WHEN a State is described as a clientele State, what is meant is that the country as a whole is under capture by politicians who belong to the ruling party who have amassed wealth at the expense of the general public, which, in turn, is sunk into poverty.
The politicians then buy the votes of the masses through offering goods and services to the public.
Since the public is impoverished, it is desperate for basic goods which the political party involved offers but not for free.
There has to be a promise to vote for the ruling party in future elections.
It is more of a domestic state of dependency in which the general public has to be alleviated through aid bought by their voting rights.
Clientelism is said to be growing in sub-Saharan Africa.
However, there is need to assess whether Zimbabwe has been affected by such a virus
There is need to note that Zimbabwe has made efforts through various socio-economic reforms and by forming organisations that support the ideas that have been implemented.
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Prior to independence, many black Zimbabweans had limited access to education which was only made available to the colonial elite.
However, after gaining independence, the government of Zimbabwe in a bid to improve the quality of education as well as advocating for non-discrimination in education, promulgated the Education Act of 1996, the Zimbabwe Disabled Persons Act which came up with free primary education and free basic education programmes.
This was government’s way of recognising education as a human right, the primary focus was on high quality education, through removal and reduction of fees and training of teachers.
The Zimbabwe National Policy of 1999 improved accessibility to education by all individuals.
In 2001 came the adoption of the Basic Education Assistance Module, this was an initiative to assist the marginalised populations to gain access to education through providing resources like books, uniforms and tuition.
Overall, this bolstered the literacy rate to become as high as 91,4% according to United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation.
The need for key tertiary institutions led to the construction of teachers’ training colleges, polytechnics, universities and vocational training centres, hence enhancing the educational infrastructure of Zimbabwe.
It is also important to note that government, through the Zimbabwe Manpower Development Fund, supports polytechnic tertiary institutions with monthly salaries for students on attachment.
The land reform programme, initiated at the turn of the millennium, meant that many landless Zimbabweans gained access to land, which led to increased self-sufficiency, increased agricultural activities in rural areas, thereby supporting local economies.
It has also allowed community development since it has fostered a sense of community as well as social cohesion.
As a bonus the cultural restoration set the nation on a progressive path.
As climate change has affected crop yields, various food security initiatives have been adopted, a good example being Pfumvudza, which is meant to improve the livelihoods of small-scale farmers, promoting new techniques while limiting environmental impacts caused by farming.
Farmers received fertiliser and seed, this initiative scored high yields, which, in turn, reduced hunger and malnutrition.
Another similar initiative is Command Agriculture, which controlled prices of agricultural produce, supported farmers through subsidies, while monitoring farming practices and ensuring compliance with stipulated regulations.
Such initiatives have always impacted the economy positively, which shows that they are of benefit to the public at large.
However, without a shadow of doubt, we can also argue that there are traits of clientelism in Zimbabwe that are embedded in different socio-economic and political divides.
From nepotistic practices, corruption by politically exposed persons and also the fact that precious minerals, which are supposed to engineer and spur economic growth, are looted and the authorities turn a blind eye.
In that regard, we look into the Gold Mafia case, which, of course, exposed the smuggling of gold by well-connected individuals within Zimbabwe.
During the late former President Robert Mugabe’s reign, to drum up support for the ruling party, agricultural inputs meant to benefit every Zimbabwean were mostly distributed to those who supported the ruling party.
That was also the case in terms of acquiring housing stands.
There have been reports of land barons heavily linked to the ruling party who have been duping citizens of their hard-earned cash promising them stands.
This points to one of many incidents which happened in Chitungwiza, where people were being given stands according to which political party they belonged.
The point of departure is there are practical examples which point to Zimbabwe being a clientele State.
- Mackingtosh Mugodzeri and Stephen Rukarwa are both International Relations students at Africa University
