President headlines Sadc Anti-sanctions Day

Zvamaida Murwira-Senior Reporter

PRESIDENT Mnangagwa is today scheduled to preside over proceedings at the Sadc-initiated Anti-Sanctions Day, where he will deliver an address on the country’s resilience and progress under the yoke of the illegal embargo imposed by the United States and its Western allies.

He will also launch a first-ever publication titled, “Standing Against Illegal Sanctions, Resistance Policy Initiatives and Advocacy”, which was written by 15 academics reflecting on the impact of sanctions and the country’s resilience.

Today’s event will be held at the Heritage Village and will see Zimbabwe joining forces with other Sadc countries in unequivocally denouncing the illegal sanctions and demanding their unconditional removal.

It was a hive of activity at the venue yesterday with officials from different Government ministries, departments and agencies assessing progress.

In an interview, Institute of African Knowledge chief executive officer, Ambassador Kwame Muzawazi, said many activities had been lined up for the day.

Ambassador Kwame Muzawazi

“We are currently at the Heritage Village where we are going to be hosting tomorrow (today) the Sadc Anti-Sanctions programme,” he said.

“As you know very well, October 25 is a day that is, not just for Zimbabwe but for the whole of the Sadc region, set aside to commemorate this very evil act of sanctions against Zimbabwe, which we are totally against and Sadc is joining hands with us.

“Tomorrow (today) we are going to have a full day of events, starting with a marathon in the morning and then a statement and address to the world by His Excellency, the President Dr Mnangagwa, where he will lead the nation in marking this day.”

Amb Muzawazi said sanctions imposed against Zimbabwe were unjustified because they were unilateral.

“I say illegal because there are both legal and illegal sanctions; these ones were not sponsored by the United Nations General Assembly. These are unilateral sanctions from a few countries, however powerful, but we are standing up to that and that is what will be happening.

“And as usual, as to the call by His Excellency the President, the nation has responded quite positively and resoundingly, (and) we are expecting more than 150 buses from the provinces and 50 more carrying various other sectors of society from across the country. So, we will have tens of thousands of people coming,” he said.

The same venue will host an all-night anti-sanctions musical gala starting in the evening, where people will be entertained by some of the country’s top artistes.

Amb Muzawazi said in terms of preparedness, everything was going according to plan, with people working round the clock.

There is also coordination between the Government and the party in preparations for the big day.

Director in the Ministry of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services, Mr Richard Mahomva, said preparations were at an advanced stage.

“Tomorrow (today), there will be the fourth edition of the Sadc Anti-Sanctions Solidarity Day, which is headed by the Ministry of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services in partnership, of course, with progressive political institutions in the country, particularly the ruling party and anti-sanctions non-governmental organisations,” he said.

Mr Mahomva said one of the headline events for today was the launch of the first ever anti-sanctions publication titled, “Standing Against Illegal Sanctions, Resistance Policy Initiatives and Advocacy”.

“This is a book that was produced by more than 15 academics. I am talking of distinguished academics, particularly university vice chancellors and other high-level intellectuals drawn from across the globe. They are in that book, and the position that they are giving is a position that has been mostly missing, particularly from neoliberal literature.

“It’s a position that has been missing, particularly from certain forces that are pro the sanctions and this is a first anti-sanctions publication by organic Zimbabwean scholars, and we look forward to its circulation after its official launch by His Excellency, the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe, who is our chief diplomat,” he said.

Mr Mahomva said there will be more than 250 exhibitors at the venue, adding that the musical gala will celebrate milestones by the Second Republic.

“We will also celebrate President Mnangagwa’s astute diplomatic excellency through the Vision 2030 anti-sanctions gala, which celebrates the reforms that he has made to position Zimbabwe as a citadel of African diplomacy, as a citadel of attracting foreign direct investment, which in essence undermines what sanctions intended — to harm and haemorrhage our economy, our politics and society at large,” he said.

The Sadc Anti-Sanctions Day will be held under the theme, “Inclusive Development through Heritage-Based Innovation and Industrialisation in a Multilateral World”.

The Sadc secretariat is also expected to issue a statement on behalf of the region while President Mnangagwa’s statement will be shared with Zimbabwean embassies abroad.