Sadc voices Zim solidarity, denounces sanctions

Esinathy Sibanda, Chronicle Reporter
SADC has reiterated its call for Western countries to remove their sanctions on Zimbabwe as they were preventing the country from accessing funding from multilateral financial institutions and capital markets to support its development agenda.

The regional grouping’s Executive Secretary Dr Stergomena Lawrence Tax denounced the sanctions in a meeting she had with the Charge d ‘Affairs of the Embassy of the United States of America in Botswana Ms Kali C Jones in the neighbouring country on Monday.

Ms Jones informed the Sadc Executive Secretary that the new US Ambassador to Botswana and Special Representative to Sadc, Mr John Bass will assume his duties on March 1 and notified her of the upcoming National Security Strategy Development (NSSD) Workshop for Central and Southern Africa to be held in Botswana under the facilitation of the Africa Centre for Strategic Studies in coordination with the US Department of Defence.

Dr Tax then raised the issue of sanctions against Zimbabwe.

Zimbabwe has been labouring under illegal Western sanctions which have hurt the economy for about 20 years.

“HE Dr Tax reiterated Sadc’s call for the international community to lift socio- economic sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe which, she said, continue to deny Zimbabwe access to finance from Multilateral Financial Institutions and Private Financed Institutions and Capital Markets to support the country’s development agenda. On this point, HE Dr Tax added that the economic sanctions have led to limited private sector investment into the country,” SADC said in a statement.

Earlier this month, Sadc also called for the lifting of sanctions against Zimbabwe after the regional bloc’s Consultative Meeting of Heads of State and Government.

Sadc chairperson who is the President of Namibia, Dr Hage Geingob said the Sadc Heads of State and Government noted that the Government’s efforts to transform the economy and bring about prosperity to the people of Zimbabwe are negatively affected by the illegal sanctions that were imposed on the country since the early 2000s.

“Sadc expresses its solidarity with the Government and the people of the Republic of Zimbabwe, and calls upon the international community to unconditionally lift all sanctions imposed on the country,” he said.

— -@esinathy_essira