‘Sanctions affecting ordinary Zimbabweans’

ILLEGAL sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe in 2002 as a punishment for embarking on the Land Reform Programme have detrimental effects on the people of Zimbabwe and the entire African continent, African Heads of State have said.

Speaker after speaker at the justended General Assembly in New UN York, United States of America, called for the unconditional lifting of the punitive measures.

When Zimbabwe embarked on the Land Reform Programme to redistribute land from the white minority to landless Zimbabweans at the turn of the new millennium, the West responded my imposing economic sanctions on the country.

While the proponents of the embargoes claim that they are fighting for democracy and promoting the country’s economic recovery, the measures clearly seek to influence political decisions in Zimbabwe through making Government’s work difficult.

United Kingdom led the onslaught, with the United States of America following suit with the enactment of the so-called Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act

(ZIDERA).

The European Union also joined the sanctions bandwagon.

From then onwards, the sanctions have been stifling the country’s development.

This is why Africa has been calling for the unconditional removal of the sanctions.

Although the West maintains that the sanctions are targeted, analysts argue that the vulnerable members of society usually suffer most from the effects of sanctions.

Most African Heads of State who spoke during the just-ended United Nations General Assembly did not mince their words in calling for an end to the sanctions that have been in place for the past two decades.

They argued that the sanctions are hurting ordinary people in the region.

At the General Assembly, the UN African continent was led by Senegalese President and African Union chairperson, President Macky Sall in calling for the removal of the illegal sanctions.

“The once again calls for the AU lifting of foreign sanctions against Zimbabwe. These harsh measures continue to fuel a sense of injustice against an entire people and to aggravate their suffering in these times of deep crisis,” said President Sall.

His sentiment was echoed by SADC chairperson and Democratic Republic

Congo (DRC) President Felix Tshisekedi, who said the United Nations should make an effort to ensure the embargo is removed unconditionally.

“In the name of international solidarity and justice, we do have questions over the maintenance of sanctions against the people of Zimbabwe.

These sanctions which, what’s more, date back to the era of the late President Mugabe.

“Why is our organisation so silent and so indifferent to this injustice, almost a crime against innocent people? As a current chair of SADC, I firmly call upon the United Nations to do everything possible to achieve the immediate lifting of sanctions against Zimbabwe,” said President Tshisekedi.

Botswana President Mokgweetsi Masisi said: “While we are confident of the resilience and resolve of Zimbabwe as well as its economic transformation prospects, we are concerned that such measures are not advancing the cause of livelihoods of innocent Zimbabweans nor the calls for our Sustainable Development Goals.”

Namibia’s President Hage Geingob chipped in: “We call for the lifting of sanctions against the Republic of Zimbabwe. Why are sanctions in place for a country which is making progress at all levels?

“President Emmerson Mnangagwa and the people of Zimbabwe have made laudable progress and reforms and should be given a chance to succeed without the weight of sanctions,” he said.

Newly elected Kenyan President William Ruto also said: “There might never be a more opportune time to revisit the practice of unilateral coercive actions which often violate fundamental tenets of a rule-based international order such as those imposed on Zimbabwe and Cuba.

“Apart from undermining the sovereign equality of nations, they also indiscriminately punish the general citizenry, reserving their bitterest sting for innocent hustlers and the vulnerable. This compounds injustice and worsens suffering.”

During an earlier meeting with United States of America’s President Joe Biden, South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa also called for an end to Washington’s sanctions against Zimbabwe which he said are negatively affecting neighbouring countries.

At the General Assembly, South UN Africa’s International Relations and

Cooperation Minister, Dr Naledi Pandor reiterated the calls for the removal of sanctions, saying they have ripple effects on the SADC region.

“South Africa calls for an end to unilateral coercive measures against Zimbabwe, which have compounded the problems experienced by the people of Zimbabwe and have the detrimental effect on the broader SADC region,” said Dr Pandor.

These calls follow the tabling of a report by the UN Special Rapporteur, Professor Alena Douhan, whose findings revealed that sanctions are affecting ordinary Zimbabweans.

Professor Douhan visited Zimbabwe from October 18 to 28, 2021 to examine the impact of unilateral sanctions on Zimbabwe and its people. She concluded that sanctions have had a significant impact on the people of Zimbabwe,

thereby exacerbating their challenges.

She recommended that the sanctions be lifted in line with the principles of international law, the rule of law and human rights.

The findings of the Special Rapporteur affirmed Africa’s demand for the unconditional lifting of the illegal sanctions that have seen ordinary citizens suffering unjustifiably.