”Ever since the West first imposed the sanctions of the
Zanu PF regime in 2002 for its human rights record, particularly its failure to
hold free and fair elections; the regime has carried out regardless and claimed
the sanctions were imposed as punishment for its land reform programme. The
regime has even gone one step further, it has blamed the country’s economic
decline of the sanctions. This has become increasingly difficult for the regime
to sell these lies much more so in 2018.
For the 2018 Mnangagwa himself promised to hold free, fair
and credible elections as proof that Zimbabwe had broken away from the Mugabe
day of corruption and rigged elections. The Americans went out of their way to
explain that if Mnangagwa kept his promise on holding free and fair elections,
they would lift the sanctions. They explained what exactly they would be
looking for in judging the elections free and fair, just to make sure Zanu PF
was left in no doubt what was expected of the regime.
The excuse that the sanctions were imposed as punishment
for seizing land from the white farms was not going to have any takers since by
then almost all the farms had already been seized.
Holding free and fair elections and risk losing power was
the one thing Mnangagwa and his junta friends were not going to do. They had
risked life and limb in wrestling power from Mugabe in the November 2017
military coup; they were not going to risk losing power in a free and fair
election. So it was no surprise therefore that Mnangagwa and the junta failed
to deliver even one of the Americans’ election requirements as the regime went
on to blatantly rigged the 2018 elections.
Just to underline the fact that the rigged July 2018
elections was no accident the regime was gone on to use unwarranted and brutal
force to drive home the message the regime will not tolerate any protest
against the rigged elections and the country’s worsening economic situation.
The regime has shot dead 7 and then 17 protestors in the 1st August
2018 and January 2019 protests.
The Americans have responded by renewing the imposed sanctions.
Zanu PF has step up its propaganda to demand the lifting of
the sanctions on the grounds they are hurting the ordinary Zimbabweans.
“Through ZIDERA, the US has directed its Executive Directors to each international financial institution (IFIs) to oppose and vote against -any extension of any loan, credit, or guarantee to Zimbabwe; or -any cancellation of debt owed by Zimbabwe to the US or any IFIs,” explained the Ministry of Information in a statement.
“Through ZIDERA, the US has directed its Executive Directors to each international financial institution (IFIs) to oppose and vote against -any extension of any loan, credit, or guarantee to Zimbabwe; or -any cancellation of debt owed by Zimbabwe to the US or any IFIs,” explained the Ministry of Information in a statement.
“US sanctions are targeted at Zimbabwe and all its
citizens. The sanctions are so comprehensive that any lines of credit to the
country are blocked by OFAC. Citizens who are not on the sanctions list cannot
access US-linked financial services such as PayPal
“To show that the US sanctions are indiscriminate, South African Banks have blocked Zimbabwean banks from importing US dollars for fear of reprisals from US authorities. Also, CBZ Bank, which is not on the sanctions list, was fined a staggering US$385 million by OFAC.”
“To show that the US sanctions are indiscriminate, South African Banks have blocked Zimbabwean banks from importing US dollars for fear of reprisals from US authorities. Also, CBZ Bank, which is not on the sanctions list, was fined a staggering US$385 million by OFAC.”
What the statement does not say is that both the IMF and WB
had already stopped extending loans to Zimbabwe in 2000, long before the American
government imposed ZIDER, because the Zanu PF government was failing to service
its existing debt. Other countries like China and Russia have also long stop
giving Zimbabwe loans and financial assistance for exactly the same reason –
failure to repay its debts.
Ordinary Zimbabweans know the frustration of having to
queue hours on end for 50 RGTS$ maximum a day, they cannot get even one US$
from the bank even if the deposited US$. It is rich that there will be any Zimbabwean
out there who will lose sleep because they cannot use PayPal or some such
service!
As for the Americans stopping Zimbabwe importing the US$; last
time I looked at the American dollar it was the image of Gorge Washington or
some such American staring back at me. Surely the Americans are free to decide
what to do with their own currency!
What every thinking Zimbabwean out there should be
demanding from this Zanu PF dictatorship is why are ordinary Zimbabweans being
denying their basic freedoms and human rights including their right to a
meaningful say in the governance of the country and even the right to life?
This has gone on for the last 38 years now!
There is something disingenuous that Zanu PF is fighting to
end the suffering brought about by the imposition of sanction, although it is
powerless to remove the sanctions because they were imposed by the West, and
yet it has done absolutely nothing to end the mismanagement, corruption and the
political oppression it is imposing on the people.
The Ministry of Information has carefully avoided
commenting of the USA’s reason for retaining the sanction – Zanu PF’s failure
to hold free and fair elections and the recent killing of unarmed civilians.
Why? Is it because the regime knows the people of Zimbabwe do not believe the
lie the elections were free and fair.
The Ministry of Information has also been very careful not
to comment on how much of the economic meltdown the country is facing is due to
gross mismanagement and rampant corruption notably the wholesale looting taking
place in Marange and Chiadzwa. The nation was swindled of US$15 billion in
diamond revenue alone in 2010 to 2014 according to Robert Mugabe. Not even one
swindler has ever been arrested and we know the looting is continuing to this
day. Whatever contribution sanctions have made to Zimbabwe’s economic meltdown
they are insignificant compared to the damage done by corruption, gross
mismanagement and all the other teething problems.
It is said the beating wings of a butterfly in Japan may
well be the humble origin of the hurricane storm in North America, the source
of the great Zambezi is a stream. To blame Zimbabwe’s economic meltdown and
brutal political repression on the West’s imposed sanctions it as foolish as blaming
the hurricane of the butterfly, the storm gathered its 100 km per hour winds
from tropical waters and not the beating of the butterfly wings. Zimbabwe’s
economic meltdown is the product of decades of rampant corruption and gross
mismanagement and not the Americans denying my aunt in Zimbabwe’s rural back
water PayPal facilities!
Zanu
PF blatantly rigged last year’s elections and the primary purpose of the
targeted sanctions is to pile the pressure on Zanu PF to step down because it
does not have the people of Zimbabwe’s democratic mandate to govern the
country. The sanctions must and will stay!
Zanu PF rigged last year's elections and the regime's first act after that was to use wanton violence to make sure the people who protested the rigged elections were punished and a clear message was send that the regime will not tolerate any dissent.
ReplyDeleteZimbabwe's worsening economic situation is a result of the rigged elections because by rigging the elections Zanu PF confirmed that the country was still ruled by corrupt and lawless thugs. No investor would want to do business in a pariah state. Zanu PF is once again trying to take the heat off brought on by the worsening economic situation because Zimbabwe is a pariah state by pretending the elections were free and fair and it is the sanctions to blame for the economic hardships.
It is heartening that there are many people who now see the link between rigged elections and worsening economic situation and they are demanding that Zanu PF must step down. Gone are the days when Zanu PF rigged elections and got away with it, the regime must not be allowed to do so this time!
It a great disappointment that instead of focus on demanding that Zanu PF steps down the nation is being confused by MDC Alliance's nonsensical call for b inter-party political dialogue. Zanu PF is illegitimate, how will the inter-party dialogue pan-out and change this political reality especially with Zanu PF playing the pivotal role in the said dialogue. It is disheartening that at the time when the nation need a clear decision Chamisa and company are mudding the waters to Zanu PF's advantage.
Chamisa accepts the ZEC result of the parliamentary race but reject those of the presidential race when the same glaring flaws and illegalities apply to the two races. ZEC failed to produce a verified voters' roll and failed to release some of the V11 forms giving the summary of vote count at ach polling stations although these are legal requirements. So the vote tally of each candidate in both the presidential race and parliamentary race could not be verified and traced. MDC rightly reject the ZEC result of the presidential race but why they accept ZEC's result of the parliamentary races beggars belief!
It should be remember that by participating in last year's flawed and illegal elections, the opposition gave the process some modicum of credibilty. It is had not been for all the international election observers who had condemned the elections as a farce Zanu PF would have got away with the rigged elections.
Whilst the international community would happily support the demand for Zanu PF to step down on the grounds the regime has no democratic mandate because the elections were not free, fair and credible. No one in their right mind will ever support the MDC Alliance's confused position of accepting the parliamentary result as free, fair and credible and reject the ZEC's result declaring Mnangagwa the winner but accept Chamisa's own result making him the winner of the presidential race or be it no one has ever verified or traced his figures!
It is disappointing that the nation is stuck in this confused position for the last eight months already. Nothing is never simple and straight forward when one is dealing with corrupt and incompetent village idiots such as Nelson Chamisa! Nothing!
The Americans went to great length to explain that if Zanu PF held free, fair and credible elections they would lift the sanctions. Anyone who is anybody who observed the last elections has said Zanu PF rigged the elections. Mnangagwa had himself promised to hold free, fair and credible elections and so he failed to keep his promise. So if the elections were not free, fair and credible then the Americans are right not to lift the sanctions.
ReplyDeleteZanu PF has said the elections were free, fair and credible but evidence on the ground clearly says the opposite. We should in fact take Zanu PF to task on first of all rigging the elections and then secondly insulting our intelligence by denying that they rigged the elections.
The next question to be settled is are free, fair and credible elections important to the nation? If so, how important are they?
Zimbabwe is in this economic and political mess because the nation has been stuck with this corrupt, incompetent and tyrannical Zanu PF dictatorship for 38 years and counting. Although the nation has known since the late 1990s that Zanu PF was a corrupt and murderous dictatorship the people have failed to remove the regime from office because Zanu PF rigged the elections. So it was the failure to hold free, fair and credible elections that landed us in this mess and, more significantly, unless we end the curse of rigged elections, we are not getting out of the mess.
The sanctions are one way of piling the pressure on Zanu PF to hold free, fair and credible elections; sanctions are one way of trying to end the curse of rigged elections and getting us out of the economic and political mess we have been stuck in these last 38 years. That surely is a good thing!
Zanu PF and its apologists; the same individuals who are insulting us insisting the rigged elections were free, fair and credible; are telling us that sanctions are hurting the ordinary Zimbabweans and hindering the country's economic recovery. They have failed to say how and to put any monetary figures on any of their claims.
We know decades of gross mismanagement and rampant corruption have been the root causes of the country's economic meltdown. From Mugabe's own admission we know the country lost $15 billion in diamond revenue alone in the period 2010 to 2014. Zimbabwe with a GPD of $10 billion cannot afford such a massive haemorrhage. So if sanctions can force Zanu PF to hold free and fair elections and end the corruption and the haemorrhage that has to be a good thing.
Whatever these mythical hardship the sanctions are bringing the benefit in ending corruption, mismanagement and tyrannical rule are worth it!
Human Rights Watch report on the 17 killed during the January 2019 nationwide crackdown by the Zanu PF regime.
ReplyDeleteIn the face of all this evidence of brutal repression it beggars belief that the EU in its infinite wisdom has decided to lift sanctions imposed on the Zanu PF regime. There is no doubt that the EU is now concerned about joining other nations like China, Russia, Israel, India, etc. in the looting of Zimbabwe's resources regardless of how much suffering this Zanu PF regime is bringing to the people.
Shame on the EU!
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has declared that his country will support Zimbabwe's economic growth and reform efforts and the illegal sanctions imposed on the country by West should be lifted to allow unhindered recovery.
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes to lifting the sanctions imposed by the West, President Ramaphosa is powerless to do anything about it. He can bark all he wants the sanctions are they to stay.
As for supporting Zimbabwe’s economic growth and reform efforts, he has been doing so for the last one and half years, if not more, and we are yet to see the recovery! As long as Zimbabwe remains a pariah state ruled by corrupt and vote rigging thugs, there will be no meaningful economic recovery.
The sanctions are one way of piling the pressure on Mnangagwa to hold free, fair and credible elections. We are not going to waste our time telling President Ramaphosa that last July’s elections in Zimbabwe were rigged, he knows the elections were rigged. We are fighting for free and fair elections and we find his insistence that the elections were free and fair insulting, to say the least.
Thank God, there are other world leaders out there with the common sense to say rigged elections were rigged and to backup their position by imposing sanctions. It is a crying shame that anyone would so stupid as to insist an election in which the relevant authorities failed to produce something as basic as a verified voters’ roll was free, fair and credible! The whole of Africa is hanging their heads in shame that this should be happening on our continent worse still that we have leaders stupid enough to turn a blind eye to such foolishness!
You should respect historic facts. Zimbabwe's economy was already in trouble by December 2001 when the sanctions were imposed. Zimbabwe had two five-year Economic Structural Adjustment Programmes (ESAP) to revive the economy but they both failed to do so because Zanu PF failed to implement the core reforms.
ReplyDeleteDuring the 2008 to 2013 the country enjoyed some modest recovery when the country scrapped the Z$ to end the 500 billion per cent hyper inflation. The sanction remain in place then; proof the economic meltdown had nothing to do with the sanctions.
Sanctions are serving a very useful purpose of piling the pressure on Zanu PF to step down, the regime rigged last year's elections and therefore has no mandate top govern. If Zanu PF is still in power by 2023 then the party will rig that year's elections just as readily as it rigged last year's elections. We must not let that happen!