Narratives of the Zimbabwe Crisis, National Sovereignty, and Human and Media Rights Violations

Abstract

The last Presidential election in Zimbabwe held on July 30, 2013, while declared free and fair by regional election observers from the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) and the African Union (AU), was however vehemently opposed by the main opposition party-the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) as marred by election rigging and manipulations. Zimbabwe has been in crisis now for more than a decade, experiencing disputed elections marred by allegations of vote rigging and violence. As a result, sanctions were imposed on the country and, in particular, the Zimbabwean leadership associated with the ruling Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU PF) led by President Robert Mugabe by countries and regional groupings like the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, and the European Union. The regime was accused of systematic human rights violations and abuse, disrespect of the rule of law and rigging of elections, bad governance, and gross corruption. Efforts to make the United Nation’s Security Council pass punitive measures on the Zimbabwean government failed, as such were vetoed by China, Russia, and the African representatives.