1.3 Political context of the survey – during and subsequent to fieldwork This section briefly takes stock of pertinent political conditions at the time the survey went into the field, and of state of events at the time of the release of the report – the context into which the report may be put to use. Political context in the run-up and course of fieldwork Much had transpired in Zimbabwe in the period since the formation of the Inclusive Government in February 2008. People were benefiting from a semblance of economic and political stability and normality. This was evidenced in the combination of improved economic conditions, and a relative (cyclical) decline in political violence. The momentum of economic change, however, was slowing down and Zimbabweans increasingly became aware of continuous deficits and of the fact that their lives had been changing, somewhat for the better, but that there was no clear escape from conditions of abject poverty and deprivation, both absolute and relative. The situation on the ground in most of the provinces in the course of the interview fieldwork was testimony to the Inclusive Government still having a long way to go. The period from October to December 2010 was relatively volatile, given the unfolding ZANU-PF campaign, Operation Budiranai Pachena (‘Declare your Position’, relating to the theme of where were you when we were hunting… and now you want a piece of the meat?). The campaign was used to intimidate villagers and witch-hunt MDC-T supporters, particularly in Masvingo province. Past experience had taught that ZANU-PF congress times require all in Zimbabwe to be extra careful not to antagonise the powers that be. The MPOI fieldwork period turned out to be free of the problems of physical violence emerged. Yet, circumspection prevailed and was probably manifested in the low level of responses to the most sensitive questions on voting, party support and judgements on the victors of preceding elections. The question on the victor of the June 2008 presidential election was deemed so sensitive that MPOI and Freedom House decided that it should not be included. The following extract from MPOI’s fieldwork report illustrates some of the conditions that fieldworkers encountered whilst administering the survey: ‘The polarised environment that was the order of the day prior to the formation of the Inclusive Government seems to have had a negative bearing on the survey given that research teams encountered suspicious respondents. This problem was evident in Mutare Rural (Manicaland province), Chief Charumbira’s area in Masvingo, and Gokwe in the Midlands province where most of the respondents were unwilling to take part in the interviews. In Saai 4 (Gokwe) and Kangula (located between Gokwe and Binga), it coincidentally happened that while interviews were underway, the vehicle for the House of Assembly MP for the area who is ZANU-PF passed through and this almost caused alarm among the interviewees as they noted that the legislator is the mastermind of all political crimes and was a vital cog of the party’s machinery. ‘In Mateme and Gokwe Kana, all enumeration areas located in the Midlands province, respondents were cautious as they were afraid of being labeled sell-outs within their 14