A Critique of Civil-Military Relations: The Case of Zimbabwe’s Praetorian Military, 1980-2008
Dylan Y. Mangani 
& Zimkhitha Mahlungulu
Issue: Vol.6 No.12 Article 8 pp. 2997 – 3006
DOI: https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.20256128 | Published online 15th November, 2025
© 2025 The Author(s). This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Since 1980, civil-military relations in Zimbabwe have been shaped by the dominant presence of a praetorian military that enforces substantial political, social, and economic constraints, thereby undermining the constitutionalism and democratic principles that previously characterised the nation as the ‘African jewel’. The purpose of this paper is to analyse how the Zimbabwean military’s involvement in the state was shaped not by the peculiarities of its leaders or personal goals, but by a confluence of ideological, political, and economic objectives. The paper uses a qualitative secondary research methodology to accomplish this objective. Theorising civil-military relations through the lens of Samuel Huntington and the historical analysis of the Zimbabwean praetorian military. This paper contends that a symbiotic relationship, facilitated by various conceptual characteristics of praetorian militaries, existed between the ruling Zimbabwean African National Union Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) and the Zimbabwean military. This relationship enabled the military to assert its agency economically and politically while simultaneously reinforcing ZANU-PF’s political dominance through its participation in managing the civil disturbances of the 1980s, the civil war in the Congo, elections, and the governance structures of the state. In conclusion, challenges posed by these relations led to weakened democratic institutions, undermining civil government and more power given to the military.
Keywords: Praetorianism, Mugabe, ZANU-PF, Military, Zimbabwe, Civil-Military Relations
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Dr. Dylan Yanano Mangani has ten years of research experience in African nationalist politics, focusing on Russia’s African security foreign policy, elections and electoral systems in Africa, nationalist politics, African organic crises, and the BRICS. He is a member of the South African Association of Political Studies (SAAPS), the Institute for Local Government Management of South Africa (ILGMS),the South African BRICS Youth Association (SABYA), and the CoP BRICS Research Forum for2023–2025. He has published research articles in accredited academic journals and presented papers at local and international conferences. His latest publications include book chapters titled Russia’s Search for International Recognition and Ontological Security in the Global South Post the Ukraine Conflict; A Critical Evaluation of Health Diplomacy as an Altruistic Underpinning of China-Africa Relations and Praetorianism and Political Transitions in Lesotho: A Critique of the Lesotho Military
Dr. Zimkitha Mahlungulu is an emerging researcher with a PhD in Community Development. She is a postdoctoral fellow at the International Centre of Nonviolence, specialising in community development, disability justice, intersectionality and peacebuilding. Dr. Mahlungulu has experience lecturing on community development studies and has supervised students. She has published several journal articles. Moreover, she has presented her research at several national and international conferences.
Mangani, Dylan Y., and Zimkhitha Mahlungulu.“ A Critique of Civil-Military Relations: The Case of Zimbabwe’s Praetorian Military, 1980-2008.” E-Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences 6, no. 12 (2025): 2997 – 3006, https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.20256128.
© 2025 The Author(s). Published and Maintained by Noyam Journals. This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
