The securocratic state: conceptualising the transition problem in Zimbabwe

ABSTRACT

The eclipse of colonial rule in 1980 saw the metamorphosis of a securocratic state that has compounded democratic transition in Zimbabwe. Through an analysis of published data, the article interrogates this Zimbabwe transition problematique. Literature identifies it as competitive authoritarianism that captures the electoral system, judiciary, media, and legislature to block democratic transition. However, this article reveals that at the centre of this transition problematique is the military factor that has transmuted into an omnipresent and omnipotent fulcrum of the political system. The military elite initiated the rise and fall of the former President Mugabe, the rise of President Mnangagwa and, if not interrupted, it will be a mediator in his fall and the rise and fall of future leaders. The Military established a securocratic state after capturing the ruling party. Since then, the ruling party has been used by the military elite to populate key state institutions to preserve power and maintain this status quo. This article argues that the process of entrenchment of military power in Zimbabwe began during the armed struggle. The article also posits that the securocratic state emerged from a cross-pollination between African and European governance traditions.

KEYWORDS:

• Authoritarianism
• securocratic state
• military factor
• Zimbabwe transition politics
• mnangagwa
• mugabe

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No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Pedzisai Ruhanya

Dr Pedzisai Ruhanya is a senior lecturer at the Department of Creative Media and Communication at the University of Zimbabwe. He is also a founder and director at the Zimbabwe Democracy Institute. He holds a doctor of philosophy degree in media studies. He has many publications on transition politics in Zimbabwe. His research interest is on the role of media in democratic transitions.

Bekezela Gumbo

Mr Bekezela Gumbo is a final year PhD student at the Centre for Gender and Africa Studies at the University of the Free State in South Africa. He also serves as the Principal researcher at the Zimbabwe Democracy Institute in Harare, Zimbabwe. He has published widely on political transitions in Zimbabwe. His research interest is on the politics of transition and sustainable development in Sub Saharan Africa