By Patrick Guramatunhu- The Americans continue to exert maximum pressure on SADC leaders to abandon their folly of supporting the Zanu PF anti-sanctions propaganda and embrace the drive for democratic reforms in Zimbabwe.
“The United States Ambassador to Botswana Craig Lewis Cloud has defended sanctions against Zimbabwe saying they were targeted at officials abusing human rights and the rule of law,” reported Byo24News.
“In a meeting with SADC executive secretary Dr Stergomena Tax on Tuesday to discuss the sanctions against Zimbabwe, Cloud said his country is one of the biggest supporters of Zimbabwe in terms of aid, contributing well over US$2 billion, since its Independence.
“Today Ambassador Cloud and Dr Tax discussed the root causes of U.S. sanctions in Zimbabwe, namely human rights abuses and anti-democratic efforts,” said the US Embassy in Botswana.
It is bad enough that we are having to deal with this Zanu PF government that has no respect for the truth, reality and reason and instead, uses its absolute power, to corrupt and distort the truth, reason and reality and impose them on everyone.
There is a mountain of evidence, for example, to prove beyond all reasonable doubt that corruption and mismanagement are the root causes of Zimbabwe’s economic meltdown. Whatever economic hardships are caused by sanctions, they are a tiny fraction compared to those caused by the mismanagement and corruptions.
Zanu PF has blown the effects of sanctions out of all proportion for it selfish propaganda purposes. It is disappointing that outsiders like SA President Cyril Ramaphosa and other SADC leaders have been conned into believing Zanu PF propaganda and lies.
President Mnangagwa blatantly rigged the July 2018 elections. He denied 3 million Zimbabweans in the diaspora a vote (he claimed victory with 2.4 million votes) only to assure them they will vote next time. ZEC failed to produce something as basic as a verified voters’ roll, a legal and common sense require.
The whole election process lacked transparency, could not be traced and verified, etc. And yet Mnangagwa maintained the elections were “free, fair and credible”! Sadly, SADC leaders, once again, believed the Zanu PF lies.
Zimbabwe’s failure to hold free, fair and credible elections is at the very heart of the country’s worsening economic meltdown because the nation was stuck with the corrupt and incompetent Zanu PF. 40 years of gross mismanagement and rampant corruptions have destroyed the country’s once upon a time robust and vibrant economy.
Zimbabwe is a pariah state ruled by corrupt, incompetent and murderous thugs who have rigged elections to secure their long stay in power. As long as Zimbabwe remains a pariah state, ravished by mismanagement, corruption and lawlessness, there will be no meaningful economic recovery. None!
Zimbabwe’s economic meltdown has pushed unemployment rate into the nauseating heights of 90%, a recent WB report revealed that 90% of the population now live in poverty and 34% in abject poverty. The World Food Programme, USA and EU have stepped in to source food to feed 8 million Zimbabweans who would be starving, otherwise.
After decades of neglect, Zimbabwe’s public education and health care have all but collapsed. Teachers, doctors and nurses have stopped going to work because their wages do not cover their transport costs let alone food, accommodation, etc.
There is no denying that Zimbabwe is a failed state and, more pointedly, in serious, serious economic trouble and the danger of social and political instability is real and immediate.
Zimbabwe’s economic and political mess is a man-made problem – chronic bad governance born out of the country’s failure to hold free, fair and credible elections. The solution is self-evident – hold free, fair and credible elections.
Zanu PF has usurped the people’s democratic freedoms and rights to impose the de facto one-party dictatorship complete with its carte blanche powers to rig elections. It is sad that even now with Zimbabwe’s very survival at stake, SADC leaders should continue to believe Zanu PF lies and propaganda at the expense of truth, reason and reality.
The solution is for the illegitimate Zanu PF regime to step down so the people of Zimbabwe can implement the democratic reforms necessary for free, fair and credible elections. Zanu PF cannot be trust to implement the reforms because no tyrannical regime will ever reform itself out of office.
Besides, SADC made that mistake of entrusting Zanu PF to implement the reforms, or be it together with MDC, during the 2008 to 2013 GNU and not even one reform was implemented. Not one!
“Thank you, Your Excellency Ambassador Cloud, for visiting the Secretariat and for the extensive discussion on impacts of sanction on the economy of Zimbabwe and Zimbabweans; and the need to walk the talk in supporting the ongoing political and economic reforms in Zimbabwe,” SADC executive secretary, Dr Stergomena Tax answered.
This is so infuriating! What “ongoing political and economic reforms” is she wittering about when Mnangagwa has said the last elections were free, fair and credible and SADC itself agreed with him!
The sanctions are helping to highlight Zanu PF’s failure to hold free, fair and credible elections and hence the reason they must stay.
Indeed, after nearly two decades of the sanctions, the Americans must review the sanctions to make them tougher and far reaching. People like Professor Mthuli Ncube, Minister Kirsty Coventry and opposition leaders like Nelson Chamisa and Tendai Biti must be added to the sanctions list for working with Zanu PF knowing fully well the regime rigged elections.
The West must seriously consider imposing sanctions on some of the SADC leaders. By believing Mnangagwa’s lies and propaganda, these leaders are closing their eyes to the truth, reason and reality and it is the ordinary people of Zimbabwe and of the whole SADC region who are paying dearly for the folly. Something to force these leaders to open their eyes will not be amiss!
What Zimbabwe needs is to implement reforms and a chance to elect competent leaders – that is not too much to ask.