Our fifth report on Citizens’ Perceptions and Expectations from Zimbabwe has been published. It has been five years of inquiring from citizens to understand their expectations and desires from the people they put into office. Since starting this process, we have dealt with a government led by Emmerson Dambuzo Mnangagwa. His first term was one filled with hope from Zimbabweans after the 2017 protests paved the way for a 2018 election, which saw him enter the Presidential office. His second term has had a vastly different public sentiment.
This report collates data from findings gathered in October 2024, marking the conclusion of the first year of Emmerson Mnangagwa’s second term in office. This survey assesses citizens’ levels of satisfaction with the performance of the Zimbabwean government that year alone. The report gathers citizens’ views on the introduction of a new currency, the completion and deployment of several infrastructure projects, and challenges for security and constitution reforms.
The report highlights several areas, including election participation. Of note are the voting patterns in the recent election compared to the 2018 election. In this report, it is discovered that the percentage of Zimbabweans participating in the election went down, indicating lower numbers of people desiring to take part in this process. Sixty-four percent (64%) of respondents indicated that they voted in the 2023 election, compared to the 2023 CPE findings, where 68% of respondents indicated that they had voted in the 2018 elections. The lack of participation can be closely linked with the diminishing positive sentiment as expectations from the first term of office were not met or not prioritised.
The studies we have conducted have pointed to growing levels of inequality between Zimbabwean citizenry, with differing levels of participation in the public process resulting. The report highlights how those who own residential property they paid for are the demographic most likely to vote, and those who live with others and are squatting are least likely to vote.
The main aspect of the report details the perceptions of government officials in conducting their duties, i.e., both elected and unelected representatives at different levels of government, including both local and national level officials. The level of satisfaction seems to decrease as the ‘distance’ to the official increases.
Residents’ association representatives are voted the best performing representatives, with an average of 2.93 out of 5, closely followed by their ward councillors, who scored an average of 2.92 out of 5. Meanwhile, Members of Parliament scored 2.73 out of 5, and Senators scored 1.96 out of 5.
In terms of citizen priorities, the top list of priorities has remained the same since 2018, and these are employment creation, price stabilisation, resuscitating industry, dealing with corruption and health delivery.
Access the 2024 Citizens Perceptions And Expectations Report here for more information