Episode 4 investigates the abduction by bandits of six foreign tourists in Matabeleland during 1982. Robert Mugabe’s government accused Joshua Nkomo’s party, Zapu, of sponsoring ‘dissidents’—and alleged that the people of Matabeleland were working hand-in-glove with such ‘hyenas’ to subvert national security. A close examination of the incident—and of what members of government were saying behind closed doors—shows the allegations to have been propaganda. Key decision-makers knew that there was no elaborate conspiracy at play in Matabeleland, but used the tourist abduction to militarise the continuing assault on Zapu and its supporters.

For those unfamiliar with 1980s Zimbabwe, see ICH’s basic introduction to the topic: https://www.continuinghistory.org/zim-background