WEEKLY NEWS ROUND-UP

Monday

Illegal economic sanctions imposed by the United States and her allies have negatively affected the business community, which cannot access loans, and even do straightforward transfers for their needs among a host of other trading constraints. As a result, the country’s business community has lost billions in potential revenue due to the negative effects of the illegal sanctions with conservative estimates putting the cost at

US$40 billion in the last two decades.

Tuesday

President Mnangagwa yesterday met United Nations (UN) special rapporteur, Ms Alena Douhan, who is in the country to assess the impact of unilateral coercive measures imposed on the country by the United States (US) and its allies. She is on a 10-day fact-finding mission whose outcome is expected to give the world a clear picture of the debilitating effects of the illegal sanctions.

Wednesday

The opposition MDC Alliance party led by Mr Nelson Chamisa has been burning the midnight candle, fervently agitating for economic sanctions imposed by the United States and its allies to stay as the party appears unsettled by the prospects of their removal ahead of the 2023 national elections. The machinations manifested last week when Mr Chamisa and his retinue of hangers-on attempted to torch a violent storm in Masvingo to cast the Government in a bad light, but that ploy dismally flopped.

Thursday

Deep scars inflicted on the country by colonial oppressors should ever be reminders for Zimbabweans to remain united, peaceful and defend national interests as there is no room for violence which detractors use to smear Zimbabwe’s image, President Mnangagwa said. Addressing the 355th session of the Politburo at the revolutionary party’s headquarters in Harare yesterday, Cde Mnangagwa, who is the ZANU PF President and First Secretary, read the riot act on economic saboteurs who engage in activities meant to derail the country’s inevitable march towards Vision 2030 of becoming an upper-middle-economy.

Friday

The MDC Alliance is refusing to co-operate with police detectives assigned to investigate claims that the vehicle carrying party leader Nelson Chamisa was shot at, with no one in the group of vehicles at the time even willing to show police where the alleged shooting took place, and no one in the car ready to tell investigators what happened.

Police yesterday confirmed receiving a report of the alleged shooting from MDC-A vice president Lynette Karenyi.