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The Southern African Development Community (Sadc) has intensified the fight for the removal of illegal sanctions against Zimbabwe.

Sadc executive secretary Dr Stergomena Tax said the regional block has launched a multi-pronged diplomatic assault on Western capitals ahead of the October 25 regional Anti sanctions Day.

Dr Tax said the Sadc secretariat this year wants to confront the United States of America and its Western allies as it pushes for the removal of illegal sanctions against Zimbabwe.

She said Sadc ambassadors in various Western capitals had also been directed to undertake intense lobbying on behalf of Zimbabwe in the host countries.

Dr Tax said the Sadc secretariat was engaging directly with Washington and other Western capitals to articulate the urgency required to lift the sanctions.

She said the target was to engage the countries that have imposed sanctions on Zimbabwe asking them to put the lives of Zimbabwean people first.

Dr Tax said the adverse effects of the embargo have transcended Zimbabwe’s borders hence the urgent need to lift the sanctions. She said the severity of the impact of the sanctions had been compounded by the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Dr Tax said Zimbabwe was unable to marshal financial support required to combat the pandemic and sustain the livelihoods of its most vulnerable citizens as a result of the illegal sanctions.

Sadc Heads of State and Government last year proclaimed October 25 as a day of solidarity with the Zimbabwean people against sanctions.

The member countries are set to hold a series of events on the day to push for the removal of the illegal sanctions.

It is our hope that this time around, the US and its allies will not ignore the loud voices of reason calling for the unconditional removal of sanctions against Zimbabwe.

The calls for the removal of the illegal sanctions have come from across the globe with Sadc and the African Union (AU) leading the lobby. Sadc and AU have repeatedly stated that the sanctions are not only affecting Zimbabwe’s economy but the Sadc region as a whole. China, Cuba and the Non-Aligned Movement have also called for the removal of sanctions.

Sadc Heads of State and Government have appealed to the US and its allies to remove the illegal sanctions to enable Zimbabwe to realise its potential. They have said the illegal sanctions are not only affecting Zimbabwe’s economy but are also frustrating regional development at large.

We therefore want to once again appeal to the US and its allies to act in the interest of Zimbabweans and citizens of the entire Sadc region.