admin
Trust Freddy Herald Correspondent
ILLEGAL and punitive sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe by the United States and the European Union have caused untold suffering to millions of youths and students.
The students, who are bearing the brunt of these satanic sanctions, have called for their unconditional and immediate removal.
The call for the removal of the illegal embargo comes as Zimbabwe will be joined by all SADC member states in the crescendo call for the removal of the sanctions on 25 October during the Sadc Anti-Sanctions Day.
Different youth organisations denounced the use of sanctions to resolve international disagreements and conflicts saying it was no longer a viable option in the contemporary world as it is akin to unleashing the much dreaded Covid-19 virus on people to solve differences.
“A compromise to delivery of quality education leads to half-baked students and due to sanctions we now have students who are theoretically gifted but practically poor because they do not have facilities for them to practice what they are taught,” Mr Raynald Ngwarati, a fourth-year student at the University of Zimbabwe said.
Punitive sanctions, Mr Ngwarati said, hinder the delivery of quality education, and as a result Universities end up producing half-baked graduates.
“Half-baked students are dangerous to society as they won’t fetch much on the job market.
“If you look, many vacancies require five years of experience in a similar role, but many graduates don’t have that experience and this has resulted in unemployment.
“Let me equate sanctions to Covid-19, they are inhumane, a disgrace to humanity and require a collective effort. We call upon every progressive Zimbabwean to join the call for the removal of sanctions,” he said.
Mr Ngwarati also said sanctions have affected everyone regardless of age or political affiliation.
Zimbabwe Congress of Students Union (ZICOSU) president Mr Pijiwest Nhamburo said the future of the younger generation remains uncertain due to sanctions.
“This special group which makes up 60 percent of the total population, their future is not certain and guaranteed as long illegal sanctions are still in existence.
“The illegal sanctions have seen the closure of industries and various organisations that have been playing a very critical role towards the betterment of our economy.”
Mr Justice Mfiri, Secretary of the Zimbabwe Institute of African Integration, a youth empowerment lobby group, said punitive measures directly or indirectly impede trade with Zimbabwe which results in unemployment.
“The absence of foreign direct investment has caused the unemployment gap to continue widening amongst the youth graduating every year, as industry is not expanding.
“The youth are indeed directly feeling the heat of sanctions, which has seen a huge number of them seeking opportunities in other countries in the region and beyond.
“Youth migration has had its own problems in the destination countries so the sanctions issue is a regional one, and indeed a continental one.”
Former ZICOSU UZ chapter chair Ms Primrose Moyo also echoed the same sentiments saying experienced lectures are deserting Universities.
“These punitive sanctions have also resulted in the brain drain of lecturers and professors who have the expertise in lecturing moving to other countries which offer better remunerations.
“They have also crippled our economy and as a result, our government struggles to give students grants to help them during their college days and we end up having university dropouts due to financial hardships,” she said.
An academic researcher and country champion at AfCFTA Independent Continental Youth Advisory Council, Mr Tanatsiwa Dambuza, said punitive sanctions are hindering students from participating in exchange programmes with other students across the globe.
“Sanctions have an indiscriminate impact on Zimbabweans thus, inevitably affect young people and students and due to globalisation, porous borders, and interconnectedness of the world, modern academic research is heavily dependent on an international network of collaborators, digital data, international travel, and scholarships.
“They (sanctions) deny young people their sacrosanct right and freedom to education because they can be a determinant factor to impoverishment and marginalisation of communities.
“Researchers like me may find it hard to access international research funds meant for development of the country and educational sector,” he said.
Recently, at a public lecture at Mkoba Teacher’s College, Zanu PF youth league secretary for legal affairs Cde Phineas Makombe, said there was need to educate people on the effects of sanctions.
Online Reporter