When Zimbabwe gained its independence in 1980, there was some euphoria and great expectations among Zimbabwe’s populace as the people expected a radical socialist transformation of society in line with the principles of Marxism-Leninism preached during the liberation struggle. However, a few years after Zimbabwe’s independence, ordinary people realised that independence would not satisfy their socialist aspirations. This article explores what the socialist ideology adopted by the new government at independence aimed to achieve, and then examines what independence offered the people by analysing the selected playwrights’ portrayal of the socialist ideology. The researchers adopted the socio-historical approach and rhetoric analysis as analytical tools. The socio-historical approach views literature as a product of a people’s social experiences and therefore, influenced by the history, culture and society from which the literature is born. Rhetoric analysis on the other hand, enabled the researchers to analyse, interpret and evaluate persuasive communication used by representatives of the new black elite to influence the masses to support the socialist ideology adopted by the new government. From the analysis of the selected plays, the article revealed that, the playwrights depict the failure of Zimbabwe’s independence to fulfil the expectations of the majority of its citizens. Further, the playwrights depict this failure as having its roots in the perpetuation of colonial structures into the post-independence period. As a result, the advent of Zimbabwe’s independence has brought about untold sufferings in the lives of peasants and workers who had expected a radical socialist transformation. The conclusion the study makes is that, while the majority of people expected to see radical change from western capitalism to scientific socialism, the post-independence society only inherited an oppressive state apparatus that continued to serve the former colonial oppressor’s interests. Contrary to the socialist rhetoric preached during Zimbabwe’s protracted war of liberation, the creation of an egalitarian society remained a mirage for the majority of the people.

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