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Patrick Chitumba, Midlands Bureau Chief
THE country will continue calling for the lifting of the illegal and inhuman sanctions and engaging the West until they are lifted, Foreign Affairs and International Trade Minister Dr Sibusiso Moyo has said.

He said Zimbabwe will not bury its head in the sand but stand with progressive countries who are advocating for the lifting of the sanctions.

At a summit last year in August, Sadc Heads of State and Government set aside October 25 as a day to denounce the sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe as they were affecting the region.

Sunday marked the second anniversary of the Sadc Anti-Sanctions Day.

Addressing the Midlands Provincial Coordinating Committee meeting at the weekend, Dr Moyo, who is also a Zanu-PF Politburo member, commended patriotic Zimbabweans who have been resilient in the face of the sanctions which have affected the socio-economic status of the country.

“The country will never stop calling for the lifting of the illegal and inhuman sanctions and will continue engaging the West until they are lifted.

“We will never bury our head in the sand but we will rather stand tall with well-wishing and progressive countries who are advocating for the lifting of the sanctions,” he said.

“You have seen that we have support from some well-wishing countries and therefore we won’t stop calling for the lifting of the illegal sanctions. We are going to be proactive.”

Dr Moyo said for the past 20 years patriotic Zimbabweans have been steadfast working hard for the country adding that such resilience of Zimbabweans should be recognised.

Cde Simbarashe Mumbengegwi, also a Politburo member, addressing the same meeting said the illegal sanctions were out of order and were affecting all Zimbabweans.

He said the Sadc Anti-Sanctions Day is a welcome development because it’s an opportunity for the region to speak with one voice against the ruinous measures.

“We have the whole region behind us, the region calling for the lifting of these sanctions which are out of order. For the past 20 years the sanctions have hit us hard but we have remained resolute and we are proud of Zimbabweans.

Yes, we have had those in the opposition calling for the sanctions to remain. Those are unpatriotic and we should be proud of the countries who are behind us calling for the lifting of the sanctions,” said Cde Mumbengegwi.

This year the day was commemorated under the theme: “Resilience, Solidarity and Progress in a Sanctions Environment.”

President Mnangagwa on Sunday described the illegal sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe as a weapon of mass destruction which is deceitfully presented to the world as targeted yet severely affecting ordinary vulnerable citizens.

The President commended Zimbabweans for standing firm in spite of hardships caused by the illegal embargo.

President Mnangagwa said sanctions have affected all the country’s economic sectors and should be removed unconditionally.

He commended Sadc for standing in solidarity with Zimbabwe against the illegal sanctions as they aim to further the neo-colonial agenda.

In the year 2000, Zimbabwe embarked on the land reform programme with the aim of addressing land ownership imbalances and economically empowering its people.

The move was met with harsh responses from the country’s detractors which saw the European Union and the United States (US) imposing sanctions.

Under the US’s Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act Zimbabwe has been unfairly profiled as a high-risk country for investment and cannot access offshore funds and loans from international financial institutions such as the International Monetary Fund and World Bank, stunting Zimbabwe’s economic growth and limiting its commercial participation regionally and globally.