The toponymic undoing of Grace Mugabe and the G40 narrative in the New Dispensation

Abstract

Prior to her expulsion from the Zimbabwe African National Union–Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF), a faction allegedly backing Grace Mugabe to succeed Robert Mugabe steered an unprecedented culture of naming places in her honour. This naming trend violated the standing rule that only a sitting president should be honoured while they are still living. Grace’s sacking from ZANU-PF was precipitated by the fierce succession battle which saw a rival faction assuming the reins of power in November 2017. The new regime instituted a new place (re)naming system immediately after assuming political office. In addition to undoing the Grace toponymies, the (re)naming exercise saw military establishments getting new names while President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s name was assigned to major throughfares in cities throughout the country. Using political semiotics as a theoretical framework, the study argues that place names can naturalise a political status quo and effect a symbolic erasure of a vanquished political system. This approach fits into the broader critical approach to toponymy. The focus on the spatialisation of political power through place naming in this study provides a novel interpretation of the intra-party politics in ZANU-PF before and after November 2017.