ZANU-PF as Stockholm Syndrome, and Its Trajectories in Post-Independence Zimbabwe. Juxtaposing the Role of Religion in Thwarting Democracy

Abstract

This chapter seeks to conceptualise Zanu-PFism as a system of governance that has brought facets of Zimbabwean life to a crisis point. I seek to show how, from a religious point of view, the Zanu-PF system has evolved and is being reproduced by various proxies in postcolonial Zimbabwe. The background of this chapter is that, in most African countries, including Zimbabwe, religion continues to play an important role in social transformation, however, in recent years, studies have shown that religion can be a useful tool for capturing and manipulating and, consequently, creating crises, either by default or design. The negative association between religion and politics in postcolonial Zimbabwe can, as argued by Washington et al. (2014, 181), be a threat to Africa’s security, politics and development. This notion is confirmed by Mpofu (2022), who argues that religion has always had a central place as an organisational force in global politics.