Gifts or Capture? A Critical Analysis of ZANU-PF Oligarchs’ Multimillion Dollar “Donations” to Zimbabwe’s Culture Industry

This qualitative study examines the extent to which the multimillion-dollar gifts that were given to Zimbabwe’s culture industry by President Emmerson Mnangagwa and ZANU-PF oligarchs were symptomatic of capture. Guided by Althusser’s Ideology and Ideological State Apparatus concept and the media capture model, the study also sought to understand the strategies that were deployed by Mnangagwa’s administration to capture the culture industry and the implications for democracy in Zimbabwe. Mnangagwa succeeded longtime ruler Robert Mugabe in 2017 after a military coup. He vowed to democratise Zimbabwe. Data gathered through digital archival research and subjected to van Dijk’s Critical Discourse Analysis confirm that, acting through oligarchs associated with ZANU-PF, Mnangagwa captured musicians, clerics, journalists and social media influencers for hegemonic gain. This occurred as Mnangagwa extended his presidency from 2028 to 2030. Critics claimed the presidential term extension violated Zimbabwe’s constitution.