Succession Politics and Factional Journalism in Zimbabwe: A Case of <i>The Chronicle</i> in Zimbabwe

Chuma, Wallace; Msimanga, Mbongeni Jonny; Tshuma, Lungile Augustine

doi:10.1080/23743670.2020.1731564

Cited by 23 publications

(7 citation statements)

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“…the threat of re-colonisation), without presenting how it is connected to valence issues, for example in Zimbabwe’s context, serious issues of dysfunctional state institutions, massive corruption at the highest echelons of power, unemployment etc. Because such discourses blame other players, without engaging them, they, arguably add to the polarisation of politics which has dominated Zimbabwe’s political climate since 2000 (see Chuma et al, 2020; Munoriyarwa, 2020).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The MDC led by Tsvangirai split in 2005 following disagreements over whether to participate in senatorial elections or not. ZANU-PF's infighting over Mugabe's succession burst out into the open in 2014 (see Chibuwe, 2016) largely due to Mugabe's advanced age; he was now frail (Chuma et al, 2020). Grace Mugabe successfully led a campaign of vilification against Joice Mujuru, the then Vice President, culminating in her dismissal from both the government and ZANU-PF (see Chibuwe, 2016).…”

Section: Zanu-pf Factionalism the 2013 Election The Military Coup And...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, the dismissal of Mujuru and allies did not bring ZANU-PF factionalism to an end, but instead it intensified. Mnangagwa was also accused of leading a faction called Team Lacoste (Chuma et al, 2020). Those accused of being in Mnangagwa's faction, including military generals, accused Grace Mugabe, Jonathan Moyo and Saviour Kasukuwere of leading a faction called G40.…”

Section: Zanu-pf Factionalism the 2013 Election The Military Coup And...mentioning

confidence: 99%

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

Chibuwe

Munoriyarwa

2023

Discourse & Communication

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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.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Zanu-pf Factionalism the 2013 Election The Military Coup And...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Zanu-pf Factionalism the 2013 Election The Military Coup And...mentioning

confidence: 99%

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

Chibuwe

Munoriyarwa

2023

Discourse & Communication

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“…The two stables operate in polarised media system as the former practice ‘patriotic journalism’ that supports the state and government, and critiques government critics ( Ranger, 2004 ). Patriotic journalism is a reflection of political discourses valorising the Third Chimurenga (war of Zimbabwean independence) (Tendi, 2010) which later morphed into “factional” journalism ( Chuma et al, 2020 ) at the height of factional infighting in Zanu-PF to succeed former president, Robert Mugabe. On the other hand, privately owned media has continuously churned out ‘oppositional journalism’ or “vendetta journalism” ( Mabweazara, 2010 ; Kasoma, 1996 ) that exposes the Zanu-PF government for its failure.…”

Section: Media Systems and Contextual Background Of Newsrooms Under S...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Reconstruction and Adaptation in Times of a Contagious Crisis: A Case of African Newsrooms’ Response to the Covid-19 Pandemic

Matsilele

Tshuma

Msimanga

2022

Journal of Communication Inquiry

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This is a cross-national comparative study of how media in Zimbabwe, Botswana, and South Africa reconstructed their operations in response to Covid-19 global pandemic. The study is grounded in a qualitative research design that uses semi-structured interviews with journalists from Zimbabwe, Botswana and South Africa. The study investigated how news operations, newsroom cultures, news gathering, and news dissemination practices were impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. Informed by the sociology of news production theoretical lens, the study noted that journalists and editors were affected by the Covid-19 pandemic which ensured they change some journalistic practices. The findings of this study reveal that journalists suffered traumatic experiences such as job losses, covid-19 related illness and fatalities. At a regulatory level, findings confirm the perennial challenges with media freedoms in the region with South Africa remaining a lone outlier. Lastly, interviews with journalists further demonstrate that newsrooms have had to maximise digital affordances for news gathering and dissemination as old revenue streams dried up. As a result, print media scaled back in its operations as a response to containing the spread of the virus.

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“…Increasingly over the past few years, Zimbabwe’s state media became entangled in the power struggles between various factions of the ruling party (Chuma et al, 2020; Msimanga et al, 2021; Mpofu and Matsilele, 2020). To a considerable extent, control of the Ministry of Information, Media and Broadcasting Services – under which state media fall – became critical to competing factions’ political prospects.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mediating a regime in crisis: corruption and succession in Zimbabwe’s state media

Mpofu

Tshuma

Msimanga

2022

Media, Culture & Society

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Political scandals are rarely the focus of major academic research in Zimbabwe where tight control of the dominant state media by the ruling party ensures that scandals involving senior government officials are suppressed. Informed by Altheide and Snow’s media logic and Thompson’s concept of mediated political scandals, this article uses framing analysis to examine The Herald’s logic behind exposing the ZIMDEF scandal involving former Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education, Jonathan Moyo. We therefore view the scandal as a political power scandal within ZANU-PF as two main factions, the Lacoste faction led by then Vice-President and now President Emmerson Mnangagwa and the G40 faction fronted by the then Minister of Higher Education Jonathan Moyo, who fought a nail-biting contest over the succession of long-time ruler Mugabe as his reign entered the twilight. The article argues that the scandal evolved like a choreographed sting operation, in which the objective was not to expose public corruption, but to neutralise a formidable political foe as the race to succeed former president Robert Mugabe intensified.

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Succession Politics and Factional Journalism in Zimbabwe: A Case of The Chronicle in Zimbabwe

Cited by 23 publications

References 10 publications

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

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

Reconstruction and Adaptation in Times of a Contagious Crisis: A Case of African Newsrooms’ Response to the Covid-19 Pandemic

Mediating a regime in crisis: corruption and succession in Zimbabwe’s state media

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