Chronicle Editor
TOMORROW Zimbabwe will be joined by other Sadc countries as it commemorates the Sadc Anti-Sanctions Day. The Sadc Anti-Sanctions Day meant to call for the removal of illegal sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe by the West, was adopted by Sadc at its 39th Summit at the recommendation of the late President of Tanzania Cde John Magufuli.
President Mnangagwa who is the Sadc chairperson will headline the commemorations which coincide with the official opening of the Zanu-PF Annual National People’s Conference which started on Tuesday.
Calls for the unconditional lifting of the illegal sanctions against Zimbabwe are getting louder with each passing year. Last year African leaders attending the 78th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) called for the unconditional lifting of illegal sanctions against Zimbabwe saying the unjustified sanctions are not only imposing untold suffering to ordinary Zimbabweans but have collateral negative impact on neighbouring countries.
In his speech, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa called for the unconditional lifting of the illegal sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe by Western countries as punishment for implementing the land reform programme to correct the country’s skewed land ownership which favoured the White minority.
President Ramaphosa said the West imposed sanctions are hitting hard on ordinary citizens contrary to propaganda that they are only targeted.
In his address the late Namibian President Hage Geingob also called for the lifting of the illegal sanctions imposed by the US and its Western allies. The late Cde Geingob said the illegal sanctions must be removed immediately to enable Zimbabwe to meet the global 2030 Agenda on sustainable development.
He said the sanctions on Zimbabwe are an obstacle to the country’s attainment of Agenda 2030 which seeks to end poverty, protect the planet and improve the people’s livelihoods.
UN Member States in 2015 adopted 17 Goals as part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and set out a 15-year plan to achieve the Goals.
Zimbabwe, despite being under the albatross of the illegal economic sanctions, has been making headway in its quest to achieve the Goals.
In 2021 UN Special Rapporteur on the negative impact of unilateral coercive measures on the enjoyment of human rights, Professor Alena Douhan visited Zimbabwe.
In her report Prof Douhan who was in the country for 10 days, said the cost of sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe had by October 2021 ballooned to US$100 billion while the cost of borrowing for the country was more than 1 000 percent higher than the average in most countries.
Prof Douhan called on the US and its Western allies to lift the illegal sanctions which she said were causing suffering of ordinary citizens.
We want at this juncture to commend Sadc and other leaders from the progressive world for pushing for the unconditional lifting of the illegal sanctions against Zimbabwe. What is however, encouraging is that instead of just mourning about sanctions, Zimbabwe has come up with robust strategies to grow the economy while countering the impact of the illegal sanctions.
Online Reporter