A weak civil society is a prime gift for an autocratic government. No surprise then that central to ZANU PF’s hold on power is the deliberate weakening of civil society and ring-fencing state institutions with friendly ZANU PF appointees (individuals and groups) while vilifying individuals and groups perceived as unfriendly. The ZANUfication of society is the systemic disenfranchisement, demoralisation, and weakening of civil society to propel the party’s goals.

The Zimbabwean Senate’s passing on 7 June 2023 of the Criminal Law Codification and Reform Amendment Bill 2022, commonly referred to as the “Patriotic Bill”, which criminalises “wilfully injuring the sovereignty and national interest of Zimbabwe” represents the effective capture of the institutions of public life by the interests of specific groups or individuals. Through the Patriotic Bill, ZANU PF seeks to clamp down on human rights, marginalise, and weaken civil society.

Defending the people of Zimbabwe is not in the ZANU PF political design of post-independent Zimbabwe which has been effective in promoting the sense that people were helpless and ineffectual without it. The resultant public disengagement from decision-making processes has left Matabeleland society excluded and vulnerable.

Politicising our space is divisive and not productive; we need to promote civil society engagement and make all institutions accountable to the people. Instead of career politicians, Matabeleland needs strong, active, vibrant, diverse community-based groups and networks to achieve the following:

• facilitate open, voluntary participation,
• enable community stakeholders to hold economic and political actors accountable for outcomes of policy decisions,
• provide a context for mutual benefit and exchange, and
• seek to promote the “common good,” with a particular concern for inclusion of those currently marginalised.

According to the World Bank, “Civil society … refers to a wide array of organizations: community groups, non-governmental organizations [NGOs], labour unions, indigenous groups, charitable organizations, faith-based organizations, professional associations, and foundations.”

Time for a change is now. Matabeleland society must forge ahead, create a local sense of individual and collective responsibility in taking a keen interest in how laws meant to govern us are created and their application locally. Individuals and groups must steer development in line with our culture and traditions by applying pressure on elected legislators to represent public interest to government and not represent government interest to the people.

At the heart of Matabeleland’s challenges lies the question of how we include ourselves in the functioning of our society. How do we re-engage with those institutions making laws to govern us?

Civic education is important to fight off fear among voters, build public resilience and promote public participation in the region’s matters; currently fear and not policy or principle inform voting decisions and patterns; people vote not to determine their socioeconomic and political destiny but in a way they believe secures their personal and group safety, so choices have either been of the ‘lesser evil’ or the appeasement of a fearful dictatorship.

People of Matabeleland do not believe in the mainstream politics of Zimbabwe which is inherently a reflection of Shona culture and norms; their participation in political processes is seen as a safety activity not a principled stance or belief in democracy; people vote the opposition because they view it as ‘the lesser evil’ or ZANU PF out of fear of the reprisals of not doing so.   

That unhealthy sense that we were helpless and ineffectual needs to be challenged. People need to understand they are the change, and they alone are the government of their lives. Ethnic divisions must be confronted; broad partnerships are key to addressing broad challenges. We need a strong civil society where the connection between different people and groups is firm and vibrant, not brittle and divided.

Ethnocentric sentiment and political allegiance have often put a spanner in our attempt for unified participation in local development. Fighting among ourselves is a hindrance to the development of all. It must be appreciated by our people that in the context of mainstream politics design, Matabeleland people are seen as a collective, and changes to which political party leads government will not transform the lives of the people of Matabeleland. Decentralising, devolving decision-making and renewing civil society will.

Occupying civic spaces is a right that must be defended and not willingly surrendered to politicians. As advised earlier in the article, people of Matabeleland must take responsibility of the development of their social, economic, and political institutions seriously. After all, we are the main victims of an overly politicised space where the public have been limited to meaningless voting in a choreographed democracy facade.

We know our priorities and are aware of the beast we are dealing with in the mainstream politics of Zimbabwe. Against all odds, effectual participation of civil society must be prioritised, and limits must be pushed; the ZANU PF government is known for its restriction to legitimate access to and use of civic space and resources, and its role in the unfairness within the existing political and judicial systems that neither promote nor protect the welfare of disenfranchised population groups.

Government of Zimbabwe is not designed to and will not save Matabeleland; organised people of Matabeleland will work to save their interests from a non-representative government. As argued by the President Joe Biden, “No fundamental social change occurs merely because government acts. It’s because civil society, the conscience of a country, begins to rise up and demand – demand – demand change.”