US in the dock over sanctions on Zimbabwe

Sam Matema Correspondent

At the Lancaster House Conference on Rhodesia in 1979 which led to the ceasefire leading up to the elections that gave birth to an independent Zimbabwe, there were commitments by all parties to the negotiations, the United States included.

The reason why Zimbabwean sons and daughters took up arms to free themselves from the settler regime was primarily to ensure self-determination, and central to all that was one man one vote and the right to our land.

Britain in that arrangement was supposed to mobilise resources to compensate white farmers under the willing buyer willing seller arrangement.

This was deliberate; their preoccupation was to protect their kith and kin. Who was supposed to be compensated – the settler white farmer or the displaced locals whose land was robbed?

Fast forward to 2001 post the land reform was born out of the realisation that Britain would not mobilise resources to support land redistribution in Zimbabwe.

If anything, the then British Prime Minister Tony Blair walked away from the signature appended by the Margaret Thatcher government.

In 2001, the US government through Congress, came up with the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act (ZIDERA) amended in 2018.

In essence, economic sanctions were imposed on Zimbabwe as a reaction to the redistribution of land from the minority white farmers to the majority of landless black Zimbabweans.

It marked the beginning of the fight(s) between the US and Zimbabwe in the context of the American government interfering with the territorial integrity of an independent Zimbabwe.

The US and her allies in the global North interfered through ZIDERA to the extent that they were explicit that Zimbabwe was not supposed to intervene in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

ZIDERA is clear in terms of restrictions and sanctions with respect to accessing financial support from the Bretton Woods institutions.

Having taken that position, the US and her allies started to channel donor support through proxies by way of non-state actors and opposition formations, explaining why there was a mushrooming of Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) who got funding from the US via USAID, the European Union et al.

They set conditions predicated on areas where they said should be reformed, whatever that means.

Zimbabwe is a sovereign country, and therefore should be given her space to chart her own path, and conduct her own business in sympathy to the provisions of her Constitution which came from the people of Zimbabwe via a referendum in 2013.

The Constitution and all attendant constitutional provisions were made by and for Zimbabweans. Challenges in Zimbabwe should be left to Zimbabweans to solve them.

Should Zimbabwe require outside help, she will invite those that she feels will attend to her issues objectively with good intentions.

In all the machinations of the US and her allies, it admits of no debate that the intention was and is to cause pain and chaos around the country and effect a regime change.

The US is leading a life full of contradictions on Zimbabwe and other parts of the globe where it is sponsoring wars.

As a country that claims to be a champion of democracy and a human rights defender, the US actions on Zimbabwe via ZIDERA paints a completely different picture, an antithesis of that which she purports to champion and represent.

The US is being prescriptive on Zimbabwe to the extent that she is prescribing that which she cannot practice, and without any shame.

Elections in the US have been disputed and the cases decided by the courts, the Bush v Al Gore and Biden v Trump electoral challenges are cases in point.

In both cases, due process was allowed to take its course without outside interference.

On January 6 2020, Capitol Hill was invaded by Republicans who were protesting against an electoral process that they were not happy with.

If anything, Trump almost staged a coup. The rest of the world did not interfere with internal issues of the US, she was left to deal with her own issues according to her own laws.

It admits of no rocket science to understand and see how progress of the ordinary Zimbabwean has been delayed by the debilitating effects of ZIDERA.

The rights of the ordinary person in Zimbabwe in the context of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals has had a negative knock occasioned by the illegal sanctions imposed via ZIDERA.

The US must be seen for what she is, a bully, dictator, a war monger and human rights violator.

That human rights violations is part of the DNA of the US cannot be a matter of debate. This is a country that was built on and from the sweat and blood of slaves.

The impact of sanctions should be seen through the interlocking crises of society, economy and the environment, and the sustainable future.

Zimbabwe suffered economic losses running into billions since 2001 via restrictions on trade and investments.

Socially, some families broke up as husbands and wives went in different directions in the diaspora in search of relief from the pain occasioned by the sanctions.

This has caused a lot of toxicity and political polarisation.

There are those that fell for the US dummy that it is the epitome of perfection across many categories and thus has right to play referee to the whole world. It is that group of people that is toxic. It has not occurred to them that they have an obligation to work for the good of their country guided by the Constitution and working within the confines of the laws of Zimbabwe.

The US is living and leading a life of serious contradictions as a purported champion of democracy and a human rights defender.

Sanctions are a human rights issue on account of their impact on all rights that must be enjoyed across all categories.

They have negatively impacted our attainment of all 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by interfering with all our eco-socio-political processes. We are, however, emboldened, encouraged and strengthened by the local, regional and international support that we have enjoyed over the years.

We are on the right path, our direction of travel is very clear, and in the fullness of time, we will be vindicated. Time is the greatest equaliser, it will provide all the answers.

History is so unforgiving in its judgement. America and her allies are in the dock. As it was in Iraq, Gaza, Afghanistan and many other places, today, like in the past, they are found guilty of infringing on the rights of Zimbabweans through their illegal sanctions.

It has been said before, and we will say it again, SANCTIONS ON ZIMBABWE MUST GO, and they must go YESTERDAY.

Sam Matema is a Member of Parliament for Buhera South. He writes in his personal capacity.