Zimbabwe: Do we understand what we are reading?

Zimbabwe: Do we understand what we are reading?

July 4th, 2016 Words by Tendai Murisa

[wtr-time]

| Politics and Public Policy

We have since the beginning of the year experienced 25 protests, eight of these were in the month of June and three major ones in the first four days of July. As we write, there are reports of public protests led by commuter omnibus operators in Harare, Bulawayo, Bindura, Marondera and Mutare. Is this normal one may ask? Quick answer: this isResidents have abandoned their vending sites (musika) nothing compared to what our neighbors down South experience, they have protests literally once every day of the year – that’s why it’s called the protest capital of the world. However, for us here in Zimbabwe, 22 protests in six months is the highest we have seen since the heady days of the 1990s anti-privatisation and democratization protests started by the women of Mabvuku. But what does this all mean? What should we read into all these seemingly disconnected mostly single-issue protests? Should there be a meaning at all beyond the excitement of that one day of protest?

I must start-off by clarifying that when we came up with the Beyond the Crises as a book project we did not invest sufficiently in thinking through how Zimbabwe would transition from the crisis period into the after crisis moment. We were at the time frustrated with the polarization characterizing public discourse and sought to introduce a set of ideas that would hopefully push the debate outsides of the confines of a single political party. Furthermore, many (and ourselves included) naively assumed that elections would resolve the challenges of the transition but we are no longer sure. The more time we spend in this seemingly never-ending crisis, which is instead reaching new lows every other day, the challenge becomes what kind of elections would usher in the kind of democracy that we aspire for.

Elections are the only legitimate, constitutionally based instrument for citizens to decide who should lead them. We pray that it remains that way in Zimbabwe. However, as observers of everyday social realities we have come to the harsh lesson that there are also other ways in which the public could influence public policies at the very least and also possibly how they are eventually governed. It has thus become necessary to postulate at a theoretical level at least on the factors that would trigger transitions. The public protests currently sweeping across the country potentially provide us with a clue on what may drive political change. Table 1 below provides a summary of the protests that we have been able to track as captured in different newspapers since the beginning of the year. The protests are mostly organized by a different set of actors – these are not necessarily your usual type of actors such as NGO based activists, opposition political parties but instead aggrieved private citizens who are bursting on the scene based on a single public grievance and also underground movements.

What do these protests mean? There are many explanations and for us the people of Zimbabwe are in discontent over a number of issues including human rights abuses (especially the alleged abduction of Itayi Dzamara), the apparent collapse of the economy, insincerity of government in the process, such as the self-blundering policies around bond notes and import bans and also disappointment/loss of faith with the political establishment. The insincerity of those entrusted with public office is apparent at many levels; their accumulation tendencies;

(i) at personal levels – we have a VP who seeks to justify why he is staying in the Presidential Suite at the Rainbow Towers because the hotel is part-owned by government. So whatever government owns (or part-owns) is subject to abuse? Who is government anyway – is it the VP or it’s the tax-paying citizens? Whilst they speak of austerity they are busy building houses that look like hotels – on a Minister’s salary?
(ii) at public policy level – the team responsible for money (monetary and fiscal policies) has through the recent announcement of a fuzzy and yet to be fully comprehended policy on bond notes created confusion in the markets that has taken us back to 2008 in terms of the public’s trust of banking systems and also has led to high levels of externalization of cash. They complain of illicit financial flows and yet facilitate them by creating panic in the markets leading to people and corporations moving their money. Did they even think of the consequences of their announcement on the introduction of bond notes and are they even listening to the public disgruntlement? How are they addressing the panic they caused in the market? They seem impervious to what others are also saying/advising instead they know it all – despite the apparent lack of innovative ideas. Hopefully they are learning something from the import ban debacle – already the protests in Beitbridge are being sanitized as led by a third force. Really? This is an insult to the Zimbabweans that the government is meant to serve – in other words they are saying our Zimbabweans are too docile to embark independently on a course of action like this. Let’s just for a second agree with the senseless idea of a third force – then ask, who created the reasons/social conditions for this so called force to take advantage of?

There has been escalation of these protests, starting with the spontaneous 4th of July 2016 protests. Popularly labeled “Chabvondoka” – in anticipation of the stay away called for on the 6th of this month. Citizens are a protesting against the predatory behavior of the police force, that some have described as having criminalized driving. The public transport operators – who have borne the brunt of abuse on the roads – organized a strike, refusing to operate and stopping all those who may attempt to ferry passengers during the strike. Though details of the strike are still sketchy – as they are mostly shared via social media – the response from the state is consistent. The use of brutal force in the form of riot police has continued to be the standard response to protest, where all forms of dissent and protest are quashed and cannot be tolerated. Sadly this is not helping matters at all – it is during times such as these that you need mature leadership to stand up and at least attempt to address the grievances being raised by the affected citizens.

If one looks closely at these protests, especially the actors leading them one gets a sense of an anti-establishment form of thinking. New actors such as clergymen, underground movements, drivers and commuter omnibus touts, cross-border traders and those frustrated with their own formal institutions (such as trade unions) taking matters into their own hands. There is no overall leadership in all these protests, they are autonomous from each other but connected in terms of the issues they respond to; an increasingly incompetent state, the collapsing economy, overwhelming unemployment and poverty and limited public space for people to engage with the office holders. So what does this all mean?

For many of us who have always believed that elections and political parties are the answer we have every reason to be worried about the anti-politics of the moment. There is lack of trust in public officeholders not only those in power but even opposition based politicians. The quality of the demands being made by citizens has significantly changed – they do not need eloquent rhetorical speeches but want to see real change. The socio-economic conditions continue to deteriorate whilst on the other end, the governing elite is focused on addressing succession within the party. Since 2013 the major factions in party in power have devoted all their efforts towards outwitting each other in order to land the top job in the land but no one has been focused on doing what they were voted into office to do. Now the people are speaking – the elites can choose to believe the ‘third force’ argument if it makes them sleep better but we all know they are in panic mode. History is rigged – people always triumph no matter the cost. A better Zimbabwe is beckoning.

 Table 1:  (Click here if you wish to download a PDF copy) 

Pst. Patrick Mugadza	December and 27/04/2016	Pastor Mugadza staged 2 lone man protests with the first having been in December in Victoria Falls at the Zanu Pf congress. After being arrested and spending 3 months in jail, he came back to Harare where he chained himself to a tree in another lone man protest. Mugadza claimed he was demonstrating against “the cowardice where the majority of our people are silent when just about everything is going in the wrong direction under our watch”.
Zimbabwe Teachers protest Civil Servant salaries	05/01/2016	Teachers marched in Harare protesting the poor remuneration of civil servants. The march was organised by the Rural Teachers’ Union of Zimbabwe (RTUZ) to press the government to urgently release civil servants’ December salaries
GMB Mutare protests	09/01/2016	About 100 supporters of the Movement for Democratic Change led by Morgan Tsvangirai have staged peaceful protests at a Grain Marketing Board (GMB) Depot in Mutasa district, Manicaland province, complaining about unfair distribution of food aid and agricultural inputs.
War Vets	18/02/2016	Hundreds of war veterans planned to March to the Zanu PF headquarters in protest, but were met with severe resistance from police and suspected members of the Youth League. Details on the tensions that led to the march are somewhat contested,
GMB Strikes	Feb-16	The former workers camped at GMB offices for weeks demanding payment of their salary arrears. Many issues emerged from the protest including discussions on the exorbitant salaries of executives in parastatals, which continue to be paid out, even when the other salaries are suspended
NRZ Workers	March and May 2016	Spouses and children of the workers have joined to support their breadwinners who have gone for over 15 months without pay. The strikes dragged on against the National Railways of Zimbabwe, again raising the questions of inequality between the executives and the regular workers.
Bring Itai Home	09/03/2016	Hundreds rallied in Harare on the anniversary of the disappearance of an opposition activist a year ago. Many civil society actors including United States led calls for a probe into “politically motivated violence” that is associated with such disappearances
MDC for the 15 Billion Harare	14/04/2016	MDC staged an unlikely demonstration, attracting close to 10,000 people in the capital, Harare demanding an end to President Robert Mugabe’s rule.
Dig Deeper?	Apr-16	Led by Zimbabwe Youth Council leader and former Zanu PF MP Acie Lumumba, the campaign was exposing corrupt practices within the ruling elite, and demanding justice. Though many viewed it as a self aggrandizing campaign, #digdeeper did gain traction with many calling for the end to corruption and for the guilty to be punished
#thisflag	Since April 2016	An innovative Citizen movement that grew exponentially, the #thisflag campaign was a movement demanding government accountability and responsibility. It is a citizen movement that has opened up the democratic space and encouraged more people to speak out.
WOZA March Bulawayo	06/05/2016	NINE hundred and sixty members of Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA) marched across Bulawayo protesting the national pledge, calling on parents to defend their children against state brainwashing.
Churches Against the National Pledge	16/05/2016	CHURCH leaders have organised a peaceful national protest coupled with a schools boycott against education minister Lazarus Dokora’s imposition of a schools national pledge. The church groups accuse President Robert Mugabe’s administration of being intent on destroying what used to be the strongest pillars of independence.
Million Man March	25/05/2016	Zanu Pf Youth League organised a march to re-affirm solidarity with the iconic leadership of the President which has been under attack. There were also murmurs of a #ourflag campaign in response to the #thisflag campaign, but it was not taken up.
MDC for the 15 Billion Byo	28/05/2016	2 days after the million man March, the MDCT organised a series of Marches beginning in Bulawayo, demanding that the President step down
Occupy Africa Unity Square	May – June 2016	Activists have in recent weeks been occupying Africa Unity Square in central Harare under a peaceful protest against the deteriorating socio-economic conditions in Zimbabwe in particular rampant state corruption, enforced disappearances, stifling of freedom of expression as well as cash shortages and unemployment and want their grievances to be addressed by the State.
Tajamuka	Jun-16	A new breed of fearless Zimbabwe protesters known as Sesjikile or Tajamuka. They are going around Harare addressing people in bank queues encouraging them to confront Mugabe and ZanuPF about country’s money crises.
Beitbridge Border protest	20/06/2016	Chaos at Beitbridge Boarder Post as Zimbabweans Protest after their GOODS were SEIZED BY ZIMRA after The Government printed a new list of banned goods that cannot be imported from other countries. The regulation was with immediate effect thus it affected other travelers who were already on their way
MDC T march for the 15 Billion Mutare	23/06/2016	Thousands joined the series of marches demanding that the President step down. Despite the absence of the MDC T leader, Mr. Tsvangirai – who is away for medical reasons, the ‘freedom marches’ continued.
People First Rally	25/06/2016	Over 8000 people attended the rally for Joice Mujuru’s new party, People First. Though this was not an overt form of protest, the numbers of people in attendance were significant, as were the speeches made by the various speakers. The rally was a significant push back to the current government as well.
Bulawayo Youth Arise March	28/06/2016	Nearly twenty youths were detained by police as they protested against the worsening economic situation in the country. They marched from the City Hall Car Park and passed through the Central Business District all the way to the Mhlanhlandlela Government Complex where they then met the riot police
HICC Mpoko must leave Protest	24-26/06/2016	Protesters staged a demonstration in Harare, at the Rainbow Towers against the continued stay in a luxury hotel by Vice President Mphoko as extravagant at a time when the government was failing to remunerate civil servants.
Boycott Rainbow Towers	24-26/06/2016	After the protests at the hotel were stopped by the riot police, many took to social media calling for a boycott of the Rainbow Towers Hotel. The campaign roped in TripAdvisor, the popular travel website, to also support the boycott.
Bulawayo Transport operators strike.	04/07/2016	Bulawayo’s three main public transporters have this morning resolved to demonstrate against police brutality on the roads. An emergency meeting of all three Public Transport Operators was held through their Associations namely; a)BUPTA. b)Bilawayo City Transit. c)Tshova Mubaiwa Transport Co-op. and the strike was decided on from that meeting
Harare Transport operators strike	04/07/2016	HARARE’s eastern suburbs have been rocked by violent protests that have left hundreds of city-bound commuters stranded as commuter omnibus drivers fought running battles with police over the increasing number of roadblocks. The protest began with combi’s going on strike in protest to the roadblocks, but as the day progressed many disgruntled people took to the streets blocking off streets. They were met with severe force from the riot police
Youth March in Bindura	04/07/2016	A group of 2000 youths from Chiwaridzo township, are reported to have marched to the office of the provincial affairs minister for Mash Central,Martin Dinha ,singing and dancing holding banners denouncing president Mugabe until they were dispersed by the riot police. The minister however was not seen and he did not address the protesters
Marondera Shutdown	04/07/2016	protests in Marondera are reported to have left the small town at a standstill, with shops and businesses closed. Amidst the multiple protests to state policies, the protests from the residents of Marondera led to the literal shutdown of the small township
Mutare Protests	04/07/2016	Social media reports reflected protests similar to those stage in Harare, Bulawayo and Marondera to have also taken hold of the Eastern city of Mutare. The stay-aways and marches are supposed to have been planned via social media, with the resulting updates being shared via the same mediums.