Dossier

The Elections We Want

On 23 August 2023, Zimbabweans will head to the polls to vote for councillors, members of parliament, and a president who will represent them for the next five years. The credibility of this forthcoming election already hangs in the balance as poll outcomes have been the subject of major electoral disputes since the early 2000s. Regular contestations of Zimbabwean polls are attributed to electoral misconduct, the use of state resources in favour of the ruling party, biased and partisan state media, voter intimidation, and state-sponsored violence against opposition elements.

Distrust in electoral processes is one of the key factors for growing voter apathy. Even fewer people seem to believe that elections could bring about urgently needed change in the country. Of Zimbabwe's 15.2 million people, over 40 per cent live in extreme poverty, with rural-based women being the most affected.

Much has been said about the perils and shortcomings of past Zimbabwean elections; these have represented lost opportunities for real change. The Elections We Want, as the theme for the dossier, explores perspectives from Zimbabwean activists and citizens as they continue to struggle for free and fair elections despite growing authoritarianism and political violence. Contributions look at ways to enhance participation, especially of young people; the role of bodies like the European Union (EU), the African Union (AU), and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) as observers and potential mediators; voters' expectations of their government; a diasporic view of Zimbabweans navigating the intersections of migration and xenophobia; and most importantly the common desire to see a 'NEW Zimbabwe'.

Residents of Mbare in Harare wait in a queue to register to vote ahead of August 23 polls | Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi
Election Dashboard
Content Creators Network ZW

The Election Dashboard is Zimbabwe's first-ever online platform for independent, fact-checked and real time electoral content & data.

As collaborative platform it is spearheaded by the Content Creators Network ZW with the support of its members and key civil society organisations, including HBF Cape Town partner Magamba Network.

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To Vote or Not to Vote
A group of young people conversing on the street for their party of choice, wearing party regalia and holding posters. A Truck packed with supporters holding a Zimbabwean flag follows them in the background

Between rocks and hard places – Zimbabwean youth and the challenges of political participation

Standpoint
The participation of youth in governance spaces is not impressive. That is not to say that they have no desire to participate: they are inhibited by various structural and institutionalised barriers. Genuine spaces for political participation are limited and policy-making processes work from the top down. Even where policy is supposed to address their concerns, there is scant consultation with the youth in governance and developmental processes. By excluding young people from key decision-making positions and processes, this perpetuates a cycle of harmful policies and programming that is at best irrelevant, and at worst dangerous
By Lloyd Pswarayi
A protester holds up a poster that reads “SADC Leaders Listen to the cries of your citizens”. Above her, is a poster that reads “Democracy or Dictatorship? SADC leaders must decide!”

Not all change is good change: Military state vs theocracy in Zimbabwe

Standpoint
Zimbabwe has been far from a safe haven for women and the LGBTQ+ community. Small progressive steps have been made. However, with homosexuality being an outright punishable offence and one in three women in Zimbabwe being the victim of sexual abuse, while one in four has suffered physical abuse, it has been made abundantly clear that Zimbabwe, as it stands, is not safe for us. On the eve of this historic election, it may be the case that the potential “change” we are hoping for may also not include us.
By Anonymous

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Podcast Young people in Zimbabwe are torn. Not just about who to vote for, but whether or not they’ll vote at all. As Zimbabweans head to the polls on August 23rd, it may be the first or second time young people can participate in the election of a president since the end of Robert Mugabe’s 37-year rule in 2017. Election violence, an unstable economy and lack of reforms have jaded Zimbabwe’s youth. This podcast was produced by Radio Workshop in collaboration with Magamba Network, a partner of the HBF Cape Town Office.

Spotify
Interviews
A Zimbabwean election official enters details of a woman who had come to register to vote on the outskirts of Harare

The 2023 elections will test EU’s re-engagement with Zimbabwe

Interview
Hugo Knoppert coordinates the Zimbabwe Europe Network (ZEN), a network of European secular, faith-based and developmental civil society organisations that support projects and partnerships in Zimbabwe. While welcoming the European Union’s attempts to re-engage with the government of Zimbabwe, Knoppert expresses concern that Europe’s short-term geopolitical interests will undercut EU support for human rights and civic freedoms and its censure of state repression in the country.
By Katrin Seidel and Hugo Knoppert
Citizens’ Perception of the Main Role of Local Government, SIVIO Institute: Citizens’ Perceptions and Expectations 2023 Survey Findings Report

Citizen’s Perceptions and Expectations – The Government We Want

Interview
In May 2023, the SIVIO Institute in Zimbabwe presented the findings of their survey related to Zimbabwean’s level of satisfaction with government performance. The report aims to influence political campaigns by highlighting key issues that Zimbabweans are not happy about and to shape public electoral decisions. We spoke to Tendai Murisa, Director of the SIVIO Institute, to get his insights into the report and what it would take for Zimbabweans to get the government that they want.
By Katrin Seidel and Tendai Murisa
In pictures: Zimbabwe in the weeks before the 2023 Elections
Photography and text by Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi
A Supporter of the ruling party the Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front or ZANU–PF is waving the Zimbabwean flag at a campaign rally in Harare. Zimbabwe is heading into another closely watched election in a country with a history of violent and disputed polls.
Supporters of the opposition party Citizens Coalition for Change or CCC hold a campaign poster at a rally on the outskirts of Harare. The opposition has accused the ruling party of relying on violence, intimidation and institutions like the police and the courts to crack down on critical figures, ban opposition rallies and prevent candidates from running.
Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa addresses supporters at a campaign rally in Harare ahead of polls set for August 23. The 80-year-old is seeking to extend the ruling ZANU-PF party’s 43-year hold on power on the backdrop of serious economic problems bedevilling the resource-rich southern African nation of 15 million people.
Lawyers are seen outside the High Court during a court hearing over election related disputes and nomination courts proceedings which saw other presidential candidates and aspiring candidates being disqualified.
Zimbabwean main opposition party leader, Nelson Chamisa, greets party supporters at a rally on the outskirts of Harare. President Mnangagwa is seeking what would be his final term. But he will first have to get past the 45 year-old Nelson Chamisa whom he narrowly beat in a disputed election in 2018.
A campaign poster of Zimbabwe’s only female Presidential candidate - United Zimbabwe Alliance Leader Elizabeth Valerio who won her appeal against the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission. Asked on what she thinks about being the only women among 11 presidential candidates, Valerio said: “It is a historic moment for gender equality and women's representation in leadership roles. It symbolises the breaking of barriers and paves the way for more women to aspire to and achieve positions of power and influence.”
Videos: The youth have their say
The FeedZW is a project of the HBF Cape Town partner, Magamba Network. With cutting edge video, visual and audio content, it offers youth a platform to share their own narrative. In the lead up to the 2023 elections, The FeedZW talked to young people about their expectations for the elections.

Defending the Youth Vote

As the clock moves towards the 2023 general elections, is the youth vote guaranteed? Will young people use their majority and exercise their right to participate in choosing leaders of their choice or better still run as candidates?

Defending The 2023 Youth Vote - Zimbabwe | TheFeedZW - The FeedZW

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Zim Elections Are Not Free And Fair

Voter apathy has become a worrisome trend in Zimbabwe. Since the 2018 harmonized election, voter turnout has averaged around 30 to 35%. As the 2023 election draws closer, will the youth go out and vote?

"Zim Elections Are Not Free And Fair" | Why The Youth Don't Vote - The FeedZW

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"Politicians Take Us For Granted" - Voices Of Youth Living With Disabilities

Inaccessible polling stations, lack of assistive devices, negative attitudes and stereotypes, and inadequate information and education are some of the barriers people living with disabilities face in political spaces

"Politicians Take Us For Granted" - Voices Of Youth Living With Disabilities | Newsbite - The FeedZW

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The Role of Election Observers
Observers from SADC attend a press briefing in Harare ahead of polls on Aug 23

Leveling the playing field for political parties in Zimbabwe's 2023 election - the role of election observation and monitoring

Analysis
At a time when the continent has been hit by a spate of coups reminiscent of past military regimes of the 1980s, ensuring the 2023 elections in Zimbabwe are held to the highest standards has the potential to rekindle the hopes and promises of democracy in the continent. However, this will depend on whether the African Union and the Southern African Development Community will commit to seeing Zimbabwe adhere to principles governing elections in the continent.
By Author: Tinashe Sithole
A member of the European Union Observation Mission to Zimbabwe addresses the media before deploying observers across the country

“Supporting Zimbabwe to get free and fair elections is not an event but a process”: The Role of the EU Election Observation Mission

Interview
The European Union deploys one of the largest observer missions to monitor the 2023 Zimbabwe elections. We spoke to Dr McDonald Lewanika, politics and development professional, about the importance of the verdict by EU election observers and what contributions European actors can make to assist Zimbabweans in getting the elections they want.
By Katrin Seidel and McDonald Lewanika

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