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Herald Reporter
SANCTIONS are an act of war and aggression against Zimbabwe and their continued existence has no justification especially as the country under the leadership of President Mnangagwa has implemented far reaching political reforms including opening the media to new players.
This emerged at the second edition of the Chitepo School of Ideology and External Relations Department Anti-Sanctions Indaba that was held at the Zanu PF headquarters in Harare on Tuesday.
Scholars, Zanu PF Politburo members and players in the media industry contributed to the lively discussion that also had participants from South Africa, who have been burning the midnight candle compiling lawsuits to pressure the United States, the United Kingdom and their allies to lift the baneful economic sanctions. In his welcome address, Zanu PF Secretary for External Relations, Cde Simbarashe Mumbengegwi, said Zimbabwe, that was punished for redistributing the finite resource land, itself the primary means of production, will never apologise for restoring land to black Zimbabweans.
The retributive sanctions, he said, will never arm-twist Zimbabwe into submission as that is a closed chapter, whose effects include increased production and productivity as envisaged by President Mnangagwa.
“Our demand for the removal of these sanctions is centred on the desire to make it known that International law does allow one nation to infringe rights of another sovereign nation, to this end Zimbabwe remains unapologetic for undertaking the land reform programme”. The unilateral sanctions are not only in contravention of the United Nations Charter but have forced Zimbabwe to operate from hand to mouth, leading to a rise in external debt arrears after blockage of access to loans.
Due to Zimbabwe’s failure to honour its financial obligations to the IMF and World Bank, the Bretton Woods Institutions withheld Balance of Payment and technical assistance to Zimbabwe, further stalling any prospects of growth and progress. With Zimbabwe’s international arrears rising, standing at more than 70 percent, the growth of the economy has largely been subdued.
Proving to be the game-changer, President Mnangagwa, through his Engagement and Re- Engagement policy, has managed to reach out to once hostile nations, and although many are mellowing, some remain obtuse.
“Zanu PF is grateful to its First Secretary President Emmerson Mnangagwa for initiating the engagement policy. This policy has been key to helping us consolidate and deepen our cordial relationship with friends in the SADC region and the world at large. Due to this wise strategy, we have continued to strengthen our relationship with key countries such as China, Russia, Cuba among other friendly nations. Our relationship with these and other nations within the SADC and AU that have stood with Zimbabwe in the face of economic aggression continues to grow to greater heights,” said Cde Mumbengegwi.
Indeed, this was on display on Tuesday as the progressive world joined hands in the clarion call for the removal of the illegal economic sanctions.
On his part, Cde Munyaradzi Machacha, the Principal of the Chitepo School of Ideology, said the anti-sanctions crusade continues to register successes.
“Despite the inroads in engagement, Zimbabwe remains under sanctions hindering economic development. The report by Professor Alena Douhan, the Special Rapporteur on the on the negative impact of unilateral coercive measures on the enjoyment of human rights, vindicated Zimbabwe in its findings that the sanctions breach the UN Charter. This presents new opportunities for Zimbabwe as it opens legal routes to challenge the sanctions,” said Cde Machacha.
Thus, Cde Rutendo Matinyarara, who has been compiling a prima-facie case against the sanctions and also both civil and criminal suits against Zimbabweans who are behind the illegal economic sanctions, has added arsenal in his anti-sanctions crusade.
Speaking on media and pro-sanctions polarisation in Zimbabwe, Dr Qhubani Moyo, said the media plays an important role in transmitting a very loud and audible voice to the citizenry of Zimbabwe and the world on the impact that the sanctions have had.
“Unfortunately we have a very terrible situation with some of our sections of the media, in particular the independent media. The privately owned media has continued to locate the discourse on sanctions as a political debate of the private media and public media against each other yet in reality it is fundamental that the media locate the entire debate on the factual reality.
“The sanctions have been acknowledged by the UN, African Union and SADC yet we have so many in local media that want to pretend that these sanctions don’t exist saying they are just targeted on certain individuals,” he said.
The theme of the discussion was, ‘Friends to all, Enemy to None’.
Online Reporter