Resources

• Idasa Partner Report: RAU: Bucking the Trends: Africa, Zimbabwe, Demand for Democracy, and Elections
  [Research Reports]

  17 May 2012Across sub-Saharan Africa, formal institutional rules are coming to matter much more than they used to, and have displaced violence as the primary source of ...

• Idasa Partner Report: RAU: digging up the truth
  [Research Reports]

  23 Apr 2012In a revealing paper Derek Matyszak of the Research and Advocacy Unity of Zimbabwe analyses the legal and political realities of what he calls the ZIMPLATS saga. ...

• Madagascar Country Brief
  [Research Reports]

  28 Nov 2011Country Synopsis Madagascar was declared an autonomous state within the French community in 1958 and gained full independence in 1960. A history of successive government ...

• DRC Election Watch
  [Research Reports]

  24 Nov 2011With elections in the Democratic Republic of Congo set to go ahead on 28 November 2011, Idasa’s States in Transition Observatory (SITO) measures the country’s ...

• Zimbabwe Election Watch – October 2011
  [Research Reports]

  07 Nov 2011Idasa’s SITO project looks at what’s happening in Zimbabwe as it heads towards inevitable elections. Download the full report below.

• Crucial elections in Liberia
  [Research Reports]

  10 Oct 2011Idasa analyst Bryan Sims notes that, if successful, the 11 October 2011 elections will further entrench democracy in Liberia and the region. Download the full ...

• The Commonwealth and Zimbabwe: Who got disengaged and why should we re-engage?
  [Research Reports]

  06 Oct 2011Read a report by the Research and Advocacy Unit (RAU) outlining issues the Commonwealth of Nations should take into account as they consider re-engagement with ...

• The dissolution of the SADC Tribunal
  [Research Reports]

  31 Aug 2011This report by the Harare-based Research and Advocacy Unit discussed key legal issues relating to the suspension of the SADC Tribunal. Download the full report ...

• Violence against women in Zimbabwe
  [Research Reports]

  29 Aug 2011This report, by the Harare-based Research and Advocacy Unit, examines politically motivated violence against women in Zimbabwe between 2000 and 2010. Download the report below ...

• Re-Imagining Zimbabwe: Restoring National Institutions
  [Research Reports]

  19 Aug 2011Five advocacy groups emphasise the need for breaking the deadlock between Zimbabwe’s political parties over the details of a Road Map towards elections. Research and ...

• Elections Roadmap
  [Research Reports]

  04 Aug 2011Zimbabwe Liberator's Platform Election Roadmap focuses its attention on laying a sound framework for credible elections whose outcome would be incontestable. View the full Roadmap ...

• Women and Political Violence: An Update
  [Research Reports]

  04 Aug 2011This report was produced by the Women’s Programme, Research and Advocacy Unit

• South Africa Country Brief
  [Research Reports]

  27 Jul 2011Country Synopsis         After nearly 50 years of state-institutionalized racial separation, the Republic of South Africa underwent a remarkable transformation that was ...

• Botswana Country Brief
  [Research Reports]

  27 Jul 2011Country Synopsis                   The Republic of Botswana, formerly known as Bechuanaland, has made substantial developmental progress since ...

• Namibia's Country Brief
  [Research Reports]

  27 Jul 2011Country Synopsis             The conclusion of the Cold War paved the way for serious negotiations among South Africa, the front-line ...

• Ivory Coast Country Brief
  [Research Reports]

  27 Jul 2011Country Synopsis           Côte d’Ivoire gained independence from France in August 1960, and due to its success as an exporter of ...

• Kenya Country Brief
  [Research Reports]

  26 Jul 2011Country Synopsis         Kenya gained independence from Britain in December 1963 and, until late 2007, was considered one of the more stable ...

• SADC and Zimbabwe: Can they guarantee a Free and Fair Election?
  [Research Reports]

  26 Jun 2011As Zimbabwe’s political arrangement continues to be tested and in the wake of a strong SADC stand in Livingstone, this briefing focuses on Zimbabwean reactions ...

• The Politics of Land in Zimbabwe
  [Research Reports]

  26 Jun 2011In Zimbabwe, land is a highly emotive and political issue, one that has been seriously abused. Zanu PF has politicised and racialised the land issue ...

• Liberia Country Brief
  [Research Reports]

  24 May 2011A look at Liberia This country report examines the political and economic environment in Africa’s oldest republic. Read the full brief below.   Country Synopsis ...

• Swaziland Country Brief
  [Research Reports]

  17 May 2011Country Synopsis         Swaziland is the last remaining absolute monarchy in Africa. The 1973 King’s Proclamation suspended the constitution, assuming all executive ...

• SITO’s first Election Watch for Zimbabwe
  [Research Reports]

  10 May 2011The Election Watch is based on the SADC principles and guidelines for conducting elections. It holds countries to the standards that they originated and agreed ...

• Future of the Inclusive Government
  [Research Reports]

  04 Apr 2011The Inclusive Government has been described as dysfunctional and is closer to collapse today than at any other time during its existence. Violence and intimidation ...

• Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) Country Brief
  [Research Reports]

  22 Mar 2011Country Synopsis    Of the countries in Africa living with the so-called resource curse the DRC’s people have suffered some of the worst devastation. King ...

• Zimbabwe Country Brief 2011
  [Research Reports]

  28 Feb 2011Country Synopsis          Zimbabwe won its independence from Britain in 1980. With a relatively industrialized economy and a firm agricultural base, it ...

• 74% of women In Zimbabwe study believe there ‘’is no respect for the law’
  [Research Reports]

  28 Feb 2011While police have been responsible for some of the most serious human rights and rule of law violations in Zimbabwe today, women in particular have ...

• The world can make a difference in Zimbabwe
  [Research Reports]

  23 Feb 2011The African Union, Southern African Development Community and the international community have the potential to shape Zimbabwe’s pending election. Idasa’s States in Transition Observatory considers ...

• Zimbabwe: Sanctions, Elections and Security
  [Research Reports]

  03 Jan 2011The Real Outstanding Issues: Restrictive Measures, Elections and the Security Sector 1. PRESENT ENVIRONMENT Key players within Zanu PF are currently hedging their political bets ...

• Governance indicators – comparative study
  [Research Reports]

  15 Dec 2010Commissioned by the United Nations Development Programme Oslo Governance Centre (UNDP OGC), this is a comparative study on the development and use of governance indicators ...

• The Experience of Violence by Zimbabwean Women
  [Research Reports]

  06 Dec 2010African democracy institute Idasa, with the Research and Advocacy Unit (RAU), the International Centre for Transitional Justice (ICTJ) and the Women's Coalition of Zimbabwe (WCoZ) ...

• Restrictive measures in Zimbabwe: the way forward
  [Research Reports]

  12 Nov 2010The situation in Zimbabwe has changed since restrictive measures by many Western countries came into effect in the early 2000s. The signing of the Global Political ...

• Women, Politics and the Zimbabwe Crisis
  [Research Reports]

  28 May 2010In late 2009, the Research and Advocacy Unit (RAU) partnered with IDASA (An African Democracy Institute), the International Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ) and the ...

• Still looking for change after 30 years of Zimbabwean independence
  [Research Reports]

  07 May 2010On the 18th April Zimbabwe celebrated 30 years of independence. The last few years have been fraught with tension, as the Interim Government (IG) continues ...

• Zimbabwe's Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment Legislation
  [Research Reports]

  07 Apr 2010Everything you ever wanted to know (and then some) about Zimbabwe's Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment Legislation but (quite rightly) were to Afraid to Ask. By ...

• Fighting for a New Constitution
  [Research Reports]

  24 Mar 2010Human Rights Violations experienced by Female Members of the National Constitutional Assembly. Report prepared by: Research and Advocacy Unit Since its inception, the National Constitutional ...

• SITO Eastern DRC Trip Report
  [Research Reports]

  04 Dec 2009(31 October – 8 November 2009) Idasa staff involved: Oupa Makhalemele and Alain Fedjou During the first week of November 2009, SITO undertook a second ...

• Roundtable on the inclusive government of Zimbabwe
  [Research Reports]

  30 Nov 2009Amanzi Lodge, 30th September, 2009 Summary of Discussion The meeting was convened with a view to obtaining an informed and nuanced view, from the perspective ...

• If something is wrong... The invisible suffering of commercial farm workers and their families due to “Land Reform”
  [Research Reports]

  10 Nov 2009Report produced for the General Agricultural & Plantation Workers Union of Zimbabwe [GAPWUZ] by the Research and Advocacy Unit [RAU] and the Justice For Agriculture ...

• Appointments under Zimbabwe's Inclusive Government
  [Research Reports]

  03 Nov 2009By Derek Matyszak, Senior Researcher Research and Advocacy Unit, Zimbabwe November 2009 This paper considers the general appointment of persons by the President of Zimbabwe ...

• Ibrahim Index of African Governance - Country Reports
  [Research Reports]

  21 Oct 2009This is a publication by the Mo Ibrahim Foundation The Ibrahim Index of African Governance is a comprehensive ranking of sub-Saharan African nations according to ...

• 2013 Vision – Seeing Double and the Dead
  [Research Reports]

  12 Oct 2009A Preliminary Audit of Zimbabwe's Voters' Roll By Derek Matyszak, Research and Advocacy Unit. The registration of voters and the compilation and maintenance of an ...

• Power Dynamics In Zimbabwes Inclusive Government
  [Research Reports]

  22 Sep 2009By Derek Matyszak, Senior Researcher Research and Advocacy Unit, Zimbabwe Introduction The elections of March 2008 yielded an astounding victory for Zimbabwe's Movement for Democratic ...

• Strategies to encourage Diaspora return to Zimbabwe
  [Research Reports]

  22 Sep 2009By: Aquilina Mawadza Recent research by the Centre for Global Development suggests that immigrants can be more useful to their countries of origin if they ...

• Human Rights Violations Against Women in Zimbabwe
  [Research Reports]

  31 Jul 2009This report looks at how African countries have dealt with violations against women in post-conflict situations. Particular attention is paid to the processes in South ...

• Hear No Evil, See No Evil, Speak No Evil: A Critique of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission Report on the 2008 General Elections
  [Research Reports]

  09 Jul 2009By: Derek Matyszak Senior Researcher Research & Advocacy Unit [RAU] On the 29th March 2008 Zimbabwe simultaneously held elections for the presidency, two houses of ...

• Walking a Thin Line - Zimbabwe
  [Research Reports]

  02 Jul 2009The political and humanitarian challenges facing Zimbabwe’s GPA leadership – and its ordinary citizens.  After four months, hurdles remain for the GPA, and it is ...

• Gone to Egoli: Economic Survival Strategies in Zimbabwe
  [Research Reports]

  02 Jul 2009Zimbabweans have been battered by the collapsed economy and have limited access to forex. The Solidarity Peace Trust interviewed families in five rural districts and ...

• Challenges Facing Education in Zimbabwe
  [Research Reports]

  26 Jun 2009A report by Aquilina Mawadza, with research assistance from Theophilous Chiviru Discuss this on our blog here. When Robert Mugabe became the president of the ...

• Know Your Ministers - Zimbabwe
  [Research Reports]

  14 Apr 2009This is a very useful document on who the new cabinet ministers are within Zimbabwe. It is based on the research done by the Zimbabwe ...

• Assessing Transitional Justice in Zimbabwe
  [Research Reports]

  24 Mar 2009An assessment mission to Zimbabwe was part of a broader enquiry into the transitional justice landscape in the Southern African region. This was driven by ...

• Developing a Transformation Agenda
  [Research Reports]

  26 Jan 2009Compiled by Dr Martin Rupiya Directort of Research, Africa, Cranfield University Key Issues for Zimbabwe's Security Sector Reform This report is a summary of a ...

• Key Issues for Zimbabwe's Economic Reconstruction
  [Research Reports]

  08 Dec 2008Compiled by: Daniel B. Ndlela, ZIMCONSULT In terms of economic reconstruction, a recent roundtable sought to discuss a comprehensive plan to reconstruct the economy of Zimbabwe with ...

• Developing a Transformation Agenda
  [Research Reports]

  01 Dec 2008Political Crisis, Mediation and the Prospects for Transitional Justice in Zimbabwe. By: Shari Eppel and Brian Raftopoulos. Solidarity Peace Trust, South Africa. The major purpose ...

• How to lose an election and stay in power
  [Research Reports]

  20 Jun 2008In April 2008, President Robert Mugabe officiated at ceremonies commemorating Zimbabwe's 28th year of independence.  He gave not so much as a flicker of acknowledgement ...

• Political Violence or Crimes Against Humanity?
  [Research Reports]

  17 Jun 2008By Piers Pigou Commissioned by SITO There is dispute over whether the violence of the past nine years in Zimbabwe is a reflection of political violence, ...

• Zimbabwe's Presidential Elections: A Prognosis
  [Research Reports]

  06 Jun 2008This paper is based on an ealier presentation given to the Coghena Workshop in Harare The result of the election (although it ought not to ...

• Zimbabwe: What happened in the Presidential Election?
  [Research Reports]

  12 May 2008When the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission finally announced the results of the Presidential election, quite apart from the relief that they were finally announced, there were ...

• The Inconvenient Truth
  [Research Reports]

  09 May 2008The media and several political analysts seem to be confused as what precisely ought to have happened after people went to the polls in Zimbabwe ...

• Post Election Violence on Zimbabwe's remaining farms 2008
  [Research Reports]

  05 May 2008Report prepared by the Justice for Agriculture Trust (JAG) & the Research and Advocacy Unit It must be noted that compiling this report was complicated ...

• Destruction on Zimbabwe's Backbone Industry in Pursuit of Political Power
  [Research Reports]

  30 Apr 2008A qualitative report on events in Zimbabwe's commercial farming sector since the year 2000. Report prepared by the Justice and Agriculture Trust (JAG) & the ...

• Zimbabwe and Presidential Choices - What do the results tell us?
  [Research Reports]

  10 Apr 2008While the world waits anxiously for the announcement of the Presidential Elections in Zimbabwe, it seems to pay less and less attention to the results ...

• Negotiations, Democratic Space, and Zimbabwe's 2008 Elections
  [Research Reports]

  12 Mar 2008The publicly proclaimed objective of the SADC-mandated mediation was to create the political conditions for the holding of free and fair elections in Zimbabwe. The ...

• Defending Women – Defending the Rights of a Nation
  [Research Reports]

  30 Oct 2007A Preliminary Report on Political Violence Against Members of Women of Zimbabwe Arise [WOZA] Over the past seven years, Zimbabweans have experienced the virtual total ...

• Survey of Profile of Migrant Zimbabweans in South Africa: A Pilot Study
  [Research Reports]

  30 Sep 2007The political and economic meltdown in Zimbabwe has led to large numbers of Zimbabweans migrating to neighbouring countries and abroad. Unverified estimates put the population ...

• Zimbabwe Political & Dialogue Brief - no. 4
  [Research Reports]

  23 Aug 2007In the wake of the SADC Summit held in Lusaka on the 16th and 17th of August, and the July sparring between the two factions ...

• Zimbabwe Political & Dialogue Brief - no. 2
  [Research Reports]

  07 Jun 2007The failure by ZANU PF factions to force President Robert Mugabe to retire at the end of his term in March 2008 and the subsequent ...

• Zimbabwe Political & Dialogue Brief - no. 3
  [Research Reports]

  17 May 2007SADC’s recent initiative to intervene in Zimbabwe through the agency of South Africa, ZANU-PF’s decision to combine parliamentary and presidential elections in March 2008, and ...