‘Punish merchants of sanctions’
WITH 19 days to go before the Anti- Sanction day, Zimbabwe Anti-Sanctions Trust (ZAST) has called on Parliament to draft a law that punishes Zimbabweans outside and inside the country who campaign for the continued imposition of sanctions.
Strict conditions and definitions are incorporated in the proposals, requiring proof of intent to harm Zimbabwe and its people and so avoiding conflict with Constitutional rights.
Appearing before Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade chaired by Cde Webster Shamu, at Parliament building, ZAST president, Dr Norbert Hosho said sanctions were hurting every Zimbabwean.
“Today we are appearing before you honourable members of this committee to clarify the issues raised in the petition we handed to the Parliament of Zimbabwe on 18 August 2021. We petitioned Parliament to promulgate an anti-sanctions law, and we are glad to have been called to this meeting, as we believe this is one major step in the law enactment process.
“I have to clearly bring to your attention Honourable members, the background to our petition. We got alarmed over the years, by the behaviour of some Zimbabwean persons, which behaviour supports either directly or indirectly, the continued existence and the negative impact of the illegal sanctions on the Zimbabwean economy and general livelihoods. I continue to draw your attention to the social ills I alluded to. Behaving in a manner which promotes continued existence and adverse impact of sanctions exposes the ordinary person to these social ills and is tantamount to treason.
“The following are examples of behaviours that are not consistent with the promotion of Zimbabwe’s image, national reputation and foreign investment, calling for the imposition of sanctions on Zimbabwe, conduct that is seen as promoting illegal sanctions, such as unwarranted asylum seeking, informal and derogatory press statements that are usually meant to seek attention and behaviour that supports either directly or indirectly, the negative impact of the illegal sanctions on the Zimbabwean economy and livelihoods; for example hoarding of products to create artificial shortages, sabotage and speculative behaviour and sentiments.”
Dr Hosho said ZAST calls upon the Parliament of Zimbabwe to enact a law that recognises and celebrates effort by Zimbabwean persons, both individuals and organisations to denounce either directly or indirectly, illegal sanctions and their negative impact on the Zimbabwean economy, life and property.
In the meantime, he said ZAST is seeking to engage a research team to stablish why the rhetoric from some sections of the Zimbabwean populace, purporting the non-existence of sanctions in Zimbabwe seems to have managed to keep a significant proportion of the population away from the truth, that sanctions are real and hurting.
Last year cabinet also proposed a law to be tabled before Parliament criminalising planned and timed protests deliberately meant to coincide with major international or regional events or visits by foreign dignitaries in order to tarnish the country’s image.
Opposition party activists and their supporters in civic organisations have in the past, come under fire for travelling to different Western capitals calling for the continued imposition of sanctions against Zimbabwe as a way of trying to effect illegal regime change.
The call for the illegal sanctions is premised on the hope that citizens will experience hardships and turn against the Government.
The United Nations, Sadc and the AU have all called for the unconditional removal of sanctions which have denied the country access to finance from multilateral agencies.
Zimbabwe was slapped with illegal economic sanctions by the US and European Union nearly two decades ago after it embarked on the fast-track land reform that sought to address land ownership imbalances.
The illegal sanctions have suffocated the economy as Zimbabwe cannot access lines of credit from global financial institutions.
The Second Republic led by President Mnangagwa has been on an engagement and re-engagement drive aimed at ending the country’s isolation and the efforts are beginning to pay dividends.