By Tinashe Sambiri

HARARE – Zanu PF heavyweight and Home Affairs Minister Kazembe Kazembe has ignited a political firestorm after publicly declaring that democracy “doesn’t work in Africa” and urging President Emmerson Mnangagwa to adopt authoritarian rule to drive development.

In a controversial video circulating widely on social media, Kazembe quotes self-styled pan-Africanist Joshua Maponga, echoing sentiments that democracy is an ineffective governance model on the continent.

“I have got a message for you from one Joshua Maponga. President Sir, use dictatorship to build the nation. Democracy doesn’t work in Africa. Can parents consult their children when they want to have another child? That’s Maponga’s argument and it’s relevant,” Kazembe said, speaking before a visibly supportive Zanu PF audience.

The statement has drawn swift condemnation from democracy advocates and human rights watchdogs who accuse Kazembe of laying the ideological groundwork for authoritarian rule under the guise of “developmental urgency.”

However, Zanu PF loyalists rushed to defend Kazembe’s remarks, arguing that he was calling for strong executive authority to fast-track development—not the suppression of rights.

One supporter wrote in a WhatsApp group: “Pane andipa this video ku WhatsApp hanzi ko makukurudzira dictatorship. Haaaa handizvo.”
Another said, “Kazembe is simply saying we need decisive leadership. If the President wants flats at Mbare demolished and rebuilt in a month, it should be done. Just like what happened at Parirenyatwa Hospital—he visited and change happened overnight.”

Critics, however, point out that efficiency should not come at the expense of accountability, transparency, and public participation—core principles of democratic governance.

They warn that embracing dictatorship under the banner of development is a slippery slope toward entrenched authoritarianism.