'Rallies legitimise Zanu-PF hegemony'

Academic, Mcdonald Lewanika, has characterized Zanu-PF's campaign rallies leading up to the August 23 harmonized elections as a deliberate effort by the ruling party to legitimize its dominance. He asserted that these rallies, combined with electoral manipulation, violence, and intimidation, were tools used to secure a decisive victory for the ruling party.

In his research paper titled "Zanu-PF Bigwig Rallies as Performative Politics," Lewanika argued that Zanu-PF employs rallies as a means to maintain its political dominance. He contended that understanding the party and politics in Zimbabwe required looking beyond illicit activities and recognizing how Zanu-PF strategically utilizes coercive clientelist and persuasive clientelist mobilization methods in different constituencies and elections.

During the election season, Zanu-PF transported supporters from various provinces to boost attendance at its rallies, often making sensational claims about the number of attendees, such as the purported gathering of 124,000 supporters at a rally in Zaka, Masvingo province, in July.

Lewanika defined a rally as a public event where speakers directly address an audience for the purpose of political mobilization. He described it as a dynamic and persuasive act that involves various forms of performance, including slogans, speeches, dances, and visual symbols.

He emphasized that rallies were an integral part of the electoral process and played a significant role in providing parties with the opportunity to seek legitimacy through direct interaction with voters.

Lewanika also noted that "bigwig rallies," which featured party leaders such as the president, vice-presidents, and party chairperson, were essential national-level events within Zanu-PF's legitimacy-seeking and voter mobilization strategies.

He argued that these rallies were elaborate productions where party heavyweights conveyed messages and meanings to various audiences, laying down the party's law, shaping collectivities, framing candidates, and soliciting votes based on claims of representativeness and legitimacy.

However, Zanu-PF's acting information director, Farai Marapira, dismissed Lewanika's claims, stating that the article lacked scientific proof. Marapira argued that the attendees had willingly participated, without coercion, and that the article lacked empirical evidence, suggesting that Lewanika should explore fiction writing rather than political analysis.

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