THEMATIC OVERVIEW
Theme: Fear as a tool of manipulation
Fear has been instilled in the people by the ruling Zanu-PF and its agents particularly from
the turn of the millennium. Ordinary people fear that there will be repercussions to support
another party. They fear harassments and intimidation; they fear that physical violence may
be meted out on them. They also fear that they may have the homes burnt, destroyed or that
they could be evicted from their homes or their pieces of land. Fear of hunger after one is
discriminated against on party lines is all too real for many particularly those in the outlying
areas.
Indeed, the dimensions of fear are many.
The fear is not only across parties. Of late this fear has also started festering within Zanu-PF
as intra-party conflict wreaks havoc on factional lines.
Whichever way the fear manifests, it is going a long way in manipulating the people.
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