The ManicaPost
Moffat Mungazi
Post Reporter
ZIMBABWE continues to make remarkable progress despite the adverse effects of the unilateral and illegal economic sanctions slapped on the country by Britain, United States of America and their Western allies, a Government minister has said.
Ordinary people, learners, college students, corporates, churches and advocacy groups as well as the ruling party, Zanu PF members marched against the illegal sanctions along Herbert Chitepo Street and gathered at Meikles Park for the provincial commemorations on Tuesday.
Some sang and danced. Others chanted slogans that denounced Britain, America and their Western allies for the unfair treatment of the sovereign state of Zimbabwe and its people.
They also waved placards inscribed with solidarity messages that described the sanctions as a crime against humanity.
Some of the placards carried messages such as “Resilience, Solidarity and Progress in a Sanctions Environment”; “Thank You SADC and AU for Standing with Zimbabwe” and “Zimbabwe Illegal Sanctions Must Go”, among others.
By coming out in their droves, the multitudes lent their voice to the ever-growing loud calls for the immediate and unconditional removal of the illegal sanctions.
Similar events were held in Chipinge, Chimanimani and Rusape.
Addressing hordes of people gathered at Meikles Park for the SADC Anti-Sanctions Solidarity Day commemorations on Tuesday, Transport and Infrastructure Development Deputy Minister, who is also Zanu PF Manicaland provincial chairman, Cde Mike Madiro said resilience by the people of Zimbabwe has seen the country making huge strides in economic development and social transformation.
He said although the yoke of sanctions is weighing down on critical sectors of the economy, Zimbabwe is rising above the situation.
“Under the visionary leadership of President Mnangagwa, we need to stop moaning about sanctions and put our shoulders to the wheel in order to raise the standard of living for every Zimbabwean. To that end, Government is implementing several programmes underpinned by Vision 2030. These are turning around the country’s economic fortunes.
“Using our own natural resources and human capital,we are moving towards the attainment of an empowered and prosperous upper middle-income society by 2030.
“Through National Development Strategy (NDS1), Government is prioritising key pillars such as economic stability and growth, food and nutrition security, health and well-being, devolution, infrastructure and utilities, social protection as well as education, among others, to develop the country,” said Deputy Minister Madiro.
“Based on Education 5.0, the innovation hubs and industrial parks are driving the country’s industrialisation where we can produce enough for national sufficiency and surplus for exports to earn foreign currency. Zimbabwe is also witnessing an agricultural revolution which has resulted in bumper harvests as we move towards restoring our breadbasket of Africa status. Brick by brick and stone by stone, we are transforming the country,” he added.
Deputy Minister Madiro hailed President Mnangagwa’s engagement and re-engagement drive to improve relations with the international community.
This, he said, is bearing fruit and has seen the United Nations also calling for the removal of the illegal embargo.
He urged Zimbabweans to remain united and put the country’s interests first.
“We have to maintain the momentum generated from these anti-sanctions solidarity day commemorations and unite to speak with one voice in calling for the lifting of the embargo. As patriotic citizens, let us push for this noble cause and continue calling for the immediate and unconditional removal of the illegal sanctions. Zimbabwe sanctions must go,” said Deputy Minister Madiro.
He commended Zimbabwe’s neighbouring countries, the SADC region, the African continent and other progressive states across the world for speaking out against the sanctions.
This year’s event, which ran under the theme “Zimbabwe: Friend to All, Enemy to None: Forging Ahead and Enhancing Innovation and Productivity in Adversity of Sanctions”, attracted thousands of people from all walks of life and different age groups.
Speaking on the sidelines of the occasions, several people echoed similar sentiments that the sanctions are behind the suffering of ordinary citizens.
In clear terms, they called for the lifting of the embargoes.
“The sanctions are unjustified, they must immediately be lifted without conditions. The social well-being of ordinary people has been negatively impacted as a result of their adverse effects on the country’s economy. This is making life unbearable for the majority of us. It is evil to make the people of Zimbabwe suffer for political gain,” said Ms Tambudzai Sithole, a Chimanimani villager.
Mr Malcom Masirira, a representative of Vendors for Economic Development, said besides scuttling the country’s development efforts, the embargoes are also suffocating local businesses.
“Sanctions are making businesses’ survival difficult. Local enterprises are choking and operating profitably has become too cumbersome because we cannot trade freely with other global companies, yet we have the capacity to do so.
‘This has distorted our operations and we are paying a huge price for that. It has also affected our business opportunities abroad and militated against us in forming synergies with foreign firms,” said Mr Masirira.
October 25 was set aside as the SADC Anti-Sanctions Solidarity Day. It was adopted by the 39th SADC Summit held in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania, in August 2019.
The day is commemorated to prop-up support for Zimbabwe’s anti-sanctions call.
The Illegal sanctions against Zimbabwe have been in place since the turn of the millennium when the country embarked on the land redistribution exercise to redress the colonial injustice of land imbalances.
