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. PhD. (Chemistry)/ M.Sc. (Physics)/ M.A. (Philosophy)/M.Com. (Finance) etc. [Unpublished]: University of Johannesburg. Retrieved from: https://ujcontent.uj.ac.za/vital/access/manager/Index?site_name=Research%20Output (Accessed: Date). THE NATIONALIST DISCOURSES OF AN AFRICAN RULING PARTY: AN EXPLORATION OF ZANU-PF PRINT MEDIA ELECTION ADVERTISEMENTS FOR THE JULY 2013 ELECTIONS By Albert Chibuwe (201335899) Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of D’Litt et Phil in Communication Studies. In the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Johannesburg Supervisor: Prof. Colin Chasi Co-supervisor: Prof. Nathalie Hyde-Clarke Submission Date: i ABSTRACT Post-2000 Zimbabwe has been characterised by massive political contestations mainly between the Zimbabwe African National Union Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) government and the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC). The struggle for power has oftentimes been nasty and brutal. ZANU-PF largely accuses the MDC of being ‘puppets’ of the British and Americans whilst MDC accuses ZANU-PF of ‘dictatorship’. This rivalry has largely been more pronounced during election periods where it takes place through, among others, political advertisements, music and election rallies. Despite the centrality of political advertising in this contest, there has been little study of political advertising in Zimbabwe. Many of the studies of Zimbabwean elections and ZANU-PF discourse focused on media coverage of elections, official speeches, music and alleged use of violence by ZANU-PF to retain power. But these studies of ZANU-PF discourse have tended to either be uncritically pro-ZANU-PF or anti-ZANU-PF (Moore, 2012). This is a result of scholars’ abysmal and inappropriate application of Western theory in African contexts. It is equally a result of post-colonial theory’s re-inscription of that which it seeks to undo. The study proposes utilising a multi-theoretical approach that borrows from Western theory, post-colonial theory and decolonial theory in the study ZANU-PF advertisements. It employs thematic analysis, critical discourse analysis and semiotic analysis. The study found out that ZANU-PF discourse is fluid and context-specific; borrows from the present, past and future and is not always about the liberation struggle. It also established that ZANU-PF only engaged the MDC-T and ignored smaller parties and refrained from attack advertising. Finally, Robert Mugabe, the ZANU-PF leader and presidential candidate, was a key component of ZANU-PF’s electoral product. Interestingly, from the findings, the study concludes that; the predominance of Mugabe’s images is not a sign of the personalisation and patriarchal nature of Zimbabwean politics; comparative advertising and negative advertising are central political advertising tactics in post-colonial contexts such as Zimbabwe as much as in established democracies. The study, some of whose sections have already been published (see Chibuwe 2013), suggests the need for a new theory in the reading of the ZANU-PF discourse. ii DECLARATION I, Albert Chibuwe (201335899), declare that this dissertation is my original work and has not been previously submitted to any other university. iii DEDICATION This thesis is dedicated to my wife, Mildred Sibonile Konke and daughter, Tinotenda Thabiso Chibuwe. For my brothers and sisters, the two people who gave birth to me (my parents) and all the Chibuwes. This is for you, vana Chihwa! iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Many thanks to the Almighty God without whose mercy nothing is possible. I came to Egoli in search of knowledge. I saw. And many a time the task at hand looked insurmountable. I almost quit. But thanks to the patience and guidance of my supervisors, Prof. Colin Chasi and Prof. Nathalie Hyde-Clarke, today you are reading this document. I will forever be grateful to my supervisors without whose guidance this thesis would not have seen the light of day. Thank you! Prof Chasi; many a time when the going got tough the temptation to pack my bags threatened to get the better of me but you encouraged me to keep going. Thank you! I would also like to thank my wife Mildred Sibonile and daughter Tinotenda Thabiso who bore the brunt of my study-induced absences and late home-comings. You are my pillars of strength. My gratitude goes also to my parents who taught me the value of education from a tender age. This was the greatest inheritance you ever bequeathed me. To my siblings – Ereck and his wife, amainini amai Anesu; Mike and his wife, amainini amai Primrose; Andrew and Cashington – I say thank you for making me feel at home when I first ventured into Egoli in search of knowledge at the University of Johannesburg. You guys gave me a soft landing such that whenever I was in Jozi, it was home away from home. Keep up the spirit my brothers and sisters-in-law. May the Almighty Lord bless you abundantly! To my younger brother Patson, I say thank you for always holding the fort whenever I was away from home; and to my sisters Sencia and Linda and brother George (Baba Kiki), I say thanks for the moral support. It is most appreciated. To my mzaya Darlington Chingosho and his wife amai Nashe, I say thank you vazaya for always giving me a roof over my head and logistical assistance on the several occasions I came to Harare for the visas and on many other occasions. v And to mukoma CK, I knew I could always count on you whenever I needed your assistance to make things happen during the course of my study. Thank you. To my employers Midlands State University (MSU), I say thank you for granting me permission to study while retaining the job. My sincere and heartfelt gratitude go to my colleagues in the Department of Media and Society Studies at MSU, especially Dr. Lyton ‘A’ Lakat’ Ncube and Oswelled Ureke who usually acted as my sounding boards and initial readers of my chapters before submitting them to my supervisors for marking. Your incisive comments were always invaluable. Thank you Cdes! Ngazvirambe zvakadaro! Thank you to the chairperson of the Media and Society Studies department, Mr Mugari, for always granting me the permission to travel whenever study called. To my colleagues; Prof. Nhamo Mhiripiri, Mai Muromo, Mai Ndawana etc., thank you for the moral support and the critical reflections on Zimbabwe – you were always ready to share with me in many a conversation. To the rest of my colleagues in the department, I say thank you a lot, colleagues! vi TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION ......................................................................................................................... iii DEDICATION............................................................................................................................. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................................................... v CHAPTER ONE: THE NEED FOR POLITICAL......................................................................... 1 ADVERTISING RESEARCH IN ZIMBABWE ............................................................................ 1 1.1 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................ 1 1.2 POST-2000 ZIMBABWEAN POLITICAL CONTEXT............................................................... 7 1.3 POLITICAL COMMUNICATION STUDIES ............................................................................ 11 1.4 LESSONS FROM ZIMBABWE POST-2000 .......................................................................... 14 1.5 STRUCTURE OF THE THESIS .............................................................................................. 16 1.6 CONCLUSION .......................................................................................................................... 19 CHAPTER TWO: MEDIA AND POLITICAL COMMUNICATION IN COLONIAL AND POST- COLONIAL ZIMBABWE – A LIBERAL, CRITICAL POLITICAL ECONOMY AND POST- COLONIAL CRITIQUE............................................................................................................ 22 2.1 INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................................... 22 2.2 THE MEDIA, POLITICAL COMMUNICATION AND DEMOCRACY: A LIBERAL CRITIQUE ............................................................................................................................ 23 2.3 THE MEDIA AS POLITICAL ACTORS: A CRITIQUE OF THE LIBERAL VIEW OF MEDIA’S ROLE IN DEMOCRACY ..................................................................................... 31 2.4 THE MEDIA AS POLITICAL AND/OR IDEOLOGICAL TOOLS OF THE ELITE: A CRITIQUE ............................................................................................................................ 36 2.5 THE POLITICAL ECONOMY OF THE ZIMBABWEAN MEDIA: FROM COLONIAL TO POST-COLONIAL ...............................................................................................................