Abstract
Zimbabwe underwent periods of politically-motivated violence between 1980 and 2015. The aim of this study is to articulate the utility of the civilian survival strategy model and its significance in both addressing past injustices and reducing the recurrence of political violence in Zimbabwe. This thesis argues that Zimbabwe needs reconciliation through people-centred peacebuilding (PCP) that takes into account civilian survival strategies (CSS). The CSS used in this study are flight, silence, voice and joining the perpetrators of violence. CSS aid in identifying, from the perspective of the victims and even witnesses, the aspects that need to be built into the reconciliation process in Zimbabwe, and how these can enable reconciliation to take place. The CSS model demonstrated that the citizens wanted reconciliation to be effected through truthtelling, ending political violence, eliminating structural factors that lead to political violence, tolerance and the mending of relationships. These aspects provided the basis for understanding the rationality of people-centred peacebuilding inspired by CSS. What fundamentally emerges is that PCP is largely inspired by CSS. This study further discusses why reconciliation failed to happen between 1980 and 2015 and contends that for one to appreciate the practicalities and challenges of reconciliation in Zimbabwe, the interests of both the citizens and the state have to be factored in. Any model of peacebuilding has to take into account the competing realities of interests and power. This approach helps in explaining why reconciliation was difficult to attain not only in Zimbabwe but also in other conflict-ridden countries and those emerging from it.
D.Phil. (Political Studies)