Opposition Politics and the Culture of Polarisation in Zimbabwe, 1980–2018

Abstract

This chapter seeks to delineate the political cultures that have fashioned opposition politics since the attainment of independence in Zimbabwe. It will show how these cultures, polarisation and the construction of a party-state, have combined and broadened as they have perpetuated themselves. The chapter underscores the importance of opposition politics in the consolidation of democracy in post-colonial African states, while also contesting the erroneous reduction of opposition to organized and formalised political parties. The result of such a mischaracterisation has been the development of a “politics of opposition”, where every policy proposal, developed either by the ruling party or by the opposition, is opposed not for what it is, but for where it comes from. The agenda of opposition politics becomes less about democratic governance and opening up closed political systems, and more about contesting for state power at all costs. There is still a glaring need for opposition politics beyond organised political parties to be interpreted in its entirety. Opposition parties, broadly defined as organised political associations of people working together to compete for political office by offering alternative hegemonies to that of the ruling party, should be appreciated for providing an organised platform where “hard politics” can be practised. However, it should also be appreciated that these parties do not offer the entirety of opposition to an existing hegemony.