Zim forges ahead despite sanctions
ZIMBABWE will continue to seek ways to circumvent sanctions illegally imposed by the West, as the country seeks to forge a prosperous future despite the heavy burden brought about by the economic embargo, President Mnangagwa has said.
President Mnangagwa’s message comes at a time when there are concerted voices, both in Zimbabwe and around the continent, calling for the lifting of sanctions. Writing in his weekly column, President Mnangagwa said despite the negative impact of the widely condemned embargo, Zimbabwe would not fold its hands while sanctions wrought havoc on the economy. Instead, the country would leverage on the country’s vast resources to keep the engines of the country’s economy ticking.
“While we continue to challenge those nations which decided to impose and punish us with spiteful, illegal sanctions, we must, in equal if not greater measure, seek creative ways around those sanctions so we prosper our Nation in spite of them. We cannot wring our hands in despair; or breakdown and cry. We meet challenges head-on. We have God-given resources in abundance; we have the brains which we continue to develop and sharpen; indeed, we have the zeal and will to work and prosper our Nation. All those attributes are encapsulated in our ageless mantra:
Nyika inovakwa nevene vayo/Ilizwe lakhiwa ngabaninilo! It is a mantra we tamper with patience, perseverance and persistence we summon and cultivate as a people. For steadily, slowly but surely, we will build our country, brick by brick, stone upon stone!” he said.
President Mnangagwa said although the sanctions were an unnecessary and unjust handicap, they also presented the country with an opportunity to build an economy that is resistant to external shocks.
“Over the years, historians and
social scientists have maintained that hardships and limitations, whether natural or manmade, often beget great civilisations and lasting gains. Challenges trigger creativity in a people. Of course, this is no reason to crave or look for hardships in the hope these will provoke creative responses which build great civilisations,” he wrote.
President Mnangagwa hailed the UNGA77 held in New York as a roaring success for Zimbabwe, as it allowed the country, supported by its African allies, to highlight the gross unfairness of the sanctions.
President Mnangagwa gave special mention to a report by Professor Alena Douhan, the UN Special Rapporteur on unilateral coercive measures, which formed the bedrock for Zimbabwe’s spirited anti-sanctions campaign at the UNGA77. The rapporteur mentioned that the effects of the embargo have been devastating, negatively impacting the country’s socio-economic growth.
He said the sanctions were yet another example of the West flexing its global political muscle against a country whose only sin was correcting the historic wrongs of colonialism.
President Mnangagwa said messages of solidarity delivered by the African heads of state were timeous, as they came on the eve of the annual Anti-Sanctions Day, set to be held o n 25 October. He said Zimbabwe remains indebted to fellow African counties for the support towards its cause, giving particular mention to Tanzania, the next host of the Sadc summit.
(For the full article by the President turn to Page 4)