{"id":4776,"date":"2026-02-24T17:00:42","date_gmt":"2026-02-24T17:00:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zimdailyjournal.co.zw\/?p=4776"},"modified":"2026-02-24T17:00:42","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T17:00:42","slug":"the-myth-of-betrayal-what-1980-really-tells-us","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zimdailyjournal.co.zw\/index.php\/2026\/02\/24\/the-myth-of-betrayal-what-1980-really-tells-us\/","title":{"rendered":"The myth of betrayal: What 1980 really tells us"},"content":{"rendered":"<div><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">At the centre of the present constitutional debate lies a historical fact that is as instructive as it is frequently overlooked.<\/div>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<div dir=\"auto\">When majority rule dawned in 1980, national leadership emerged through Parliament itself.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">Following a nationwide election conducted under universal suffrage, ZANU-PF secured 57 of the 80 contested seats, thereby commanding a decisive majority in the 100-member House of Assembly.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">From that parliamentary mandate arose the premiership of Robert Mugabe.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">The people voted; Parliament embodied their will; executive authority flowed from that democratic chain of legitimacy.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">This constitutional lineage is now being invoked in support of Bill Number 3, whose critics insist that any system in which national leadership is elected by Parliament rather than directly by popular ballot violates the cherished principle of \u201cone man, one vote\u201d.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">Yet the events of 1980 suggest otherwise.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u00a0Parliamentary election of a head of government was not an aberration imposed upon democracy; it was the mechanism through which democratic majority rule was first realised.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">To appreciate the force of that argument, one must situate the liberation struggle within its proper constitutional context.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">The demand for \u201cone man, one vote\u201d was not a narrow call for a particular electoral mechanism.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">It was a profound rejection of a political order designed to exclude the majority from meaningful participation in governance.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">The constitutional settlement of 1923 and its subsequent revisions entrenched formidable barriers to political participation.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">Voting rights were tied to stringent property, income, and educational qualifications that bore little relation to demographic reality.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">By the 1960s, the electorate had been engineered into a striking imbalance: roughly twelve white voters for every one Black voter, despite a population ratio of approximately twenty to one in favour of the African majority.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">The 1961 Constitution deepened this disparity through the dual \u201cA\u201d and \u201cB\u201d Roll system. The privileged \u201cA\u201d roll, defined by exacting qualifications, elected fifty representatives \u2014 overwhelmingly white.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">The \u201cB\u201d roll, ostensibly more inclusive yet structurally constrained, elected a mere fifteen members, largely Black.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">Representation was thus carefully calibrated to preserve minority control whilst offering only the semblance of inclusion.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">The 1969 constitutional framework, introduced after unilateral independence, hardened minority rule further still.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">Parliamentary representation ensured that a small settler population retained decisive authority over millions of African citizens.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">The structure of governance was not merely unequal; it was intentionally insulated against democratic transformation.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">Even the 1979 election, which produced Abel Muzorewa as Prime Minister, failed to secure international recognition.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">The United Nations Security Council declared the process null and void on the grounds that the constitutional framework preserved disproportionate minority power.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">In the eyes of the international community, democracy required not symbolic participation but genuine political equality.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">It was precisely this inequitable order that the liberation struggle sought to dismantle. Independence in 1980 did not merely introduce a new leadership; it inaugurated a new constitutional logic.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">Universal suffrage established equal political citizenship. Parliament became the institutional expression of that equality.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">From Parliament emerged executive authority.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">Those now contending that parliamentary election of a President is incompatible with the ideals of liberation must therefore confront an unavoidable historical continuity: the foundational moment of democratic governance itself operated within that very framework.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">Supporters of Bill Number 3 argue that constitutional systems must not only reflect democratic choice but also safeguard national cohesion.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">They contend that intensely personalised presidential contests, particularly within polarised political environments, risk deepening division rather than fostering unity.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">Parliamentary election, by contrast, is presented as a mechanism that encourages negotiation, coalition-building, and collective responsibility.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">Comparative experience is often cited to underscore the dangers of prolonged electoral contestation.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">In Mozambique, disputed electoral outcomes have at times produced extended periods of instability, disrupting governance and undermining economic confidence. Proponents of reform maintain that constitutional design must seek not only legitimacy but durability.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">There is also the matter of public expenditure. Nationwide presidential elections demand considerable financial resources \u2014 funds which advocates of reform argue might be more effectively deployed in development priorities such as infrastructure, healthcare, and education.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">In this view, constitutional reform is not a retreat from democracy but an adjustment in institutional architecture intended to stabilise it.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">The debate over Bill Number 3 is therefore not merely technical; it is historical, philosophical, and constitutional in equal measure.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">The events of 1980 offer a compelling reference point. Majority rule was realised when the electorate chose its representatives and Parliament, in turn, constituted national leadership.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">For proponents of reform, that precedent affirms a central claim: parliamentary election of a head of state does not negate \u201cone man, one vote\u201d.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">It is, rather, one of the constitutional pathways through which that principle may be expressed.<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>At the centre of the present constitutional debate lies a historical fact that is as instructive as it is frequently overlooked.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4777,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[48],"tags":[309,274],"class_list":{"0":"post-4776","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-politics-zimbabwe","8":"tag-robert-mugabe","9":"tag-zanu-pf"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>The myth of betrayal: What 1980 really tells us - zimdailyjournal<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"At the centre of the present constitutional debate lies a historical fact that is as instructive as it is frequently overlooked.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/zimdailyjournal.co.zw\/index.php\/2026\/02\/24\/the-myth-of-betrayal-what-1980-really-tells-us\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The myth of betrayal: What 1980 really tells us - zimdailyjournal\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"At the centre of the present constitutional debate lies a historical fact that is as instructive as it is frequently overlooked.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/zimdailyjournal.co.zw\/index.php\/2026\/02\/24\/the-myth-of-betrayal-what-1980-really-tells-us\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"zimdailyjournal\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ZimDailyJournal\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-02-24T17:00:42+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/zimdailyjournal.co.zw\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Screenshot-2026-02-24-185922.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"358\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"220\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Reporter\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Reporter\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zimdailyjournal.co.zw\\\/index.php\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/24\\\/the-myth-of-betrayal-what-1980-really-tells-us\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zimdailyjournal.co.zw\\\/index.php\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/24\\\/the-myth-of-betrayal-what-1980-really-tells-us\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Reporter\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zimdailyjournal.co.zw\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/ed4c8f2f39ca238606026c96ec6ea14b\"},\"headline\":\"The myth of betrayal: What 1980 really tells us\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-02-24T17:00:42+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zimdailyjournal.co.zw\\\/index.php\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/24\\\/the-myth-of-betrayal-what-1980-really-tells-us\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":761,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zimdailyjournal.co.zw\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zimdailyjournal.co.zw\\\/index.php\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/24\\\/the-myth-of-betrayal-what-1980-really-tells-us\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zimdailyjournal.co.zw\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/Screenshot-2026-02-24-185922.png\",\"keywords\":[\"Robert Mugabe\",\"ZANU PF\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Politics\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/zimdailyjournal.co.zw\\\/index.php\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/24\\\/the-myth-of-betrayal-what-1980-really-tells-us\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zimdailyjournal.co.zw\\\/index.php\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/24\\\/the-myth-of-betrayal-what-1980-really-tells-us\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zimdailyjournal.co.zw\\\/index.php\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/24\\\/the-myth-of-betrayal-what-1980-really-tells-us\\\/\",\"name\":\"The myth of betrayal: What 1980 really tells us - zimdailyjournal\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zimdailyjournal.co.zw\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zimdailyjournal.co.zw\\\/index.php\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/24\\\/the-myth-of-betrayal-what-1980-really-tells-us\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zimdailyjournal.co.zw\\\/index.php\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/24\\\/the-myth-of-betrayal-what-1980-really-tells-us\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zimdailyjournal.co.zw\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/Screenshot-2026-02-24-185922.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-02-24T17:00:42+00:00\",\"description\":\"At the centre of the present constitutional debate lies a historical fact that is as instructive as it is frequently overlooked.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zimdailyjournal.co.zw\\\/index.php\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/24\\\/the-myth-of-betrayal-what-1980-really-tells-us\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/zimdailyjournal.co.zw\\\/index.php\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/24\\\/the-myth-of-betrayal-what-1980-really-tells-us\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zimdailyjournal.co.zw\\\/index.php\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/24\\\/the-myth-of-betrayal-what-1980-really-tells-us\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zimdailyjournal.co.zw\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/Screenshot-2026-02-24-185922.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zimdailyjournal.co.zw\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/Screenshot-2026-02-24-185922.png\",\"width\":358,\"height\":220,\"caption\":\"The late Robert Mugabe\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zimdailyjournal.co.zw\\\/index.php\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/24\\\/the-myth-of-betrayal-what-1980-really-tells-us\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zimdailyjournal.co.zw\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"The myth of betrayal: What 1980 really tells us\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zimdailyjournal.co.zw\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zimdailyjournal.co.zw\\\/\",\"name\":\"zimdailyjournal\",\"description\":\"Everytime news you can trust\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zimdailyjournal.co.zw\\\/#organization\"},\"alternateName\":\"Zimbabwe Daily Journal\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zimdailyjournal.co.zw\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zimdailyjournal.co.zw\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Zimdaily Journal\",\"alternateName\":\"Zimdaily Journal\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zimdailyjournal.co.zw\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zimdailyjournal.co.zw\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zimdailyjournal.co.zw\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/01\\\/Zimdaily-journal-03.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zimdailyjournal.co.zw\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/01\\\/Zimdaily-journal-03.jpg\",\"width\":2268,\"height\":751,\"caption\":\"Zimdaily Journal\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zimdailyjournal.co.zw\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/ZimDailyJournal\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zimdailyjournal.co.zw\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/ed4c8f2f39ca238606026c96ec6ea14b\",\"name\":\"Reporter\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/67c25afa7411fcc439434d262378959d2bf8c9d40585fa1348b0680022900468?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/67c25afa7411fcc439434d262378959d2bf8c9d40585fa1348b0680022900468?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/67c25afa7411fcc439434d262378959d2bf8c9d40585fa1348b0680022900468?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Reporter\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zimdailyjournal.co.zw\\\/index.php\\\/author\\\/reporter\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The myth of betrayal: What 1980 really tells us - zimdailyjournal","description":"At the centre of the present constitutional debate lies a historical fact that is as instructive as it is frequently overlooked.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/zimdailyjournal.co.zw\/index.php\/2026\/02\/24\/the-myth-of-betrayal-what-1980-really-tells-us\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The myth of betrayal: What 1980 really tells us - zimdailyjournal","og_description":"At the centre of the present constitutional debate lies a historical fact that is as instructive as it is frequently overlooked.","og_url":"https:\/\/zimdailyjournal.co.zw\/index.php\/2026\/02\/24\/the-myth-of-betrayal-what-1980-really-tells-us\/","og_site_name":"zimdailyjournal","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ZimDailyJournal","article_published_time":"2026-02-24T17:00:42+00:00","og_image":[{"width":358,"height":220,"url":"https:\/\/zimdailyjournal.co.zw\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Screenshot-2026-02-24-185922.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"Reporter","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Reporter","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/zimdailyjournal.co.zw\/index.php\/2026\/02\/24\/the-myth-of-betrayal-what-1980-really-tells-us\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/zimdailyjournal.co.zw\/index.php\/2026\/02\/24\/the-myth-of-betrayal-what-1980-really-tells-us\/"},"author":{"name":"Reporter","@id":"https:\/\/zimdailyjournal.co.zw\/#\/schema\/person\/ed4c8f2f39ca238606026c96ec6ea14b"},"headline":"The myth of betrayal: What 1980 really tells us","datePublished":"2026-02-24T17:00:42+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/zimdailyjournal.co.zw\/index.php\/2026\/02\/24\/the-myth-of-betrayal-what-1980-really-tells-us\/"},"wordCount":761,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/zimdailyjournal.co.zw\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/zimdailyjournal.co.zw\/index.php\/2026\/02\/24\/the-myth-of-betrayal-what-1980-really-tells-us\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/zimdailyjournal.co.zw\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Screenshot-2026-02-24-185922.png","keywords":["Robert Mugabe","ZANU PF"],"articleSection":["Politics"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/zimdailyjournal.co.zw\/index.php\/2026\/02\/24\/the-myth-of-betrayal-what-1980-really-tells-us\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/zimdailyjournal.co.zw\/index.php\/2026\/02\/24\/the-myth-of-betrayal-what-1980-really-tells-us\/","url":"https:\/\/zimdailyjournal.co.zw\/index.php\/2026\/02\/24\/the-myth-of-betrayal-what-1980-really-tells-us\/","name":"The myth of betrayal: What 1980 really tells us - zimdailyjournal","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/zimdailyjournal.co.zw\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/zimdailyjournal.co.zw\/index.php\/2026\/02\/24\/the-myth-of-betrayal-what-1980-really-tells-us\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/zimdailyjournal.co.zw\/index.php\/2026\/02\/24\/the-myth-of-betrayal-what-1980-really-tells-us\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/zimdailyjournal.co.zw\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Screenshot-2026-02-24-185922.png","datePublished":"2026-02-24T17:00:42+00:00","description":"At the centre of the present constitutional debate lies a historical fact that is as instructive as it is frequently overlooked.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/zimdailyjournal.co.zw\/index.php\/2026\/02\/24\/the-myth-of-betrayal-what-1980-really-tells-us\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/zimdailyjournal.co.zw\/index.php\/2026\/02\/24\/the-myth-of-betrayal-what-1980-really-tells-us\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/zimdailyjournal.co.zw\/index.php\/2026\/02\/24\/the-myth-of-betrayal-what-1980-really-tells-us\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/zimdailyjournal.co.zw\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Screenshot-2026-02-24-185922.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/zimdailyjournal.co.zw\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Screenshot-2026-02-24-185922.png","width":358,"height":220,"caption":"The late Robert Mugabe"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/zimdailyjournal.co.zw\/index.php\/2026\/02\/24\/the-myth-of-betrayal-what-1980-really-tells-us\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/zimdailyjournal.co.zw\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"The myth of betrayal: What 1980 really tells us"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/zimdailyjournal.co.zw\/#website","url":"https:\/\/zimdailyjournal.co.zw\/","name":"zimdailyjournal","description":"Everytime news you can trust","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/zimdailyjournal.co.zw\/#organization"},"alternateName":"Zimbabwe Daily Journal","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/zimdailyjournal.co.zw\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/zimdailyjournal.co.zw\/#organization","name":"Zimdaily Journal","alternateName":"Zimdaily Journal","url":"https:\/\/zimdailyjournal.co.zw\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/zimdailyjournal.co.zw\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/zimdailyjournal.co.zw\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Zimdaily-journal-03.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/zimdailyjournal.co.zw\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Zimdaily-journal-03.jpg","width":2268,"height":751,"caption":"Zimdaily Journal"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/zimdailyjournal.co.zw\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ZimDailyJournal"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/zimdailyjournal.co.zw\/#\/schema\/person\/ed4c8f2f39ca238606026c96ec6ea14b","name":"Reporter","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/67c25afa7411fcc439434d262378959d2bf8c9d40585fa1348b0680022900468?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/67c25afa7411fcc439434d262378959d2bf8c9d40585fa1348b0680022900468?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/67c25afa7411fcc439434d262378959d2bf8c9d40585fa1348b0680022900468?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Reporter"},"url":"https:\/\/zimdailyjournal.co.zw\/index.php\/author\/reporter\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/zimdailyjournal.co.zw\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4776","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/zimdailyjournal.co.zw\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/zimdailyjournal.co.zw\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zimdailyjournal.co.zw\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zimdailyjournal.co.zw\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4776"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/zimdailyjournal.co.zw\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4776\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4778,"href":"https:\/\/zimdailyjournal.co.zw\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4776\/revisions\/4778"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zimdailyjournal.co.zw\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4777"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/zimdailyjournal.co.zw\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4776"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zimdailyjournal.co.zw\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4776"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zimdailyjournal.co.zw\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4776"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}