Vusumuzi Dube
George Maponga in MIDRAND, South Africa
Pressure is mounting for the West to unconditionally lift its illegal sanctions imposed against Zimbabwe, with the Pan-African Parliament (PAP)’s Southern Africa Regional Caucus, on Tuesday passing a draft motion calling to the immediate removal of the embargo.
PAP is holding its first Ordinary Session of the 6th parliament of the PAP in Midrand, South Africa.
Tuesday’s decision by the PAP’s Southern Africa Regional Caucus comes as PAP on Monday through its president Chief Fortune Charumbira and vice chairperson of the Eastern Africa Regional Caucus Mr Felix Okoti Ogong, together with first vice president of the Youth Caucus, Cde Tatenda Mavetera, led calls for the unconditional and immediate lifting of sanctions ahead of yesterday’s SADC Anti-Sanctions Day.
Cde Mavetera is also a member of the Southern Africa Regional Caucus.
The passing of the draft motion calling for Zimbabwe sanctions to go by the Southern Africa Regional Caucus means the issue of the embargo imposed on Harare, would be debated during the ongoing PAP First Ordinary Session.
Moving the draft motion before its passing, Southern Africa Regional Caucus chairperson, Cde Pemmy Majodina, said the illegal sanctions imposed by the West on Zimbabwe were having a contagion effect in the entire SADC region.
She called on all SADC leaders to call for the immediate removal of the heinous sanctions, which she said had ‘’untenable and egregious’’ effects especially on women, children and those with disabilities in Zimbabwe.
‘’…motion to be recorded as a resolution of the House (PAP) that this House of PAP note that the economic, financial and trade sanctions unilaterally imposed on Zimbabwe by the US (United States, the UK (United Kingdom) and EU (European Union) since 2002 have grave repercussions not only on the country’s economy and the fundamental rights of the Zimbabwean people, but to the entire SADC region which continues to reel from the catastrophic effects of the sanctions,” said Cde Majodina, a member of South Africa’s African National Congress.
Cde Majodina read the draft motion while flanked by other members of the caucus who were brandishing placards with messages denouncing the sanctions. Some of the placards had messages such as “Nyika inovakwa nevene vayo”, “Sanctions are retrogressive”, “Sanctions are illegal”, and “We are resolutely behind Zimbabwe”.
Cde Majodina said previous international conferences and summits such as the World Summit on Sustainable Development of 2015 had outrightly rejected sanctions against Zimbabwe noting that they were unjustified and hurt the poor more.
“As the Southern Africa Regional Caucus, we hereby say we are deeply concerned that these unjustified and unilateral sanctions have grave, untenable and egregious effects on women, children and ordinary citizens of the country,” she said.
The sanctions on Zimbabwe militate against the provisions of the African Union’s Agenda 2063 which seeks to transform the African continent into a global powerhouse of the future.
‘’We further call upon all Heads of State in SADC to call for the immediate lifting of sanctions against Zimbabwe. The sanctions have negative and atrocious effects on the country of Zimbabwe,” said Cde Majodina.
In the spirit of the PAP motto, “One Africa, One Voice”, the continental legislative body was supposed to adopt a motion during the current session unanimously calling for the immediate lifting of illegal sanctions on Zimbabwe.
Online Reporter