Zimbabwe mass strikes trouble President Mnangagwa ahead of election

Jekesai Njikizana | AFP | Getty Images

People celebrate Zimbabwe Independence Day at the National Sports Stadium on April 18, 2018, in Harare.

The present wave of striking reflects malcontent that has “long simmered under (former President Robert) Mugabe’s leadership,” Charles Laurie, director and head of politics at consultancy firm Verisk Maplecroft, told CNBC Monday.

Zimbabwe’s workforce has “seen a rot in their earnings under generally inhospitable investment conditions,” he explained. Government workers were taking advantage of the “less authoritarian leadership under (new President Emmerson) Mnangagwa,” and recognized that civil satisfaction would be under the spotlight as the country gears up for elections promised by the president in July.

Laurie described the “contagious effect” of the succession of strikes as different groups of government staff attempted to improve their working conditions.

Mugabe was ousted in a military coup in November last year after nearly four decades of rule. He was replaced by his deputy Mnangagwa, who has pledged “free and fair” elections this summer and pushed the mantra that “Zimbabwe is open for business” in an attempt to revive the country’s economy.

But, “the man on the street has not benefited from the positive changes that are slowly taking hold in the country,” Samir Shasha, chief executive of Zimbabwe-focused investment firm Cambria Africa, told CNBC Monday. “The promised investments by visiting entrepreneurs will only bring long-term benefits,” he added.