Zanu-PF, FAZ and the politics of hybrid governance in Gutu District in Zimbabwe’s 2023 elections
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 19215280 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Tinashe Munyarari (0000-0002-0181-3471, Rhodes University, corresponding author), Wesley Mwatwara (0000-0001-7621-7693, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 64 |
| Publication date | 2026-01-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | The Journal of Modern African Studies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0022-278X • E-ISSN: 1469-7777 |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1017/s0022278x26101293 |
| OpenAlex | W7162653881 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 27 |
How ruling parties in competitive authoritarian regimes adapt their strategies to sustain power while evading accountability remains central to scholarly inquiry. Yet, little attention has been paid to the role of quasi-state actors in electoral manipulation or how citizens respond. Drawing on fieldwork in Gutu District, this study examines Forever Associates Zimbabwe (FAZ), a Government-Organised Non-Governmental Organisation (GONGO) aligned with the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) and the Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO). FAZ operated as a parallel intelligence structure, deploying covert tactics including unauthorised data collection, surveillance at voters’ roll inspection centres, opposition infiltration and illegal ‘exit polls’. Citizens responded variably; some complied, and others utilised quiet resistance, avoidance or moral denunciation. We argue that FAZ represents an authoritarian innovation that enabled repression while offering ruling elites plausible deniability. Contributing to debates on GONGOs and regime survival, this study shows how such actors entrench dominance and undermine democratic consolidation in Africa
Accountability · Authoritarianism · Corporate governance · Covert · Democratic consolidation · Dominance (genetics) · Opposition (politics) · Politics · African studies and sociopolitical issues · Corruption and Economic Development · Political Conflict and Governance
Liberation Movements in Power
Rule by Law
Electoral Authoritarianism
“Breaking Taboos”
NGOs, Ingos, GO-NGOs and DO-NGOs
Governance, Democratisation and Development in Post-Mugabe Zimbabwe
Power Politics in Zimbabwe
Competitive Authoritarianism
Conceptualizing government-organized non-governmental organizations
NGO Strategies in an Authoritarian Context, and Their Implications for Citizenship
The Political Limits to Nongovernmental Organizations in Jordan
Quangos—What's in a Name? Defining Quangos from a Comparative Perspective
The securocratic state
NGOs and the Constitutional Debate in Zimbabwe
Is There a Civil Society in Africa
Necropolitics
Violence, Victimhood and Retaliation
The Menu of Electoral Manipulation in Zimbabwe
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |