COMMENT: Sanctions – Let’s put our political differences aside

THE Southern African Development Community (Sadc) tomorrow joins Zimbabwe to push for the removal of illegal sanctions imposed on the country by the US and its Western allies. The member states will engage in different activities to mark the Sadc Anti- sanctions Day.

Sadc Heads of State and Government last year proclaimed 25 October as a day of solidarity with the Zimbabwean people against sanctions.

In preparation for this big day, the Sadc secretariat headed by the executive secretary Dr Stergomena Lawrence Tax has been engaging directly with Washington and other Western capitals as the regional block intensifies the push for the removal of the embargo which has not only affected Zimbabwe but the entire region.

Dr Tax said the adverse effects of the sanctions have transcended Zimbabwe’s borders hence the urgent need to lift the embargo.

She said the severity of the impact of the sanctions had been compounded by the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Dr Tax said Zimbabwe was unable to marshal financial support required to combat the pandemic and sustain the livelihoods of its most vulnerable citizens as a result of the illegal sanctions. It is our hope that as the Sadc marks the Anti-Sanctions Day, its voices will be loud enough to be heard by the US and its Western allies.

The calls for the unconditional removal of the illegal sanctions have come from across the globe with Sadc and the African Union (AU) leading the lobby.

Sadc and AU have repeatedly stated that the sanctions are not only affecting Zimbabwe’s economy but the Sadc region as a whole. China, Cuba and the Non-Aligned Movement have also called for the removal of sanctions.

Sadc Heads of State and Government have appealed to the US and its allies to remove the illegal sanctions to enable Zimbabwe to realise its potential.

They have said the illegal sanctions are not only affecting Zimbabwe’s economy but are also frustrating regional development at large.

Zimbabwean citizens at home and across the globe should be united tomorrow and unequivocally call for the removal of sanctions.

Our brothers and sisters across the continent and beyond have come in full support of our cause and we cannot afford to be found wanting regarding our position on sanctions.

We have to put our political differences aside and speak with one voice regarding the welfare of Zimbabwean citizens being adversely impacted on by the debilitating sanctions.