From Voting to Torture’: Examining the pyscho-social effects of the 2008 political election processes in Zimbabwe

Abstract

This paper is an assessment of the psycho-social effects of the harmonised elections of 2008 in
Zimbabwe. After the highly contentious election results in which the main opposition party, the
MDC3 defeated the then ruling ZANU-PF party, calculated violence broke out4. The general
elections were held on the 29th of March 2008, but it took the ZEC5 two months to release the
election results. In the first round of the elections, Morgan Tsvangirai of the MDC was said to
have won 47.9% of the vote and Robert Mugabe 43.2%, necessitating a run-off which was to
be held on the 27th of June 2008. It is during this period after the announcement of the first
round of results and the preparations for the second round of voting that extreme violence
ensued, perpetrated mainly against the opposition MDC party supporters by the ZANU PF
organs. This forced Tsvangirai to withdraw his candidature from the run-off. The ‘political
bases’ created by ZANU PF members especially in the rural areas, but also in the high-density
urban areas, opposition supporters were subjected to extreme torture, killings and sexual
abuse. This led to the discreditation of the second round of results by the AU and the SADC,
prompting the formation of an inclusive government. Despite the fact that there was the
creation of an Organ of National Healing, Reconciliation and Integration after the formation
of the Government of National Unity (GNU), the paper argues that it did not do enough to
‘heal’ the victims of the post-election violence. Many people are still suffering from the psychosocial effects of the 2008 election violence; therefore, the paper makes some recommendations
that would assist the victims and ensure a more effective national healing process