The ManicaPost
Paidamoyo Mutsvairo
Post Correspondent
FOLLOWING the Land Reform Programme of 2001, the Western community and the European Union (EU) imposed sanctions against some senior Government officials and State enterprises.
The EU, the United States of America (USA) and United Kingdom (UK) claimed that the Government’s decision to remove the white minority and empower the black majority through land allocation was a violation of human rights.
According to the EU and the US, the sanctions were restrictive measures on the late former President Robert Mugabe and some of the officials who were behind him.
However, contrary to the assertion that sanctions in Zimbabwe are targeted at a small number of people, the truth is that the stiff grip of these economic embargoes is being felt all over the country’s economy, including in critical sectors such as agriculture, mining and the manufacturing sector.
Given that the country’s economy is anchored on agriculture, failure by farmers to import some inputs such as fertilisers and farm machinery, as well as failure to export their produce negatively impacts their operations.
Such a development has ripple effects as it also affects the agro-manufacturing industry.
Imposing economic sanctions on a developing nation is as good as crippling its economy. Considering that lines of credit were also cut and local companies are unable to access such services, this affects the viability of the local industry.
Access to cheaper and long term lines of credit is key to sustainable economic growth of any developing nation.
Unfortunately, in their blind reasoning, the western community has been arguing that sanctions were designed to ensure compliance with the law.
The West should by now have acknowledged that the sanctions are affecting the whole nation and all economic sectors.
In actual fact, USA, EU and UK should also admit that economic sanctions are the real human rights violators.
Instead of continuously reviewing and adding Government officials on the list, the West should remove the economic sanctions imposed on the country as they have proved that they are affecting all the country’s economic pillars.
Since assuming office in 2017, President Mnangagwa has been preaching the gospel of engagement and re-engagement with the international community.
Thus, the President has been accommodating to some retrogressive nations in trying to achieve his engagement goals.
He has also been emphasising that Zimbabwe is a friend to all and an enemy to none.
With such a positive development under the Second Republic, there is need for the West to appreciate that and consider lifting the sanctions.
Moreover, the sanctions imposed on the country, like those imposed on Iraq, will continue to harm institutions that are vital for the survival and sustenance of the majority.
Failure by the West to unconditionally lift the economic sanctions could be their strategy to isolate the country from the rest of the world and to restrict economic growth.
In simpler terms, the move is calculated at effecting regime change.
Sadly, the naive opposition party – the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) – now Citizens for Coalition Change (CCC), was used by the West to front their agenda.
The MDC lobbied for the sanctions in a bid to manipulate Zimbabweans into pursuing the regime change agenda.
Fortunately, the illegal sanctions have failed to unseat the duly elected Government for two decades now.
It is high time for those who imposed the sanctions on Zimbabwe to remove them.
It is, however, pleasing that SADC set October 25 of every year as a day to strongly denounce the sanctions imposed on the country.
At the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in September 2022, most African leaders stood in solidarity with Zimbabwe in calling for the unconditional removal of the economic sanctions.
Delivering his address at the UNGA 77th Session, African Union (AU) Chairperson and Senegalese President Macky Sall said the sanctions should be removed immediately to enable Zimbabwe to realise its full potential.
He further said these harsh measures continue to inflict injustice on the people of Zimbabwe and aggravate their suffering.
This is why on October 25, every progressive Zimbabwean and even those from outside the country marched against the sanctions.
Let us stand firm in our fight against the illegal economic sanctions against our beloved nation.
