‘Repetition without change?’: A critical discourse analysis of selected ZANU-PF advertisements for the July 2013 and July 2018 elections

Abstract

Drawing on Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), and anchored on CDA theory, we argue that as the ruling party’s governance record increasingly came under scrutiny in two election cycles researched, the Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF), largely maintained its old strategies of power legitimation. However, it altered the message in order to reflect the changing intensity of political contestation, an increasingly bellicose political opposition and growing dissent within its own ranks, as well as the shifting economic fortunes of the country. Forced to campaign under these circumstances, ZANU-PF trusted, with notable variations, its old discourse strategies to produce election advertisements that legitimised its hold on power, hegemony and spread its ideology. The findings show that whereas in July, 2018, the message changed to reflect the leadership change, ZANU-PF’s legitimation strategies remained unchanged. Similarly, we note that whereas the ‘them’ that had to be de-legitimised in 2013 was unequivocally Tsvangirai and the Movement for Democratic Change Tsvangirai (MDC-T), in 2018 ‘them’ not only referred to Nelson Chamisa and MDC Alliance, but it also referred to Mugabe and curiously not ZANU-PF under Mugabe. Including ZANU-PF under Mugabe, we argue, would have also inadvertently de-legitimised both Mnangagwa and ZANU-PF.

Discontinuity without change? the place and discourse of colonial memory in Zimbabwe’s post- Mugabe Zanu-PF politics.

“…Establishing changes and continuities in campaign discourse during the July 2018 presidential election compared to the March 2002 parliamentary election under Mugabe critically engages Noyes' (2020: viii) assertion that 'there is a wide gap between the (Mnangagwa) government's reform rhetoric and the reality on the ground'. In a related study, Chibuwe and Munoriyarwa (2023) utilized Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) to scrutinize post-Mugabe ZANU PF's governance, focusing on the July 2013 and August 2018 presidential advertising legitimation and electioneering tactics. Among their key findings was that Mnangagwa's administration largely maintained traditional power legitimation tactics.…”

“…They also observed slight changes in the 2018 election campaign message to reflect evolving political communication dynamics amidst a potentially strong opposition. Chibuwe and Munoriyarwa (2023) acknowledge Ndlovu-Gatsheni and Ruhanya's (2020: 3) characterization of Mnangagwa's administration as 'repetition without change', arguing that only the language changed, while everything else remained the same. Given this observation, this study seeks to establish whether the claim that Mnangagwa's administration is indeed a 'New Dispensation' or 'Second Republic' holds water at the discursive and legitimation levels (Chibuwe and Munoriyarwa, 2023).…”

“…Chibuwe and Munoriyarwa (2023) acknowledge Ndlovu-Gatsheni and Ruhanya's (2020: 3) characterization of Mnangagwa's administration as 'repetition without change', arguing that only the language changed, while everything else remained the same. Given this observation, this study seeks to establish whether the claim that Mnangagwa's administration is indeed a 'New Dispensation' or 'Second Republic' holds water at the discursive and legitimation levels (Chibuwe and Munoriyarwa, 2023). Existing studies (Dzenga, 2018;Ndlovu-Gatsheni and Ruhanya, 2020;Noyes, 2020;Tshuma, 2021) have been evasive on the place and discourse of colonial memory in Mnangagwa's administration.…”

“…The intervention by the Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF) eventually led to Mugabe's resignation, paving the way for Mnangagwa's installment as president-designate on 24 November 2017, following his return from exile in South Africa on 22 November 2017 (Asuelime, 2018;Greenfield and Wharton, 2019;Rodgers, 2019;Ncube, 2020). This ZDF operation received support from the main opposition party, Movement for Democratic Change-Tsvangirai (MDC-T), led by the late Morgan Tsvangirai (Chibuwe and Munoriyarwa, 2023).…”

“…The party's relations with other political entities in Southern Africa and beyond have been strained due to allegations of vote rigging, intimidation, enactment of restrictive laws, and a militant approach to national, regional, and international affairs aimed at maintaining power (Scholz, 2004;Masunungure, 2004;Kriger, 2005;Muzondidya, 2009). Some perspectives label the military intervention leading to Mugabe's resignation as a "coup" (Moore, 2018;Greenfield and Wharton, 2019;Beardsworth et al, 2019;Tendi, 2020;Ndawana, 2020;CCJP 1999, Hove andChenzi, 2020;Chibuwe and Munoriyarwa, 2023), while others term it a transition (Ndlovu Gatsheni and Ruhanya, 2020;Mpofu, 2020). Alternatively, some assert that there was no coup (Greenfield and Wharton, 2019).…”