Zimpapers Logo

Sikhumbuzo Moyo, Senior Reporter

A 41-year-old University of Zimbabwe graduate says the rhetoric by the West and the opposition surrogates in the country that illegal sanctions were only targeted at individuals is nothing but just psychological warfare meant to hurt the economy and delegitimise the Zanu-PF led Government in the eyes of the populace.

Mr Bruce Ngangezwe Khumalo of Njube suburb, was only 21 years and fresh from university when the United States and its allies decided to impose illegal and unjustified sanctions under the so-called Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act (Zidera) of 2001 following the successful land reform programme which the country undertook to give land to the black majority.

The draconian Zidera was amended in 2018 with a view to further tightening its provisions and as noted by the Southern African Development Community (Sadc) permanent missions in Geneva in a position paper produced in 2020, in the amended Zidera, the US Government, inter alia, “instructs the US Executive Director to each International Financial Institution to oppose and vote against any extension by the respective institution of any loan, credit, or guarantee to the Government of Zimbabwe or any cancellation or reduction of indebtedness owed by the Government of Zimbabwe to the US or any International Financial Institution.”
This makes it clear that the sanctions are all-encompassing, contrary to claims that they are ring-fenced and targeted against a few individuals.

The European Union (EU) introduced its own sanctions in February 2002 but, as the Sadc permanent missions in Geneva noted, while it lifted most of its sanctions in 2014, those against the Zimbabwe Defence Industries company, senior Government officials and Service Chiefs, as well as an arms embargo, are still in place.

They further noted that the sanctions violate Article 41 of the United Nations Charter, which states that sanctions can only be decided on by the UN Security Council and cognisant of this, in its resolution 39/210 of 18 December 1984, the UN General Assembly called on developed countries to “refrain from threatening or applying trade restrictions, blockades, embargoes and other economic sanctions, incompatible with the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations and in violation of undertakings contracted multilaterally or bilaterally, against developing countries as a form of political and economic coercion which affects their economic, political and social development”.

“Sanctions come with propaganda. It’s not true to say they are targeted. The sanctions are aimed at hurting the economy, delegitimise the Government and our businesses.

“The propaganda that comes with sanctions smacks of psychological warfare and creates an impression that nothing is being done by the Government and therefore force Zimbabweans to vote for opposition parties who intend to assist the West and their allies to effect regime change and elect a Government that will reverse the land reform and give the country’s strategic resources to them on a silver platter,” said Mr Khumalo.

He said despite the sanctions, the country has been making great strides in various sectors but the pace could even be better without the embargo which is affecting all Zimbabweans contrary to the ‘targeted’ mantra by the United States, her allies and the opposition parties.

“We have been educated to the best of standards as the country’s literacy rate will attest yet because of sanctions we have been unable to gain certain economic advantages.

But now it’s important to understand how we can extricate ourselves from this by taking advantage of the many empowerment programmes which will allow graduates to partake in the national economy.

The unilateral and illegal sanctions that the opposition has invited to this country with their other surrogates means we need to rally together and ensure that we fashion enough opportunities for Zimbabweans who graduate from our competent institutions of higher learning,” he said.

Mr Bruce Ngangezwe Khumalo

Mr Khumalo said if the illegal sanctions are removed the strides being made by Government to achieve greater industrial development and to further grow the economy will further shame those who have been and are still advocating for the them.

“Sanctions are limiting our ability as Zimbabweans, lets disassociate ourselves with this nonsense that they are targeted. When credit lines are closed by financial institutions, they won’t be punishing President Mnangagwa or anyone on that sanctions list of shame because the money won’t be meant for them but for Zimbabwe as a country and yet you hear someone say these are targeted sanctions. It’s all rhetoric and nothing else.

However in the midst of all this, there is still so much that has been achieved in terms of developmental projects such as the Lake Gwayi Shangani project, roads rehabilitation throughout the country, Intwasa/Pfumvudza programme meant to boost our food security and many other projects under the Second Republic which by the way are not confined to one area but cut across the length and breadth of this country in line with the leaving no one and no place behind as we move towards realisation of Vision 2030 that seeks to have an upper-middle income economy,” said Mr Khumalo.