Rumour and the Politician’s Public Image: The Case of Zimbabwe by Obert Bernard Mlambo, Ph.D. obertmlambo@gmail.com Senior Lecturer in Classics, Department of Religious Studies, Classics and Philosophy, University of Zimbabwe, Harare & Clive Tendai Zimunya ctzimunya@gmail.com Lecturer in Philosophy, Department of Religious Studies, Classics and Philosophy, University of Zimbabwe Abstract This article is a critical examination of the role played by rumour generated through various means ranging from social media platforms and by word of mouth in Zimbabwe during the period of economic and political turmoil that reached unprecedented levels in 2008. Rumour was maliciously used by politicians in smear campaigns to sway the opinion of the masses against one’s political enemies. In turn, rumour was also used by the masses as a way to catalogue the behaviour of leaders, and it also served as a means to settle scores with politicians whom they detested, as the rumours carried the people’s wishes and desires to see certain leaders harmed or killed. The article analyses the behaviour, emotions and attitudes of the masses in a tense political crisis. The study argues that rumour plays an important role in shaping and understanding political attitudes of the masses towards their leaders. Rumour, we argue, also alter the boundaries of political interaction, and bring into existence new forms of language, resistance and conceptual systems. This study is important to academics, politicians and policy makers as it provides important literature on the behaviour of the masses, which is essential information for the development of a stable civil society in Zimbabwe. 146 Africology: The Journal of Pan African Studies, vol.9, no.4, July 2016