The ManicaPost
Dambudzo Mapuranga
I CAN no longer access the direct quote, but I am sure it went something like this: “To separate the people of Zimbabwe from ZANU-PF you have to make the economy scream, and I hope you Senators have to stomach what you have to do.”
These were the words used by former US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Chester Crocker during hearings for the US sanctions law, the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act (ZDERA) that cut all lines of credit to Zimbabwe.
Sanctions have always been a point of contention among Zimbabweans.
Some choose to call them ‘targeted’ or ‘smart sanctions’, ‘trade restrictions’, ‘travel bans’, ‘restrictive measures’, however, the effect of these measures have been to make the economy ‘scream’.
The smokescreen concerning the sanctions mantra has always been that they are intended to ensure that Zimbabwe adheres to the ‘rule of law’ and upholds ‘human rights’.
Interestingly, countries that imposed sanctions against Zimbabwe have some of the most appalling records when it comes to human rights and the rule of law.
The argument that sanctions against Zimbabwe are ‘smart’ or ‘targeted’ has been used by those who seek to justify their continued imposition as they are a means to an end.
Sanctions were imposed on this country in order to frustrate Zimbabweans so that they would vote ZANU PF out of power.
For more than 20 years, Zimbabwe has struggled to receive lines of credit, investors have shied away from the country due to ZDERA and social and economic ills have slowly taken over the country as such a situation creates a jungle-like environment which forces individuals to survive by any means necessary.
However, to solely blame sanctions for the country’s predicament would be foolish and a travesty. Corruption, which is a symptom of the effects of sanctions, provides a perfect case study.
Sanctions busting provided opportunities for some with access to line their pockets.
The logic behind the whole targeted sanctions debate has been that by creating a difficult economic situation, a leader will have no choice but to eventually bow to pressure from the ‘people’.
In theory, this might seem like a good motivator.
The people unite with a single voice, the leader listens, and change occurs. However, in practice, this is almost never the case.
For some 20-plus years that was not the case with Zimbabwe, Cuba which has been under sanctions for over half a century did not go down as the US envisaged.
In his piece, ‘Smart sanctions: Who really do they hurt?, Dr Alex Magaisa wrote: “Contrary to the common belief that sanctions can bring about the desired goals of compelling the Government to promote democracy and human rights, they are in fact missing the intended targets.
Instead, they are hitting the poor, disempowering civil society and consequently threatening the democratic process.
It is important to go beyond the basic political assertions and consider comprehensively whether or not the sanctions regime has itself become a threat to human rights and democracy in Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwean travellers know only too well that even though travel bans to certain countries were imposed against specific individuals, the experience of every other person at the border post of those countries or applying for a visa is a nightmare. Similarly, companies may also find it extremely hard to get lines of credit where the country cannot access them.
So in effect, ‘smart sanctions’ can be tantamount to sanctions against the country as a whole. Consequently, the problem is that it is the weak members of the society that are hard-hit by the effects of the sanctions. Democracy cannot flourish in poverty.
It needs stable economic foundations.”
As Zimbabweans we all have our stories, how a friend, relative, colleague, parent, acquaintance missed out on a great opportunity because of these so-called sanctions.
It is therefore appalling for some of our country men to feign that ZDERA, as has been applied over the years, has done nothing to bring change to Zimbabwe.
What it has done is to make the economy ‘scream’ and greatly short-changed the ordinary man and woman on the street. — The Patriot.
