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Masimba Mavaza
Correspondent
The irony of democracy is that those who teach democracy easily break it.
Zimbabwe has groaned heavily under the United States and European sanctions over the past two decades.
The US sanctions were imposed through the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act (Zidera). This law is supported by Executive Order 13288 enacted by the US President and renewed on a yearly basis.
While the US and Western countries claim that the sanctions were imposed over human rights violations, it is common knowledge that these restrictions are a direct response to Zimbabwe’s historic and revolutionary land reform which corrected the racially imbalanced land ownership in the country.
This is exposed by the fact that one of the key US demands expressed through Zidera is that land ownership patterns in Zimbabwe must revert back to the pre-2000 era when around 4 500 white settlers used to own over 70 percent of the arable land.
The cost of these sanctions has been very heavy on Zimbabwe’s economy, which is basically driven by extractive industries, principally agriculture and mining.
The resettled farmers were sanctioned by the whole banking sector which refused to financially support them. The farms were not accepted as collateral and this affected the whole farming sector.
This made the new farmers to look like they were incompetent yet all odds were against them. Adding to the imposition of the sanctions, all the white-controlled secondary industries that relied on agriculture and mining closed down en masse.
This affected the Zimbabwean economy as it was being attacked from all ends.
Foreign capital which was closely tied to these white farmers fled the country in protest and in agreement with the sanctions. While ZIDERA was wreaking havoc the Western countries piled more sanctions on Zimbabwe which have had fatal domino effects on various sectors of Zimbabwe’s agrarian economy.
Millions of Zimbabweans who used to work on commercial farms lost their employment.
This figure is estimated at over one million. Although a significant bulk of these former farm workers became land owners in their own right after the land reform, some did not get land, rendering them unemployed.
In response to the “fast-track land reform” in Zimbabwe, the United States government put the Zimbabwean Government on a credit freeze in 2001 through the ZIDERA (specifically Section 4C titled Multilateral Financing Restriction).
The “fast-track land reform” was in essence the move by the Zimbabwe state to reclaim the land stolen by white colonialists.
The ZIDERA (S. 494, Pub. L. 107-99 (text) (PDF)) is an act passed by the US Congress which imposed economic sanctions on Zimbabwe, allegedly to provide for a transition to democracy and to promote economic recovery.
Ironically ZIDERA is the opposite of what it is on paper. ZIDERA seeks to reverse the gains of land reform. They want the oppressive system to remain.
Clearly, this system was unsustainable given that blacks, who constituted over 90 percent of the population, were crammed on the remaining land, which was basically poor.
When the Zanu PF led Government corrected this clear injustice, the Western powers stood with their kith and kin and imposed sanctions.
This is despite the fact that they had reneged on their promise to fund land reform in an independent Zimbabwe.
A deliberate act, typically as part of a systematic campaign that causes human suffering or death on a large scale, is what generally defines crime against humanity, which is vividly being experienced in Zimbabwe since the introduction of ZIDERA in 2001.
It is without doubt that sanctions are a crime against humanity, an unfair treatment of race against race, nation against nation, the strong against the presumably weak, all with the intention to create a tameable and easy to control people.
So ZIDERA was given under the laws of America. This ZIDERA is illegal as the laws promulgated in another country should never bind another sovereign country.
The US Congress illegally responded by putting measures that promote human suffering under the brand Zimbabwe Democracy and Recovery Act.
Under this sanctions law by the US Congress, ordinary populace are dying in hospitals due to lack and also expensiveness of required drugs, no state currency, jobless youths and closed industries which clearly indicates how sanctions are victimising the people of Zimbabwe.
In a bid to confuse the people, the Americans call it targeted sanctions.
To make it easier for some of us, if an employer fires a father he cannot say that he targets the father so the family must not be worried.
Yet if the father is targeted the whole family suffers. So who is targeted by ZIDERA, all business people all banks and all Government heads of department. The immediate effect is seen in the ordinary people who are mournfully dying in hospitals due to lack of sufficient essential drugs and the jobless qualified people.
Not only the qualified people those casual workers who were laid off because companies could not buy items abroad.
Under ZIDERA Zimbabwe cannot buy or sell. Those Zimbabwe can trade with, are threatened heavily by America. So those who dare to buy or sale to Zimbabwe face knee shaking consequences.
The country which purports to be the champions of democracy and the champions of humanity is the one which kills millions through sanctions.
Despite the deaths and suffering of many Zimbabweans due to ZIDERA, America gets the joy of renewing the sanctions yearly; thus prolonging the pain and suffering of the Zimbabwean people.
Taking into consideration the reasons for the introduction of ZIDERA and the efforts being done by Zimbabwe particularly under the Second Republic, many Zimbabweans were expecting automatic relaxation of sanctions.
Zimbabweans also expected more fruitful negotiation between their country and the Western powers, but paradoxically more darkness is coming from the champions of democracy.
To the general citizens of Zimbabwe, the introduction of ZIDERA and the meaning of it is still a mystery only politicians seem to have the background.
ZIDERA is causing strange suffering to people who do not believe in atrocities, people who naturally respect each other in their communities, to the people who joyously celebrated their independence and the land they fought for.
According to Cde Reason Wafawarova, ZIDERA is a sanction law based on racism and racial supremacy, which is clearly evidenced by the course of events on daily basis.
Considering the effort by the Government and its people to normalise relations with the international system, ZIDERA is just political cannibalism totally different from what the Congress and its agents portray it to be.”
“ZIDERA is the US Congress resolution to massacre both innocent and the so called guilty Zimbabweans. What ZIDERA stands for is complete takeover of ownership and Zimbabwean identity from its people – neo colonialism in a man-made dignified way. ZIDERA is the sanction law for intensive poverty on Zimbabwe, hidden under the brand of human rights,” he said.
The ZIDERA law has now been amended to reflect updated demands for free elections. This shows that from the beginning, ZIDERA was never for human rights. It was and still is a tool of regime change. ZIDERA makes several demands, many of which are targeted at democratic and economic reforms which in fact is cover for the real purpose.
Zimbabwe is a sovereign state; it must never be bound by a legislation which is enacted in another country’s parliament.
ZIDERA’s demands show that a is setting laws for another country.
The Statement of Policy states that the aim is to: “To support the people of Zimbabwe in their struggle to effect peaceful democratic change, achieve broad-based and equitable economic growth and restore the rule of law.”
How can you improve a country’s economy by destroying the source of its economy?
How can you expect a country to succeed when it is isolated? Really how can it be a good law which kills the innocent for nothing?
Far from the claim that sanctions are ring-fenced and targeted on a few individuals, the reality on the ground is that the tight grip of the declared and undeclared sanctions is being felt throughout the whole economy.
These punitive measures have effectively hampered the Government’s efforts to implement its development agenda.
There is then the United States policy stance on multilateral financing restrictions where, the Secretary of the Treasury shall instruct the US executive director to each international financial institution to oppose and vote against any extension by the respective institution of any loan, credit, or guarantee to the Government of Zimbabwe; or any cancellation or reduction of indebtedness owed by the Government of Zimbabwe to the US or any international financial institutions.
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This, according to the act, would be rescinded if and when there is US Presidential certification that certain conditions are satisfied.
In actual fact no financial institution will be allowed to give money to Zimbabwe. The world being a global village there is a common currency used in the international market which is the United States dollar. The Americans control the world by using the US dollar in international transactions.
The reality of ZIDERA is just to effect a regime change. There is rule of law in Zimbabwe, including respect for ownership and title to property, freedom of speech and association, and an end to the lawlessness, violence, and intimidation is now the thing of the past.
Zimbabwe has been holding presidential elections which have been widely accepted as free and fair by independent international monitors, and the president-elect is free to assume the duties of the office.
Pre-election conditions
In the event the certification is made before the presidential election takes place, the Government has sufficiently improved the pre-election environment to a degree consistent with accepted international standards for security and freedom of movement and association.
But this did not move the architects of ZIDERA. To the Americans free elections means the loss of Zanu PF. As long as the ruling party wins, America interprets it as not free and fair. America uses unfair means to achieve fair means what a joke?
Zimbabwe was the bread basket of the SADC region. The land reform that the country undertook could not bear optimal benefits because the sanctions made it difficult to import capital equipment, spares and ancillaries to mechanise agricultural production, resulting in low productivity, thereby subjecting the country and the region to food and nutrition insecurity.
The imposition of sanctions saw an increase in outward migration of skilled and non-skilled labour force to neighbouring countries. This human capital flight heavily affected the economy of Zimbabwe which was already under stress. In turn, this impacted on resources in terms of social services delivery in the recipient neighbouring countries.
The sporadic attacks on foreigners in some of the neighbouring countries could be directly attributed to sanctions as the recipients of our citizens have to put more resources towards social services. Before 2000, Zimbabwe used to enrol and train a high number of students from the SADC region in its colleges and universities. However, the situation has changed due to sanctions.
Internationally, Zimbabwe has been struck off from a number of scholarships programmes that complemented Government’s human capital development efforts.
On infrastructure that support regional trade, Zimbabwe provides road and rail links for many SADC countries due to its strategic central location. The deterioration of road infrastructure due to financing challenges has resulted in high cost of operations for road users from the region.
Zimbabwe could not revamp the railway system that could have benefited the region due to sanctions. The long and winding queues of Zimbabwean travellers witnessed at land entry and exit points into the country reflect the negative effects of sanctions on the Zimbabwean economy.
It has forced Zimbabweans to import basic necessities and other personal effects from neighbouring countries resulting in high human traffic at border posts that has caused insurmountable logistical challenges for our border authorities and those of our neighbours.
Before sanctions, the reverse situation played out. Neighbouring countries relied on Zimbabwe for manufactured goods. This helped to ease the challenges now experienced at borders.
Impact on regional co-operation
Sanctions are affecting the smooth running of regional groupings such as SADC and COMESA.
The SADC macro-economic convergence targets of low inflation, sustainable budget deficits, minimal public debt, equitable current account balances, as well as the formation of a regional monetary union and the movement towards attaining the region’s industrialisation agenda are being compromised by the sanctions.
Zimbabwe has failed to meet most of the targets owing to the adverse effects of sanctions.
The European Union, through the European Development Fund, compensates COMESA Member States for revenue losses suffered under the tariff phase down exercise under specific conditions, which take into account macro-economic policies and governance issues.
The Government had not directly benefited from the fund. This discrimination had the effect of undermining regional integration initiatives and slowing down development.
Sanctions have also resulted in Zimbabwe failing to be effectively represented at some international meetings, where crucial decisions and commitments are made, as some targeted individuals especially high-ranking Government officials are denied visas.
African Growth and Opportunity Act
We should remember that the US enacted the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) an Act which incentivised trade with African countries and encouraged them to open up their economies. This led to the dramatic increase of African exports to the US, in some cases of up to 1 000 percent.
Thirty-seven African nations have benefitted from AGOA, while Zimbabwe is still considered ineligible thereby missing in investment and job creation.
Because of ZIDERA Zimbabwe has lost over US$102 billion in revenue over the past 22 years because of the sanctions. It is believed that Zimbabwe lost bilateral donor support estimated at US$4.5 billion annually since 2001, US$12 billion in loans from the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and African Development Bank, commercial loans of US$18 billion and a GDP reduction of US$21 billion. The US and EU sanctions on Zimbabwe are illegal and unjustified because they violate Article 41 of the United Nations Charter, which states that sanctions can only be decided by the UN Security Council.
Any unilateral measures taken by an individual state without the authorisation of UNSC resolution are illegal in nature because they infringe upon states’ right to economic and social development.
Cognisant of this, the UN General Assembly has passed a resolution which calls upon all states not to recognise unilateral extra-territorial coercive economic measures or legislative acts imposed by any state on another. Sanctions by their nature are foreign policy tools of economic coercion and are incompatible with international law. They discriminate a country from trading freely on the international markets and to access funding.
They are a blunt coercive instrument adversely affecting the entire economy with far reaching implications for the ordinary people, especially the most vulnerable groups.
In view of the New Dispensation thrust on engagement and re-engagement, the sanctions are out of date and irrelevant to the situation that prevails in Zimbabwe.
Sanctions must be removed immediately to allow the country to move forward. The need for unity of purpose from all Zimbabweans, SADC and the AU in lobbying for their unconditional removal cannot be over-emphasised.
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