An overview of the circumstances of the Unity Accord of 1987 in comparison to those of the Global Political Agreement of 2008

In Zimbabwe in 2008, the March Presidential election failed to produce an outright winner, although Morgan Tsvangirai won 47% of the vote to Robert Mugabe’s 43%. The ensuing state orchestrated violence reduced the June run off to an illegitimate one-man race, as Morgan Tsvangirai withdrew, citing impossible conditions for his supporters. Since then, there has […]

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Sun, February 15 2009 » Essays, Global Political Agreement, History » No Comments

Desperately Seeking Sanity: What Prospects for a New Beginning in Zimbabwe?

A man in Gokwe sits in the ruins of his house destroyed by youth militia  and war vets in May 2008.

In its report on the March 29th 2008 Harmonised Election the Solidarity Peace Trust recorded the widespread state-led violence that followed the Zanu PF’s electoral loss in that plebiscite, in the context of the SADC led mediation that failed to break the political deadlock in the country. The lack of an outright winner in the […]

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Tue, July 29 2008 » Election violence, Global Political Agreement, Human rights, Reports » 1 Comment

Punishing Dissent, Silencing Citizens: The Zimbabwe Elections 2008

Report Cover Photo: In a brave act of defiance, posters of Morgan Tsvangirai hang on the wall of a hut burnt by ZANU PF supporters in Shamva, April 2008

The 2008 Harmonised Election in Zimbabwe was arguably the most historic of the post-independence elections, as for the first time in the last 28 years the ruling party lost its parliamentary majority and the President lost the first round of the Presidential election. This result represented the culmination of a decade of political and civic […]

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Wed, May 21 2008 » Election violence, Human rights, Reports » No Comments

“A Tale of Three Dinner Plates” – forensic, narrative and psychological truths and the challenges facing human rights researchers in Zimbabwe

Human rights reporting in Zimbabwe has been extensive in the last few years, and civics have played a monumental role in keeping Zimbabwe in the public eye – but human rights reports have a very specific mandate and a very moral intent. It is their task to keep track of what could be called “forensic […]

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Fri, February 15 2008 » Conflict resolution, Essays, Transitional justice » No Comments

Destructive Engagement: Violence, mediation and politics in Zimbabwe

Report Cover photo: Nelson Chamisa

The violence of 11 March and the months following in Zimbabwe indicated increased levels of state repression against dissenting voices in the country. Against the background of an enormous erosion of the political legitimacy of the ruling party, and an economy in freefall, the state has responded with characteristic brutality and contempt for its citizenry. […]

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Tue, July 10 2007 » Global Political Agreement, History, Human rights, Reports » No Comments