Copyright Holder: This Article is Licensed Under: © Mohale Ernest Selelo and Magatane Tshwarelo Mashilo. (2023) Corresponding author’s email: seleloernest@gmail.com Journal of Governance Risk Management Compliance and Sustainability, Vol. 3 No. 2 (2023) https://doi.org/10.31098/jgrcs.v3i2.1860 Democracy as an Elite Tool for Oppressing the Majority: A Case of Selected African Countries Mohale Ernest Selelo 1* , Magatane Tshwarelo Mashilo 2 1,2 University of Limpopo, South Africa Received : September 19, 2023 Revised : October 16, 2023 Accepted : October 30, 2023 Online : October 31, 2023 Abstract This paper seeks to establish and investigate the incontrovertible scenarios that the people of Zimbabwe and Uganda experienced during the dawn of democracy. This paper argues that "democracy" is a system beneficial to the elites but unbearable and detrimental to the livelihoods of ordinary people in Zimbabwe and Uganda. The democratic breakthrough in these countries brought hope, confidence, and zest to the proletariats that their dire socio-economic conditions would be transformed for the better. But little did they know that their conditions would be exacerbated than ever before. The high levels of inequalities, poverty and unemployment in these countries continue to haunt the people. Unfortunately, this happens under the ambit of AU, which is tight-lipped to such conditions people are going through. Regrettably, it appears as if the ones who are in positions of leadership are fueling the abuse of democracy, wherein they abuse their power in government to orchestrate their illegitimate shenanigans. Subsequently, human rights are often violated and suppressed when the “mighty” officials want to influence the processes of democracy with a direct autocratic system. Despite the calls from the UN that human rights and democracy should be respected and adhered to, people continue to witness the violence and suppression of such principles under the ambit of democratic governments. This paper uses a qualitative research approach to analyze the scenarios of the abuse of democracy in these countries. This paper finds that the violation of freedom of expression, assembly, and freedom of association is prevalent in these countries. Therefore, the paper recommends that structures such as the AU should enforce their responsibilities to safeguard and protect the rights of the people as per democratic states. Keywords: African Union; Democracy; Human rights; Poverty; Uganda; Zimbabwe INTRODUCTION It is depressing that the entire African continent fought for freedom during the colonial period and that many African nations continue to do so today. In the past, liberation from the colonizer was the order of the day; today, it is liberation from the "African brother", so one may wonder when the continent will start talking about growth since so much time has been spent on the war for emancipation, which seems to require supernatural intervention before it can become a reality (Cheeseman, 2018). Do we really believe that God must descend from heaven for Africans to gain their independence? Jotia (2012) indicates that the existence of many parties and the holding of elections are currently considered benchmarks for judging democracy in Africa. Regardless of whether the "promises and falsehoods of elections" are kept meeting the expectations of the electorate, the national government of a country where many political parties are competing for control of the country can say that democracy is in place (Cilliers, 2016). Kasfir (2013) discusses that it is often believed that holding ‘free and fair elections’ in Africa is the first step towards establishing a democratic society. Unexpectedly, most of the elections are still not as free and fair as they should be. Is it not funny that Zimbabwe's recent rigged elections were judged free and fair even though the political atmosphere in that country was so unstable just before the vote that opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai was compelled to apply for political asylum in South Africa? Yet, several election officials and media sources declared the elections "free and fair". Most opposition parties in Africa end up being forced to contest the election results, which inevitably leads to an escalation of already deadly political tensions to the point of armed war (Alfandika & Akpojivi, 2020). Research Paper