Online Reporter
Wallace Ruzvidzo
Herald Reporter
A new comprehensive Bill introduced in the United States House of Representatives last week has proposed the repeal of the two-decade-old sanctions regime against Zimbabwe, marking a potentially seismic shift in Washington’s policy towards Harare.
The proposed legislation, known as the Department of State Policy Provisions Act, sets out a provision for repealing the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act of 2001 (ZDERA), which has been the legal foundation for US sanctions against Zimbabwe since its enactment.
For more than 20 years, ZDERA has required the US to oppose loans, debt relief, or financial assistance to Zimbabwe from international institutions such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, effectively locking the country out of the critical global financial system.
While the proposed repeal will dismantle these restrictions, the Bill also introduces new conditions tied to the country’s land reform legacy.
It stipulates that Washington will not support any fresh IMF or World Bank funding for Zimbabwe unless the Government commits to fully compensating white former commercial farmers in line with the Global Compensation Deed.
Reads the Bill in part: “In general – The Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act of 2001 (ZEDERA Act), as amended, Public Law 107–99 (115 Statute 962) is hereby repealed.”
“Condition On Further Funding For Zimbabwe — The United States shall not support any new or expanded funding from the International Monetary Fund or the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (commonly known as the World Bank) for the Government of Zimbabwe unless the Government of Zimbabwe shall commit, within 12 months of the approval of such new or expanded funding, to remit all outstanding arrears owed under the Global Compensation Deed, inflation adjusted to the date of enactment, and compensation shall not be in the form of Zimbabwe issued securities. Failure to comply with this provision shall result in an immediate cessation of all United States support for any further funding from these institutions.”
The expansive Bill, introduced by Mr Brian Mast (R-FL), is a wide-ranging authorisation and policy blueprint for the US State Department.
Its provisions cover everything from countering China and managing artificial intelligence to embassy security and public diplomacy.
The Bill has been referred to the House Foreign Affairs Committee, where it will be debated.
