There are stil
l Zimbabweans - and not just in the rural areas - who support AND idolise Mugabe (though there's little doubt a bit of vote-rigging always helps win an election).
l Zimbabweans - and not just in the rural areas - who support AND idolise Mugabe (though there's little doubt a bit of vote-rigging always helps win an election).
As one Zimbabwean tweeted this weekend: "There are many people who vote for Zanu WILLINGLY. Please deal."
So why, after years of economic hardship and international isolation, do some still love the man that critics accuse of turning the southern African country into a basket-case?
Here are some suggestions:
Powerful legacy
Like him or hate him, Mugabe played a key role in freeing Zimbabwe from colonial power in 1980. It's a victory he often likes to remind locals often ("Zimbabwe will never be a colony again" etc etc). His story resonates well beyond Zimbabwe's borders, which is why he also gets a lot of support when he travels on the continent.
Stressing the I-freed-the-country line is "chapter 1 in How to be a Dictator", Jeffrey Smith of @VanguardAfrica told News24. There are some signs that the younger generation in Zimbabwe is becoming increasingly disillusioned with the "debt" Mugabe and other war vets claim they're still owed nearly 40 years after the war for independence (As @BuildZimbabwe urged on Monday: "Don't let your loyalty become slavery. Reject the status quo"). On the other hand, legacies win elections. Higher education minister @profjnmoyo argued along these lines at the weekend.
He gives Zimbabweans things
It was Grace who got tongues wagging over last week's donations at her Buhera rally of shoes, soap and cooking oil, all allegedly confiscated by the state ZIMRA revenue authority from traders. Former finance minister @BitiTendai fumed: "It is illegal for ZANU & the obnoxious Grace to capture goods seized by ZIMRA meant for customs rummage sales & distribute same at rallies." (Ruling party MP Psychology Maziwisa did something similar earlier this month, plastering the promise "Rice! Rice! Rice!" over flyers advertising his rally in his Highfield West constituency). But giving out free stuff is just what Mugabe's been doing on a grander scale for years. Farms. Company shares. Thing is, many of those things you can only access if you're a slogan-shouting member of the party.
There's no viable opposition
Perhaps there was in 2008 when Movement For Democratic Change leader Morgan Tsvangirai won the first round of polls. But since then Tsvangirai's popularity has plummeted. Let's be honest: who wants to be aligned to someone who keeps losing?
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