ABSTRACT
The growth of civil society in Zimbabwe can be understood through focusing on two things. First, civil society grew in response to an authoritarian regime. Thus, the strategies of civil society over time revolved around the response of a repressive state apparatus. Second, civil society has a symbiotic relationship with the opposition movement. In this regard, developments in the opposition movement have had serious ripple effects in the civil society movement and vice versa. In such a context, the chapter makes four arguments. First, the growth of civil society through a widespread democratisation project limited the scope of civil society in terms of appeal, focus and reach. Second, the intimate relationship between civil society and the opposition movement militated against the development of a broader network of civil society beyond the political objective of regime change. Third, the overreliance on Western funding crippled civil society’s work at a critical point in Zimbabwe’s struggle for democratisation. Lastly, the development of loose networks of activists in modern and contemporary forms indicates the completion of a circle (pre-1995 civil society was informal and often consisted of unorganised loose networks of communities). I conclude that the future of civil society in Zimbabwe depends on broadening the objectives of civil society beyond political change and liberating civil society from the ‘founder member syndrome’. Embracing elements of change, renewal and transparency in Zimbabwe’s civil society is imperative.
