The Educational Corner: Reading on Zimbabwe to Find Pathways for Stability, Transformation and Peace in the Post-Mugabe Period

Abstract

On November 13, 2017, the Zimbabwe National Army intervened to launch Operation Restore Legacy, which was brought an end on December 18. The operation resulted in the resignation of former President Robert Mugabe on November 22 and the installment of Emmerson Mnangagwa as President of Zimbabwe on November 24. Elections are on track for and schedule to take place in 2018. Zimbabwe is important because of the role it plays within the region and the global transformation taking place among the communist parties across the globe. It is within that context that this educational piece is written. Part one examines religion, ethnicity, tribalism, and identity politics. Identity politics are at the heart but not the cause of the challenges facing Zimbabwe. As the existing literature highlights, Zimbabwe is multicultural, multilingual, multi-religious, and has diverse ethnic and racial groups. Yet, the national narratives put forward have tended to exclude rather than include the others, and the political parties and politicians have used the politics of exclusion and division to their benefit rather than for the people. Part two looks more closely at the game played by the two dominant political parties, namely the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) and the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) and the nature of political fragmentation along the religious, ethno-tribal, geographical (urban/rural), and generational cleavages. It concludes that focusing on and blaming the so-called “other” will not bring about transformation, stability and peace. Rather, the keys to them requires a focus on issue areas as the point for discussion, and from that strategies for transformation, stability and peace can be developed. Finally, part three looks more closely at transformation, stability and peace, but from a generalist perspective and not per se within the context of Zimbabwe. This was intentional on my part because the discussion on them within the context of Zimbabwe truly should be led by Zimbabweans.