Anti-sanctions lobby gathers momentum

where President Mugabe is billed to launch the National Anti-Sanctions Petition Campaign.
In a statement, the Zanu-PF Information and Publicity Department said Zimbabweans across the political divide should sign the anti-sanctions petition because the embargo was affecting peo-ple indiscriminately.
The campaign would be launched under the theme “Sanctions do kill.”
Chairperson of the Anti-Sanctions Campaign and Petition Vice President John Nkomo said all parties in the inclusive Government had agreed in the Global Political Agreement that sanctions should be removed.
He said the campaign was a process and that there was no limited number of signatures to be gathered.
Zanu-PF’s information and publicity department has outlined 10 reasons why Zimbabweans should sign the petition.
The party stresses that the embargo is not targeted on its senior officials as claimed by Western countries and their media.
It also points out that the illegal sanctions are a challenge to national sovereignty as Zimbabwe’s detractors are using them as a tool for regime change.
“Sanctions are an attack on all Zimbabweans. They are wholesale. They are not personalised or targeted.
“Sanctions are an attack on our economy, our jobs, our search for total empowerment and they are an attack on our business, on workers and on consumers.
“Sanctions are an attack on our land and our land rights. They aim to create conditions for the reversal of land reforms,” reads the statement.
The party notes that the illegal sanctions are racist and an attack on the African people becau-se they were unilaterally imposed outside the United Nations mandate by a British-led coalition defending minority rights in Zimbabwe.
“Sanctions are a challenge to our National Sovereignty. They are an illegal measure by foreigners working on challenging a sovereign peo-ple.
“They are an outsider’s law and/or policy set against an independent country and people with its own legislature.”
Meanwhile, Zanu-PF central committee member and Chimanimani Senator Monica Mutsvangwa yesterday urged Norton residents to come and join the nation in the campaign against sanctions.
Addressing party supporters at Ngoni Hall in Norton, Sen Mutsvangwa said the party should unite to fight sanctions, a common enemy that has made life difficult for the whole nation.
She encouraged the spirit of oneness in the party, saying only Zimbabweans can push for the removal of the sanctions.
“The Anti-Sanctions Campaign should be dri-ven by Zimbabweans; let’s all meet in Harare for the launch on Wednesday.
“All the problems we are facing now are a re-sult of the illegal sanctions imposed by the West,” said Sen Mutsvangwa.
Zanu-PF district co-ordinating committee 4 chairman, Cde Jaison Passade said the anti-sanctions campaign would show the people’s unity against the embargo.
Addressing party supporters in Hatcliffe yesterday, Cde Passade said the launch of the Anti-Sanctions Petition and Campaign would show that the sanctions were hurting the ordinary people.
“The illegal sanctions were put on Zimbabwe to
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cause confusion in the country’s leadership so that the Western countries put a puppet Government.
“The sanctions have hurt the ordinary people. Instead of hurting the Zanu-PF leadership, the sanctions have affected the ordinary people who cannot get medicine in the hospital. There are no jobs, while factories can not get spares for their machinery.”
Cde Passade said Zimbabweans should use the launch on Wednesday as a platform to show their resolve against the sanctions.
Mhondoro-Ngezi legislator Cde Bright Matonga (Zanu-PF) said Zimbabweans should rally behind President Mugabe in the anti-sanctions campaign.
Cde Matonga said this during an inter-district meeting at Ngezi Secondary School last Friday.
“As a constituency, let us show that we are against these illegal sanctions. The President will launch the anti-sanctions campaign and we should all participate in our large numbers.
“The illegal sanctions are not targeted and are hurting every Zimbabwean,” he said.
Cde Matonga said even MDCT supporters and their leadership had to show their allegiance to Zimbabwe by speaking against sanctions.
“This campaign gives everyone even those in the MDCT and their leaders including Morgan Tsvangirai an opportunity to unequivocally condemn the illegal sanctions,” Cde Matonga said.
Speaking at the same occasion, Chief Murambwa said as traditional leaders they were also against the illegal sanctions.
“We are against these sanctions and as traditional leaders we are going to mobilise our people to speak loudly against them,” he said.