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We recognise, as the Government has also indicated, the growing willingness by the European Union (EU) to normalise its relations with Zimbabwe following Brussels’ easing of its sanctions on our country on Monday.

The EU announced it had removed from its sanctions list Vice President Constantino Chiwenga, Lands, Agriculture, Water and Rural Resettlement Minister Perrance Shiri and former First Lady Grace Mugabe. It noted the prevailing socio-economic challenges affecting the country, largely caused by the same sanctions, and the political dialogue that President Mnangagwa has been pursuing with some representatives of political parties that participated in the 2018 presidential election.

However, the EU maintained its arms embargo on the Zimbabwe Defence Industries.  

“Seizing opportunities for real transformation would facilitate steps towards deeper re-engagement of the EU, based on mutual commitments and shared values in line with the 2030 Agenda, and focused on human rights, democracy, governance and the rule of law,” read the EU statement after the EU Council’s 3 747th meeting held on Monday.

“The EU is engaged on the basis of the Government’s own agenda, in line with the 2013 Constitution of Zimbabwe, as well as the recommendations of both the Motlanthe Commission on post-electoral violence and the Final Report of the EU Electoral Observation Mission to Zimbabwe. The EU welcomes the resumption of a formal political dialogue in 2019, as a step towards a more constructive EU-Zimbabwe relationship. . . . The EU will seek increased collaboration with international partners, most importantly the African Union, Sadc and its member countries, and international financial institutions, who can play a key role by supporting Zimbabwe in enabling an inclusive dialogue and in accelerating progress in reforms.”

The easing of the punitive measures on Monday followed their initial relaxation last year. Then the EU foreign ministers’ meeting resolved not to extend sanctions against any individuals in the Government but kept VP Chiwenga, Minister Shiri and General Sibanda on the so-called “inactive” list. They upheld the sanctions against former President, Cde Robert Mugabe and his wife Grace.  

The relaxation of the sanctions in February last year was followed, a few months later, by the resumption of formal dialogue between Harare and Brussels. 

We recognise the positive signals from Brussels but demand that they drop their piecemeal removals of this and that individual, this and that company from their sanctions list to total, unconditional lifting of the ruinous embargo.  

Zimbabweans want all the restrictions, declared and undeclared, to be removed so that trade and investment resumes more earnestly between Harare and Brussels. Zimbabwean exporters don’t want to face artificial impediments in their efforts to access the EU market.  

Similarly billions in potential investment capital that has not been flowing from Europe to Zimbabwe as prospective investors feared reprisals, must flow unimpeded.  

We believe that through mutual respect, normal trade and investment relations the social and economic challenges that our country is facing would be resolved.  Humanitarian assistance that the EU always touts, while welcome, is unsustainable in the long run. Zimbabwe must be allowed to build its own capacity to fight hunger and poverty not to have Europe heralding its humanitarian donations every time they decide to deliver them.

“We have taken note of the European Union position with regard to its long-standing sanctions regime against Zimbabwe and welcomed its decision to further ease, although slightly, those measures,” Foreign Affairs and International Trade Minister Sibusiso Moyo said in a statement on Monday.

“That reform agenda is a process rather than an event and it will take time to complete. . . . As we pursue our policy of re-engagement with all those who, for whatever reason, elected to distance themselves from us, our emphasis extends considerably beyond the political and increasingly is focused on the promotion of economic ties and on identification of mutually beneficial trade and investment opportunities.  

“Together with a number of other Eastern and Southern African countries, we have agreed to negotiate a significant expansion of the existing economic partnership agreement with the European Union, giving ourselves the possibility of considerably enhanced access to lucrative EU markets. Our emphasis as Zimbabwe is to move on from what has been a troubled relationship with the European Union and, by way of new political and economic course articulated by His Excellency the President, to forge an effective partnership free from all such historical impediments and baggage.”

While we are encouraged by the warming of relations between Harare and Brussels as further exemplified by the former’s decision on Monday, we remain deeply concerned that the most devastating sanctions regime — those imposed by the US — are still in place. We, too, note that the US is arguably intensifying not only its anti-Government rhetoric but also its sanctions on the country. We regret this.

This, however, has not discouraged President Mnangagwa from continuing to seek rapprochement with the US. He is correct to keep on that path.  Continuing dialogue between the two governments, we believe, will result in the US lifting its damaging sanctions on Zimbabwe.