NewsDay (Zimbabwe)

Sanctions maintainin­g discipline on Zanu PF

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PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa must listen to what the people are saying. We have had election disputes in Zimbabwe since time immemorial. They became more pronounced in 2000 when the late MDC founding leader Morgan Tsvangirai came onto the scene.

It is now in the public domain that whenever the ruling Zanu PF party is cornered, it sings Western-imposed sanctions chorus.

I have the feeling that sanctions will be removed when the Mnangagwa-led government stops unlawful arrests of political activists, abductions and torturing of opposition voices as well as institutin­g refoms.

As long as we have human rights abuses and failure to address such challenges, sanctions will remain imposed.

We have been turned to border jumpers and squatters in foreign lands while running away from hunger, from those we voted for and elected into office.

We are running away from poverty, bad governance, a tanking economy.

We need to break this silence and call our leadership to order. Now Mnangagwa wants to compensate white farmers who were displaced by the violent land reform programme by the same government.

I believe the land issue in Zimbabwe is done and dusted and there is no need to revisiting it.

Mnangagwa is making a schoolboy blunder by offering compensati­on to white farmers.

All we need is to review our foreign and domestic policies, offer those who are willing to farm in Zimbabwe and give them some land. We have plenty of it, of which most is being underutili­sed.

No compensati­on is needed. We just need to offer any investor some land with good terms so that the nation in the end benefits too.

Yes, people may want to argue that the targeted sanctions have affected the country’s economic performanc­e, I agree, but Zimbabwe has the opportunit­y to address the problem and move forward.

I believe the targeted sanctions are directed to those who engage in corruption, violate human rights and undermine democratic institutio­ns.

Those aiding, abetting and propping an oppressive brutal regime are the ones causing the suffering of innocent Zimbabwean­s as they have self interests. Worried

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