Zimbabweans behind the November 2017 coup: A case of conscious political naivety

Abstract

AbstractUsing content analysis, observation and interviews, this article sets out to demonstrate the naivety of Zimbabweans in supporting the coup that happened in 2017. It also contributes to knowledge by showing how this naivety was conscious, therefore developing and advancing the concept of conscious political naivety. It shows that the coup was never meant for the people but was largely a consequence of power struggles in ZANU PF. More importantly, ZANU PF had presided over a comatose economy and a political dictatorship for so many years. What new things did the citizens expect that warranted the solidarity that was given to the guns (soldiers and war veterans) that engineered and executed the November 2017 coup? The army-induced coup renewed hope among the citizens that steps would be taken to ameliorate the socio-economic and political conditions in the country. It was against the backdrop of many decades of economic suffering, human rights abuses and political repression that the coup got the blessings of the masses. But the question is: On what premise did the civilians think that ZANU PF would reform itself out of power? The central argument is that the citizens were only chasing shadows because the motivations for the coup were never people-centric, and ZANU PF’s political and economic record was tainted and battered for the citizens to expect miracles just because a coup had been successfully plotted and executed.

Keywords

• Zimbabwe coup
• politically-motivated violence
• political repression
• factional politics
• economic meltdown
• conscious political naivety