The EU must deal with log in its eye

There was a very curious story that was carried by some sections of the media a couple of days ago. Here is a snippet of the story: “The European Union says Zimbabwe will never lure foreign direct investment and enjoy peace until the authorities respect the rule of law and stop persecuting its own citizens. EU said this on Wednesday, in a statement which was pressing President Robert Mugabe to search and find the abducted journalist-cum-social rights activist Itai Dzamara.”

The story quotes the EU as saying: “Sustainable peace, development and prosperity cannot exist without respect for human rights. . . The EU remains deeply concerned about the lack of progress in this case and will continue to watch developments closely. It is the responsibility of the Zimbabwean authorities to ensure that justice is served.”

You cannot help but be annoyed by this kind of story.

We hope that the EU was misquoted.

Otherwise, the EU is showing unacceptable disrespect and contempt for Zimbabwe.

We care about human rights, and they should be protected — and they are in Zimbabwe.

Zimbabwe enjoys peace and stability.

The country has opened its doors to investment and is in the process of removing all that may come in the way of such investment.

The IMF, for example, has been here and giving the country quite high marks for progress in restructuring the macro-economic environment.

Several delegations of business, including from EU countries, have come and seen for themselves what the country has to offer.

As we speak the country is crooning over the investment prospects by Africa’s richest man Aliko Dangote who was in the country last week and expeditiously sent a team to lay the groundwork for investment in the country this week.

The Dangote Group has registered a company in Zimbabwe.

The technical team that is in the country is thrashing out modalities to set up business.

You can scout for investment from thousands of miles away and when you enter a country half the job would have been done.

That the EU conjures up this Dzamara case, shows that it is being dishonest and thinks we are fools.

This Dzamara issue is such a dirty little, exposed finger to hide behind.

The EU should be ashamed of itself.

We are not fools.

If they do not want to invest in this country they should be open about it rather than try to play hide and seek.

And it is quite hypocritical for the EU to tell us about human rights, especially at this time when they are defeating and denying the same in the ongoing refugee crisis.

As we also know, European countries have thrived on the oppression of other peoples and theft of their resources.

Their systems are inherently racist and governments there systematically oppress and discriminate against black people and minorities.

What human rights can the EU teach us?

This human rights excuse is not acceptable at all.

It is totally offensive.

The EU and Americans should just shut up if they do not want to deal with us.