ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on religion has obscured the role of secularism, despite Zimbabwe being a secular state, and looks at how secularism has set the terms for the interaction between religion and politics. It focuses on former President Robert Mugabe and his regime, this chapter questions the interaction between religion and politics in Zimbabwe differently. The chapter argues that more than religion, secularism has shaped the field of religion and politics in Zimbabwe, including contributing to the stay of Robert Mugabe in power for thirty-seven years. It demonstrates and challenges this neutrality and objectivity from a historical trajectory, as well as using the contemporary case of Mugabe. The chapter argues that, more than religion, secularism shapes the conditions for religio-political dynamics in Zimbabwe. However, it is taken as given, presumably because the constitution lends it support and thus shields it from critique.
