Harare Opinion: A Political Think Tank Positioned to Influence Public Opinion  

Political Think tanks like SAPES have come and gone. Although, SAPES led by Ibbo Mandaza started well but later became partisan, taking the side position of the opposition and obviously becoming irrelevant.

Subsequently, there has not been independent academic political think tanks so far since the fall of SAPES, which was of course, never impartial.

Today, Zimbabwe has come to the crossroad where an independent academic political think tank should take centre stage especially towards the 2030 National Development Strategy 2.

Such a political think tank should be in line with the National Development Strategy 2. Unlike In Conversation with Trevor, Heart and Soul TV (HStv), Mandaza’s SAPES, the political think tank should podcast debates on national development agenda. The government of today and its national development agenda deserves a political think tank that will engage the citizenry from an academic approach.

Led by Dr Limukani Mathe (once a South African based scholar), co-founded by Roncemore Mhlanga, (LLB) and Paul Chairuka (MSC Finance), Harare Opinion (HO) has emerged to fill the gap.

Harare Opinion currently functioning as online editorial opinion, www.harareopinion.co.zw, with verified social media outlets on Facebook, X and WhatsApp, seeks to challenge political perspective from an academic point of view.

Taking its baby steps, Harare Opinion endeavours to become a popular political think- podcasting timely policy debates that seek to depolarise and engage miscellaneous audiences within Zimbabwe’s political demography.

Popular podcasts like Joe Rogan Experience, Crime Junkie and The Daily in America have not been seen in the Zimbabwean’s social media sphere.

Popular Podcasts like the Steven Barlett and the Rest in Politics have not been in Zimbabwe’s social media sphere. Common social life podcasts in Zimbabwe include that of DJ Ollar which remain superficial, touching on daily social life and with no benefit to Zimbabwe’s progressive government national agenda.

Thus, the National Development Strategy (NDS2) 2026-2030, needs supportive mechanisms through political think tanks like Harare Opinion which will group experts regardless of their political affiliation to debate national development. Harare Opinion endeavours to approach national development agenda from an academic expert’s view in order to

• offer unconventional and innovative persuasive dialogue
• Depolarise and popularise government developmental programmes
• Pull together home and diaspora in support of national agenda (2026-2030), NDS2
• Revive a united sense of belonging and patriotic citizenship

So far, Harare Opinion has published 34 opinion articles on its website  mainly focusing on the Constitutional Amendment Bill No.3.

The Editor-In-Chief of the portal, Dr Limukani Mathe says the political think tank is yet to start podcasting on social media and running conference talks by inviting politicians to a free public debate in line with the National Development Strategy 2.

Dr Limukani Mathe is well established scholar with over 50 academic publications as books, book chapters and journal articles in high impacts journals. Published to his name are so far 6 books in Palgrave Macmillan and Routledge and another expected in Oxford Press.

Mathe says Harare Opinion is also in collaboration with the Zimbabwe Presidential Scholarship Alumni Association (ZPSAA) for Economic Development.

The Zimbabwe Presidential Scholarship Alumni Association (ZPSAA) attracts more than 10 000 professionals (including Doctors and Professors) at home and abroad.  Led by the chairperson, Roncemore Mhlanga and Vice- Chairperson, Dr Limukani Mathe, ZPSAA will serve as supportive mechanism to Harare Opinion- making use of the intellectual capital from the pool of contributors.

Moreso, Harare Opinion’s intellectual capital will be drawn from industry experts in politics, economics, media, academics, and other. The success of the political think tank will be determined by its ability to attract vigorous engagement across the political divide, depolarising political segments, detoxing the political environment, and preparing Zimbabwe for 2030.