As Zimbabwe moves towards the general elections scheduled for August 23, 2023, ZANU PF has once again plunged the nation’s democratic credibility into disgrace. In a move that perfectly captures the party’s contempt for the intelligence and dignity of Zimbabweans, ZANU PF has been handing out fast-food meals—yes, Chicken Inn boxes—to rally-goers in a desperate and shameless attempt to buy votes.
This is not political engagement. It is bribery, it is manipulation, and it is the clearest sign yet that ZANU PF has nothing else to offer the people of Zimbabwe except food for a vote.
Treating, the act of offering gifts, food, or services to voters in exchange for support, is illegal under Zimbabwe’s own electoral laws. Yet, ZANU PF continues to parade it as if it were a noble gesture. The free Chicken Inn boxes are not a token of appreciation—they are bait. And they reek of a party that knows it cannot inspire loyalty through ideas, policies, or a credible track record.
What kind of government reduces the democratic process to fried chicken? One that has failed its people so profoundly that it must resort to crumbs to hold on to power.
Zimbabweans are facing crushing poverty, record unemployment, and a collapsed health system. Our schools are underfunded, our roads are cratered, and our hospitals lack basic medication. In such a climate of despair, offering food at rallies is not generosity—it is psychological warfare. It preys on the desperation of citizens struggling to survive, turning their hunger into a political currency.
And what does ZANU PF expect in return? Silence. Gratitude. A vote. This tactic is as old as tyranny itself: starve the people, then give them scraps with your face on the box. It is exploitation dressed up as campaigning.
ZANU PF officials defend this stunt as “hospitality.” But let’s be clear: no political party in a functioning democracy would dare claim that feeding the hungry during an election campaign is anything other than vote-buying. True leaders invest in job creation, social welfare, and national development—not in greasy fast food for photo ops.
The bigger tragedy, however, is that ZANU PF believes this will work. They believe Zimbabweans can be pacified with drumsticks and chips. They believe the dreams and dignity of an entire nation can be traded for a meal worth a few U.S. dollars. It is insulting, demeaning, and a slap in the face to the sacrifices Zimbabweans have made for freedom, for dignity, and for democracy.
And yet, this is not an isolated incident. ZANU PF has a long and shameful history of undermining elections through fear, violence, and rigging. This latest chapter is just a continuation of the same old script—disguise manipulation as kindness, cloak coercion in nationalism, and keep the people poor so they’re easier to control.
The people of Zimbabwe must see through this cynical ploy.
A government that feeds you once every five years is not your friend—it is your captor. A meal at a rally cannot replace jobs, cannot rebuild hospitals, cannot educate your children. It cannot replace democracy, and it cannot restore the shattered dreams of millions.
As the August 23 elections approach, let every citizen remember: your vote is not for sale. Not for chicken. Not for cash. Not for anything.
Let us reject the politics of poverty. Let us reject those who insult our intelligence. Let us demand policies, not poultry. Vision, not vouchers. Accountability, not advertising.
Zimbabwe is not hungry for food. It is hungry for justice, leadership, and real change.
And no box of Chicken Inn will ever be enough to satisfy that hunger.