so that As Zimbabwe’s economic woes pile up, a growing number of we can deal with them accordingly…All information has been put trade unions are downing tools to demand better wages. Civil in the public domain to say that this pandemic is serious…anyone servants, including teachers, doctors and nurses have been who then disregards those regulations and exposes people to danger on on-off strikes since 2019. Junior doctors downed tools in in that manner I don’t see any reason why we cannot find a law September 2019 to demand a substantial increase on their pay. that we can use in terms of terrorism activity to deal with those They were joined by the Senior Hospital Doctors Association individuals.” (SHDA) in November. Average government doctor’s salary currently stands at just over $100 (BBC, 2020), less than half On the eve of the planned July 31 protests, ZANU-PF what a security guard earns across the border in Botswana Spokesman Patrick Chinamasa called U.S. Ambassador or South Africa. Doctors only agreed to return to work after Brian Nichols ‘a thug’. The ambassador’s crime: calling on businessman Strive Masiyiwa agreed to subsidise their salaries the Zimbabwean government to uphold free speech, respect with $300 per doctor over a few months (BBC, 2020). Over 150 freedom of association laws and freedom of the press. other doctors who went on strike in July 2020 have been fired. Even as the Zimbabwean government was abducting, torturing To quell the growing unrest, the Mnagagwa administration has and jailing activists to prevent the July 31 2020 protests from unleashed brutal crackdowns against those who dare criticise taking place, President Mnangagwa was signing a $3.5 billion the government or the president. An atmosphere of fear and deal to compensate white farmers who had lost their land intimidation has blanketed the entire nation. The Coronavirus during the fast-track land reform process. This was clearly pandemic has also been used as the perfect cover to beat the intended to convince the international community to lift opposition into submission. sanctions imposed against the Zimbabwean government during the Mugabe years. If anything, the ongoing crackdown The justice department has also approved several new factions against local press and opposition figures is ammunition of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change to sow for even more sanctions against Zimbabwe, not less, and chaos in the opposition. Three MDC parliamentarian and Chinamasa’s uncouth insults and belligerent rhetoric against

Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung 2 ‘the West’ will certainly not win the country any friends either. finally ready for economic lift-off. The Zimbabwean Communist Party has blasted Mnangagwa’s $3.5 billion deal and questioned why only white farmers are After riding a wave of unprecedented goodwill to get to the top, being considered for compensation when thousands of black Mnangagwa did all the right things in his first hundred days victims of operations Gukurahundi and Murambatsvina are yet in office. He immediately set to work, showing everyone that to hear from the government. the economy was his number one priority. He met with white farmers who had lost their farms during the Fast-track land resettlement programme and promised them compensation. How did we get here? He appointed several members of the white community in his cabinet, including Olympic medallist who got Mnangagwa is following a similar path adopted by his mentor the Sports, Arts and Recreation portfolio. He went to Davos and and predecessor, . In the 1980s and 1990s, proclaimed that Zimbabwe was open for business. The country Mugabe presided over a bloody campaign to transform needed investments and would welcome all investors with open Zimbabwe into a one-party state. He was prepared to do arms. If necessary, the 50% indigenous quotas would be waived anything necessary to outmanoeuvre opposition figures like in exchange for the right kind of investments. Mnangagwa the Zimbabwe African People’s Union’s Joshua Nkomo and also proclaimed that the nation would adopt a more tolerant the Movement for Democratic Change’s Morgan Tsvangirai approach to Civil Society Organisations and opposition parties. to ensure that ZANU-PF remained in power. Images of MDC president Morgan Tsvandirai being beaten to a pulp in the It was no secret that the palace coup had been orchestrated back of a police van in 2008 came to epitomise Mugabe’s and managed in the shadows by a faction of the ZANU-PF determination to curtail the growing popularity of the MDC. and military top brass eager to outmanoeuvre the ambitious Grace Mugabe, who had already started making power plays Despite Robert Mugabe’s removal in November 2017, the to replace her husband. A Grace Mugabe presidency would ruling ZANU-PF’s DNA remains authoritarian and repressive. probably not have changed the regime by much, but the Zanu- The party, and hence the state’s authoritarian and violent PF top brass were determined not to let anyone jump the queue nature has become its main mode of survival and reproduction. to get to their seat. So, Mnangagwa’s journey to the presidency Robert Mugabe is gone but “Mugabeism” (Helliker and Murisa was managed by ZANU-PF factions, but the vast majority of 2020) remains in place. Authoritarianism and repression Zimbabweans were willing to try something different after four of dissent have increased following the 2018 elections. In decades of Mugabe. fact, even as the results of the contested 2018 presidential elections were being announced, the BBC aired live images Zimbabweans were very patient with Mnangagwa and the of Zimbabwean police beating up opposition activists. The ZANU-PF throughout 2018. However, economic woes, beatings only stopped when the Zimbabwean government persistent currency troubles and political violence mean that realised that the images were being beamed around the world people no longer trust the ZANU-PF-led government to bring in real time. In the period following the postponement of the any meaningful change to Zimbabwe. proclamation of results, police officers and soldiers had been deployed in the major cities. Over ten people were killed as they contested the results of the elections. A solution from abroad?

President Emerson Mnangagwa was swept into office in 2017 It is difficult to envisage a solution to Zimbabwe’s numerous during the military coup-cum-popular movement which ended challenges form outside. It will ultimately fall on Zimbabweans the 93-year old Robert Mugabe’s 37-year rule. Zimbabwe to create the country they want for a number of reasons. was gripped by intoxicating euphoria when news broke that Mnangagwa had emerged from hiding and returned home. Firstly, most southern African countries are headed by The celebrations were a cathartic moment for a long-suffering liberation movements that collaborated a lot with one another nation that had patiently borne years of misrule by one of its during the struggle for independence (ANC in South Africa, founding fathers, and protesters vowed that Zimbabwe was SWAPO in Namibia and FRELIMO in Mozambique among

Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung 3 others). It is for this reason that there was a lot of deference to Mugabe when he was hanging on to power by any means necessary. Mugabe had few vocal critics and he was quick to dish out tongue lashings whenever they criticised him for his human rights record. South Africa Minister Lindiwe Zulu was dismissively referred to as “little girl” and Botswana’s Seretse Ian Khama was similarly dismissed as a puppet of the west.

Secondly, despite the challenges outlined above, there currently seems to be a lack of attention from regional actors on Zimbabwe. Besides calling for the lifting of sanctions against Zimbabwe earlier this year, South Africa has not commented on its neighbour’s domestic matters, including the police crackdowns. This is noteworthy because South Africa is also the current Chairperson of the African Union (AU) and a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council. On 23 July, the Committee to Protect Journalists urged President Cyril Ramaphosa, as AU Chairperson, to secure Chin’ono’s release, but it is unclear whether or not any diplomatic efforts have been made in this regard. South Africa’s foreign policy is based on human rights and the South African government, which played a crucial role in Zimbabwe under a mandate from SADC in the past, seems to have turned a blind eye on Zimbabwean novelist Tsitsi Dangarembga holds a placard Zimbabwe. during an anti-corruption in Harare on July 31, 2020. Source: https://www.france24.com/en/20200801-arrested- SADC is also silent on what is happening Zimbabwe. Tanzania zimbabwean-author-booker-nominee-tsitsi-dangarembga-freed is the current rotating Chairperson of SADC and Zimbabwe is the Chairperson of the Troika. Now, the AU’s principle of subsidiarity dictates that it is these two countries that have to Conclusion take the lead in solving Zimbabwe’s political impasse. However, Magafuli also has major headaches of his own (poor handling The Coronavirus pandemic has exacerbated Zimbabwe’s of the Covid-19 response and CHADEMA candidate Tundu socioeconomic and political challenges and it emerges that Lissu’s high approval ratings at election season heats up) and without immediate remedial action, the situation could get is not so interested in talking about Zimbabwe at the present even worse. The ruling ZANU-PF’s number one priority is moment…and Zimbabwe’s ZANU-PF structures will certainly reproducing itself. Proceedsfrom a few functioning areas not hold international meetings to sanction themselves. (currency speculation, game tourism, diamond sales) are used as prebends to maintain a small elite that is all too happy Thirdly, most western countries have since lost interest in to collect its share in exchange for silence. Meanwhile, the helping Zimbabwe. Western heads of mission in Harare martyrdom of the general population continues,exacerbated regularly issue statements on the local human rights situation, recently by a multi-year drought and the Coronavirus but they mostly go unheeded. Zimbabwe’s main financier, pandemic. Clearly, a number of things need to happen. China, has also run out of patience with the country’s leaders and suspended $1.3 billion worth of projects there (The Former South African president Thabo Mbeki led a SADC- Independent, 2020). In the absence of sustained regional and backed power-sharing mediation following the 2008 elections, international pressure on the Zimbabwean government, more although it was clear to everyone that Tsvangirai had won the economic hardship and police violence are likely to persist. elections. Although the opposition MDC formally joined the government, the 2008 Global Political Agreement (GPA) that

Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung 4 resulted from Mbeki’s mediation effort was never implemented Sources cited fully and SADC never followed up on it meaningfully. As the Zimbabwean economy continues to slide downwards and as BBC. 2018. Zimbabwe police ‘hunt for opposition MDC Mnangagwa continues to call for international sanctions to officials. Available at https://www.bbc.com/news/world- africa-45095833. Accessed on 2020/07/29/ be lifted, there is clear opportunity for SADC and the AU to call on Zimbabwe to fully implement the clauses of the 2008 BBC. 2020. Zimbabwe doctors end strike after billionaire’s GPA that were never rolled out, notably Article 12.1 (training of offer. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-51205619. police officers to respect freedom of association laws), Article Accessed on 2020/07/29/. 13 (upholding the impartiality of state institutions), Article 14 (upholding the impartiality of traditional leaders), Article 18 Daily Maverick. 2020. Old Mutual to Move Zimbabwe (upholding the security of persons and prevention of violence) Listing as Currency War Escalates. Available at https://www. dailymaverick.co.za/article/2020-07-27-old-mutual-to-move- and Article 19 (recognising freedom of expression). Without a zimbabwe-listing-as-currency-war-escalates/. Accessed on full implementation of its commitments, it is hard to see how 2020/07/29/ SADC and the AU can step in to help Zimbabwe mobilise the international community to support its economic recovery Jocelyn Alexander & JoAnn McGregor (2013) Introduction: plans as announced by Article 22.7 of the GPA 12 years ago. Politics, Patronage and Violence in Zimbabwe, Journal of Southern African Studies, 39:4, 749-763, DOI:10.1080/030570 70.2013.862100 Pressure should be brought to bear on regional organisations, including SADC and the AU to lobby the Zimbabwean Musgrave, M. and Wong, S. (2016). Towards a More Nuanced government to release political prisoners and stop harassing Theory of Elite Capture in Development Projects. The those who oppose the regime. The international community, Importance of Context and Theories of Power. Journal of especially regional power, South Africa, need to do more to Sustainable Development, 9(3) highlight the martyrdom of the Zimbabwean people in recent Otakar HULEC. (2019). The Development of an Authoritarian times. Very often, the ruling ZANU PF is more concerned Regime in Zimbabwe from 1980 to the present day. Asian & by what is published in international media than what the African Studies (13351257) already constricted local media does. For this reason, more partnerships are needed between progressive forces concerned Kirk Helliker & Tendai Murisa (2020) Zimbabwe: continuities and changes,Journal of Contemporary African Studies, 38:1, about Zimbabwe’s plight and those who continue to champion 5-17, DOI: 10.1080/02589001.2020.1746756 the cause of freedom and democracy within Zimbabwe’s borders. Relief Web. 2005. Zimbabwe: “Operation Murambatsvina” - An overview and summary. Available at https://reliefweb. int/report/zimbabwe/zimbabwe-operation-murambatsvina- overview-and-summary. Accessed on 2020/07/29/

Simon Badza (2008) Zimbabwe’s 2008 elections and their implications for Africa, African Security Studies, 17:4, 1-16, DOI: 10.1080/10246029.2008.9627493

The Independent. 2020. Chinese Suspend US$1.3 Bn Projects. Available at https://www.theindependent.co.zw/2019/10/24/ chinese-suspend-us13bn-projects/. Accessed on 2020/07/29/

Zenda, C. 2019. Who is behind the spate of activist abductions in Zimbabwe? Available at: https://www.trtworld.com/ magazine/who-is-behind-the-spate-of-activist-abductions-in- zimbabwe-30433. Accessed on 2020/07/29/

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