A study of the rhetoric of the 2002 presidential election campaign in Zimbabwe

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dc.contributor.advisorSalazar, Philippe-Josephen_ZA
dc.contributor.authorKangira, Jairosen_ZA
dc.date.accessioned2016-03-28T14:27:31Z
dc.date.available2016-03-28T14:27:31Z
dc.date.issued2005en_ZA
dc.descriptionIncludes bibliographical references.en_ZA
dc.description.abstractThis study focuses on rhetorical discourse of the 2002 presidential election campaign in Zimbabwe. The thesis analyses the rhetoric used by the two major contenders of this controversial election - the incumbent president Robert Gabriel Mugabe, candidate of Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU PF) and the challenger Morgan Tsvangirai, candidate of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC). The study first traces the origin of rhetoric, the art of persuasive communication, to ancient Greek and Roman traditions. Following Hanson (1997), the study treats Kenneth Burke's and Chaim Perelman's different rhetorical theories as complementary. The argument is that, although the two contemporary scholars offer different views on the nature and process of rhetoric, these views are two sides of the same coin as the ultimate goal is to convince people, to create a communion between the rhetor and the audience. The study shows that both parties used negative advertisements in the election campaign. This persuasive attack produced negative images of both candidates. The rhetoric induced political cynicism of the candidates in the minds of the voters. Mugabe used collective memory and nostalgia in four funeral speeches in order to persuade the voters to vote for him. As the chief interpreter of past events, he chose those events that presented him as the vanguard of the values of the liberation struggle. His rhetoric called on the voters to guard against forces of imperialism by voting him back to the presidency. Consistently, Mugabe centred his campaign rhetoric on the achievements of his government over 22 years since independence in 1980 and attacked his opponent as a sell-out, a puppet of Britain and the whites in the country. Mugabe's land rhetoric was popular with people in the rural and peri-urban areas whose lives depended on land. Tsvangirai's rhetoric focused on the need for a change of government. He attacked Mugabe and his government for mismanaging the affairs of the country, resulting in the economic and political meltdown in the country. Tsvangirai offered practical ways of delivering the country from its economic and political quagmire and end the suffering of the people. This study argues that Tsvangirai's rhetoric of change was so persuasive to voters that had the electoral process been free and fair, he could have easily won this election.en_ZA
dc.identifier.apacitationKangira, J. (2005). <i>A study of the rhetoric of the 2002 presidential election campaign in Zimbabwe</i>. (Thesis). University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Humanities ,Centre for Rhetoric Studies. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/11427/18250en_ZA
dc.identifier.chicagocitationKangira, Jairos. <i>"A study of the rhetoric of the 2002 presidential election campaign in Zimbabwe."</i> Thesis., University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Humanities ,Centre for Rhetoric Studies, 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/18250en_ZA
dc.identifier.citationKangira, J. 2005. A study of the rhetoric of the 2002 presidential election campaign in Zimbabwe. University of Cape Town.en_ZA
dc.identifier.ris TY - Thesis / Dissertation AU - Kangira, Jairos AB - This study focuses on rhetorical discourse of the 2002 presidential election campaign in Zimbabwe. The thesis analyses the rhetoric used by the two major contenders of this controversial election - the incumbent president Robert Gabriel Mugabe, candidate of Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU PF) and the challenger Morgan Tsvangirai, candidate of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC). The study first traces the origin of rhetoric, the art of persuasive communication, to ancient Greek and Roman traditions. Following Hanson (1997), the study treats Kenneth Burke's and Chaim Perelman's different rhetorical theories as complementary. The argument is that, although the two contemporary scholars offer different views on the nature and process of rhetoric, these views are two sides of the same coin as the ultimate goal is to convince people, to create a communion between the rhetor and the audience. The study shows that both parties used negative advertisements in the election campaign. This persuasive attack produced negative images of both candidates. The rhetoric induced political cynicism of the candidates in the minds of the voters. Mugabe used collective memory and nostalgia in four funeral speeches in order to persuade the voters to vote for him. As the chief interpreter of past events, he chose those events that presented him as the vanguard of the values of the liberation struggle. His rhetoric called on the voters to guard against forces of imperialism by voting him back to the presidency. Consistently, Mugabe centred his campaign rhetoric on the achievements of his government over 22 years since independence in 1980 and attacked his opponent as a sell-out, a puppet of Britain and the whites in the country. Mugabe's land rhetoric was popular with people in the rural and peri-urban areas whose lives depended on land. Tsvangirai's rhetoric focused on the need for a change of government. He attacked Mugabe and his government for mismanaging the affairs of the country, resulting in the economic and political meltdown in the country. Tsvangirai offered practical ways of delivering the country from its economic and political quagmire and end the suffering of the people. This study argues that Tsvangirai's rhetoric of change was so persuasive to voters that had the electoral process been free and fair, he could have easily won this election. DA - 2005 DB - OpenUCT DP - University of Cape Town LK - https://open.uct.ac.za PB - University of Cape Town PY - 2005 T1 - A study of the rhetoric of the 2002 presidential election campaign in Zimbabwe TI - A study of the rhetoric of the 2002 presidential election campaign in Zimbabwe UR - http://hdl.handle.net/11427/18250 ER - en_ZA
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11427/18250
dc.identifier.vancouvercitationKangira J. A study of the rhetoric of the 2002 presidential election campaign in Zimbabwe. [Thesis]. University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Humanities ,Centre for Rhetoric Studies, 2005 [cited yyyy month dd]. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/11427/18250en_ZA
dc.language.isoengen_ZA
dc.publisher.departmentCentre for Rhetoric Studiesen_ZA
dc.publisher.facultyFaculty of Humanitiesen_ZA
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Cape Town
dc.subject.otherRhetoric Studiesen_ZA
dc.titleA study of the rhetoric of the 2002 presidential election campaign in Zimbabween_ZA
dc.typeDoctoral Thesis
dc.type.qualificationlevelDoctoral
dc.type.qualificationnamePhDen_ZA
uct.type.filetypeText
uct.type.filetypeImage
uct.type.publicationResearchen_ZA
uct.type.resourceThesisen_ZA
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