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JSPES,
Vol. 44, No. 3-4 (Fall-Winter 2019)
pp.
298-317
Elections in Zimbabwe: the Mugabe Years
Felix Makonye
University of KwaZulu-Natal,Westville, South
Africa
Joseph Rudigi Rukema
University of
KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
This paper
discusses the failure of free and fair elections in Zimbabwe
during the Mugabe period with a view to identifying what was
needed to ensure sustainable, peaceful, free and fair elections
in that young African country. The findings stem from the three
major themes of research into Zimbabwe’s electoral history.
These are: the dynamics of pre and post-electoral violence,
existing mechanisms to stem pre- and post-electoral violence,
and what is needed to ensure peaceful, free and fair elections
in the future. Three theories are used to analyse the findings
of this research: conflict transformation theory, theory of
positive and negative peace, and the theory of human needs. This
paper concludes that pre- and post-electoral violence has
pervaded Zimbabwe since independence in April 1980 up to the
present. It is noted that the supporters of the opposition
Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) has been at the receiving
end of most of the inter-party violence perpetrated against by
the Zimbabwe African National Union Patriotic Front (Zanu-PF).
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