LOCKDOWN LOYALTIES: ZIMBABWE’S PARTISAN PROFITEERING AMIDST CRISIS

In the shadows of Zimbabwe’s bustling informal sector, a different kind of economy thrives—one that is deeply intertwined with the political machinations of the ruling Zanu PF party. This informal economy, crucial for the survival of many, especially marginalized youths and vulnerable women, faces severe disruptions due to lockdowns. These lockdowns, ostensibly measures against COVID-19, double as states of emergency under Zanu PF’s decades-long rule, further entrenching the party’s grip on power by exploiting the very crisis that oppresses the average Zimbabwean.

The beneficiaries of this system are not the elite Zanu PF clients alone but include a spectrum of society that, through a combination of loyalty and intellectual myopia, manage to live marginally better than those whose existence is tied to the informal market. This relative advantage serves as a powerful incentive for self-generated partisanship, reinforcing loyalty to Zanu PF in exchange for breadcrumbs from the high table.

Zimbabwe’s departure from the rule of law on April 18, 1980, marked the beginning of an era characterized by “rule by law,” where legal frameworks were manipulated to cement Zanu PF’s power. The dream of a one-party state facilitated a culture of impunity, enabling the party to accumulate wealth at the expense of the populace. The mutilation of the country’s supreme law and the erosion of the separation of powers allowed for unchecked centralization of authority, notably manifesting in a partisan security apparatus loyal to Zanu PF.

The modus operandi of Zanu PF’s survival strategy involves throwing “bread crumbs” to the partisan military and police forces, ensuring their loyalty in protecting the status quo. These forces, enjoying privileges and higher salaries compared to other civil servants, become key players in enforcing lockdowns that, while devastating for the general population, offer lucrative rent-seeking opportunities for themselves.

For the average Zimbabwean, surviving means defying these lockdowns to scrape together a living, often on less than a dollar a day. The partisan enforcers of these lockdowns exploit their position, allowing those who can pay “rent” at checkpoints to move freely, thus facilitating a perverse economy that operates counter to the lockdown’s intended purpose. This rent-seeking behavior not only perpetuates Zanu PF’s rule by enabling the repression of dissent and avoiding electoral accountability but also exacerbates public health risks by allowing unchecked movement potentially spreading COVID-19.

Ironically, Zimbabwe’s refusal to accept Johnson & Johnson vaccines—opting instead for less effective vaccines from its “colonial master,” China—exemplifies the regime’s prioritization of political allegiances over public health. Accepting the Western vaccine could have facilitated herd immunity, obviating the need for economically devastating lockdowns. Instead, the lockdowns remain a convenient tool for Zanu PF, providing a pretext for maintaining control and offering rent-seeking opportunities to its enforcers, further entrenching the party’s power.

In essence, Zimbabwe’s crisis is not merely one of public health but a manifestation of a deeper political pathology. The pandemic has been weaponized to reinforce a corrupt status quo, where loyalty to Zanu PF ensures survival at the expense of the broader population’s wellbeing. As the informal economy suffers under the weight of lockdowns, the fabric of society frays, leaving the nation more divided and dependent on the very forces that seek to control it.