Civic Space Closure in Zimbabwe: Silencing Workers and Students in the Name of Regime Survival
The recent strike by University of Zimbabwe (UZ) lecturers over deteriorating wages has once again exposed the systematic closure of civic space in Zimbabwe, a deliberate strategy by the state to suppress dissent, undermine labor rights, and stifle student activism. The government’s heavy-handed approach to protests and strikes reflects a broader authoritarian agenda aimed at maintaining regime survival through capitalist exploitation while depriving citizens of their constitutional rights to organize and demand accountability. The Erosion of Workers’ Rights Under a Captured State The plight of UZ lecturers mirrors the broader crisis faced by Zimbabwean workers, whose wages have been decimated by hyperinflation and neoliberal economic policies. The government, operating under what political scientists term "authoritarian capitalism," has weaponized legal and extra-legal measures to suppress labor movements. The recent High Court ruling granting UZ lecturers the right to pro...