Controlling the Narrative: Understanding Propaganda and Reality in Zimbabwe's Political Landscape

 In Electoral politics there’s need to control the Narrative. The narrative can be a propaganda tool that is powerful. It becomes effective when the target believes in the narrative. The narrative can be based on a lie and vividly sold to the people who buys it. It is strengthened by continuous repetition so that the audience start to believe so. In Zimbabwe ZANU PF have mastered this art. It backs date to the liberation struggle.

The is a famous liberation statement that was used by Robert Mugabe, “ Victory is Certain.” This was dummy sold when ZANLA forces suffered grossly from Rhodesian forces attack. Through the alternative Radio Mozambique, Mugabe would deny that they attacked their solders but say it’s a civilian camp. To strengthen the Narrative, a gaudy counter attack would be done. Just as the attack on the fuel bases in Harare. The idea of the narrative have seen its links from trainings in Russia and China. If you look at these governments approach to information, laws have been set to arrest those that tells the truth.

ZANU PF has used Control the Narrative at a number of times in the political domain of Zimbabwe. One of it was that the MDC led by Tsvangirai doesn’t have rural support. That narrative became a reality when votes showed a ZANU PF win. It was sold enough that it created unnecessary division within the MDC. ZANU PF was winning more birds using one stone. The “No Go Area” was a good narrative that saw the MDC focusing its weight in urban areas. No one investigated this narrative.

The 2000 referendum proved that MDC was visible and had strength in the rural areas bolstering it for the 2002 elections. The advantage the Narrative had was that MDC never fielded polling agents on all polling station. The next election, ZANU PF stuffed ballots, used all tricks but MDC emerged with more parliamentary seats in these rural areas. However, this didn’t stop the Narrative from being spread. Resoundingly became the new narrative of winning rural areas by ZANU PF.

The Narrative validity is questionable when we scrutinize the 2008 electoral violence. The narrative school of thought is rurals are ZANU PF. However, violence in rural areas targeting MDC members shows that the narrative mere propaganda. The narrative had been exposed. The violence was more visible in rural areas than urban areas. If the narrative was true, violence should have targeted urban areas more. They even sold to our grannies that because ZEC has your face, they know who you voted for. That narrative gained momentum and little was done to address it. The rurals were left exposed.

Today, we witness the harassment of Citizen Coalition for Change, a party that has not more than 6 months old. The ochastrated violence and denying Citizen Coalition for Change to campaign freely doesn’t need a rocket scientist to acknowledge that ZANU PF is not popular as it says. The Citizens Coalition for Change trail has shown that the Narrative was false. People thronged Wamba despite political violence, abductions and threats to both members and the leadership team. The coordinated attacks shows nothing but fear of a true narrative that the Rural Areas are actually CCC’s stronghold.

We cannot speak of elections and ignore numbers, voters to be precise. ZANU PF has sold the narrative that it has the rural vote. However, when they do rallies, they bus people. Bussing people is not the problem for the Narrative. Bussing people from another province, where they don’t vote, where they don’t stay surely speaks to a false narrative. Of late they want to sell the narrative that Chamisa bussed people from Mozambique.

The secretive movement of voters as exposed by Pachedu speaks of the narrative. Disenfranchising possible opposition voters is a strategy to push the Narrative that ZANU PF is gaining support in Urban areas. This is cemented by households on 200 square meters, having 50 people as residents and their linkage to ZANU PFs candidates is worrisome. ZEC failing to act by having those persons questioned is all about the narrative. Electoral Fraud is a serious offense. However, the culprits cannot be questioned.

Lastly, ZANU PF old guards pushed a narrative that they cannot be removed by elections. If that were true, they would not mind Chamisa holding rallies. They would not invest as much as they do for elections. This narrative is as old as 22 years. At one time they conceded defeat. They lost house of assembly seats. This narrative has been a best seller to young people, who have accepted apathy.

It's high time the narrative is changed for change. We need to take action and CONTROL THE NARRATIVE.