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Unities and Disunities in Zimbabwe's 1990 Election

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 November 2008

Christine Sylvester
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Extract

In 1985 the Zimbabwean national election presented voters with a drama of pretence. The Zimbabwe African National Union (Patriotic Front), known as Z.A.N.U. (P.F.), the party in power, issued a manifesto for ‘unity of the working people in the advance of a just Socialist Society’; meanwhile its candidates routinely cast aspersions on (working) people who supported the major rival party, the Patriotic Front–Zimbabwe African People's Union (P.F.-Z.A.P.U.). The latter defensively called for a unified effort to ensure that multi-party liberalism would prevail in Zimbabwe; it then implicitly endorsed most of the principles of social balance through growth with equity which its alleged ‘Marxist–Leninist’ opponents had instituted.

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Articles
Information
The Journal of Modern African Studies , Volume 28 , Issue 3 , September 1990 , pp. 375 - 400
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1990

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References

1 ‘Preface’, in ZANU(PF) Party Manifesto (Harare, 1985).Google Scholar

2 Sylvester, Christine, ‘Zimbabwe's 1985 Elections: a search for national mythology’, in The Journal of Modern African Studies (Cambridge), 24, 2, 06 1986, p. 252.Google Scholar

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4 Gramsci, Antonoi, Selections from the Prison Notebooks, edited and translated by Hoare, Quintin and Smith, Geoffrey Nowell (London), (1971), pp. 181–2.Google Scholar

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7 Author'sinterview with Nkomo, Joshua, 25 June 1982. For a typical account by Z.A.N.U.(P.F.), see Zimbabwe African National Union Central Committee Report. Second Congress of the Party, 1984Google Scholar, and ‘The History of ZANU(PF)’, in Zimbabwe News(Harare), 14 01 1983,Google Scholar For a materialist analysis of the Z.A.N.U.–Z.A.P.U. conflict which touches on this early period, see Sibanda, Arnold, ‘The Political Situation’ in Stoneman, Colin (ed.), Zimbabwe's Prospects: issues of race, class, state and capital in Southern Africa (London, 1988), pp. 257–83.Google Scholar

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9 Ibid. p. 104.

10 Astrow, Andre, Zimbabwe: a revolution that lost its way? (London, 1983),Google Scholar and Mandaza, Ibbo; ‘The State in Post-White Settler Colonial Situation’, in Mandaza, (ed.), Zimbabwe: the political economy of transition, 1980–1986 (Dakar, 1986), pp. 21–74.Google Scholar Also, Tshabangu, Owen, The March 11 Movement in ZAPU–Revolution within the Revolution for Zimbabwe (Heslington, 1979),Google Scholar and Moore, David, ‘The Contradictory Construction of Hegemony in Zimbabwe: politics, ideology and class in the formation of a new African state’, Ph.D. dissertation, York University, Canada, 1989.Google Scholar

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13 Author's interview with Nkomo, Joshua, 25 June 1982.Google Scholar

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16 Ibid.

17 Ibid. pp. 1308–10.

18 ‘A. Muzorewa's Speech Launching the Election Campaign for the UANC’, 6 January 1980, in ibid. p. 1266.

19 ‘Election Manifesto of the Partritic Front’, 16 January 1980, in ibid. pp. 1282–3.

20 Ibid. p. 1281.

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28 Sylvester, ‘Zimbabwe's 1985 Elections’, loc. cit. p. 254.

29 Ibid. p. 255.

30 Ibid. For a discussion of virtual representation, see Jackson, Robert H. and Rosberg, Carl G., ‘Popular Legitimacy in African Multi-Ethnic States’, The Journal of Modern African Studies, 22, 2, 06 1984, pp. 177–98.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

31 See ‘Responses to British Constitutional Proposals’, 8 10 1979, in Baumhogger, et al. (eds.), op. cit. Vol. 6, p. 1101.Google Scholar

32 Gramsci, op. cit. pp. 332–3, stresses the importance of constructing an intellectual-moral bloc that ‘can make politically possible the intellectual progress of the mass and not only of small intellectual groups’.

33 Mugabe, Robert, ‘The Unity Accord: its promise for the future’, in Banana, Canaan S. (ed.), Turmoil and Tenacity: Zimbabwe, 1890–1990 (Harare, 1989), p. 347.Google Scholar

34 By analogy with ‘moral sense philosophy’, as discussed by Eagleton, op. cit. p. 37.

35 Mugabe, loc. cit. p. 356.

36 Ibid.

37 Eagleton, op. cit. pp. 23–4.

38 Saxon, Andrew, ‘Hansard Gems Well Worth Digging’, in The Sunday Mail (Harare), 7 08 1988, p. 7.Google Scholar

39 Ncube, Welshman, ‘The Post-Unity Period: developments, benefits and problems’, in Banana, (ed.), op. cit. p. 309.Google Scholar

40 Ibid. pp. 310–11.

41 Tekere, Edgar, University of Zimbabwe, 22 July 1989.Google Scholar

42 ‘Guided Democracy…’, in Parade and Foto-Action, April 1990, pp. 18–19.

43 ZANU PF Election Manifesto 1990: ZANU PF and the 1990 general election (Harare, 1990), p. 1.Google Scholar

44 Ibid.

45 Ibid. p. 16.

46 Ibid. p. 1.

47 Ibid. The ‘Imperative of National Unity’ is the title of the section of the Manifesto beginning on page 3.

48 Ibid. p. 16.

49 Ibid. p. 4.

50 Ibid.

51 Ibid. pp. 3–4.

52 Ibid. p. 2.

53 Z.U.M. The Manifesto (Towards A Democratic Zimbabwe) (Gweru), 26 11 1989, p. 2.Google Scholar

54 Ibid.

55 Ibid. p. 3.

56 Ibid.

57 Ibid.

58 Ibid.

59 Ibid. p. 7.

60 For a discussion of Gramscian notions of revolution applied to Zimbabwe, see Sylvester, Christine, ‘Simultaneous Revolutions: the Zimbabwean case’, in Journal of Southern African Studies (Oxford), 16, 3, 1990.Google Scholar

61 Cf. Davies, Rob, ‘Market Liberalisation in Zimbabwe: the case of 1980–87’, in Rukuni, Mandivamba and Bersten, Richard H. (eds.), Southern Africa: food security policy options (Harare, 1988), pp. 123–41;Google ScholarGreen, Reginald and Kadhani, Xavier, ‘Zimbabwe. Transition to Economic Crisis, 1981–83: retrospect and prospect’, in World Development (Oxford), 14, 8, 08 1986, pp. 1059–83;Google ScholarNyawata, Obert I., ‘Macroeconomic Management, Adjustment and Stabilisation’, in Stoneman, (ed.), op. cit. pp. 90–117;Google ScholarStoneman, Colin, ‘The World Bank and the IMF in Zimbabwe’, in Campbell, Bonnie and Loxley, John (eds.), Structural Adjustment in Africa (London, 1989), pp. 37–66;Google Scholar and Maya, R. S., Structural Adjustment in Zimbabwe: its impact on women (Harare, 1989), Consultancy Report No. 13, Z.I.D.S.Google Scholar

62 Z.U.M. The Manifesto, p. 17.

63 Ibid. p. 11.

64 Ibid. p. 19.

65 Ibid. pp. 11, 15, 16, and 21.

66 ZANU PF Election Manifesto, p. 5.

67 Ibid. pp. 6–7.

68 Ibid. pp. 7, 17, and 25.

69 Ibid. pp. 21–2.

70 Z.U.M. The Manifesto, p. 22.

71 Ibid.

72 Eagleton, op. cit. p. 43.

73 ‘The Dirty Campaign’, in Parade and Foto-Action, May 1990, pp. 13–21.

74 ‘The Promises…and the Threats’, in ibid. pp. 13–17.

75 Author's discussion with Tekere, Edgar, 27 March 1990.Google Scholar

76 ‘Justice and Peace Report on Kombayi's shooting’, in Parade and Foto-Action, May 1990, pp. 6–7 and 46.

77 Headline of The Herald (Harare), 23 03 1990.Google ScholarPubMed

78 Zvogbo, Eddison speaking on ‘1990 Election Special’, Zimbabwe Television, 18 March 1990.Google Scholar

79 Ibid. 20 March 1990.

80 ‘Various Associations Hold Discussions with President’, in The Herald, 15 March 1990.

81 ZCTU Backs President and Ruling Party’, in ibid.

82 ‘Free Air Time’, in ibid. 14 March 1990.

83 Author's discussions with Z.U.M. candidates, 1 April 1990.

84 Z.U.M. election rally, University of Zimbabwe, 22 March 1990.

85 From press reports and Z.A.N.U. P.F. rallies in Harare and Chitungwiza.

86 Author's discussions at commercial farms in Mozowe and Concession, 23 March 1990.

87 Author's discussion with Smith, Ian, 27 March 1990.Google Scholar

88 ‘Landslide’, in The Chronicle (Bulawayo), 2 04 1990.Google ScholarPubMed

89 Author's discussions with Z.U.M. candidates who officially observed the ballot-counting process.