By Nomusa Garikai | “Sanctions against Zimbabwe are a setback to stability in our region. Botswana therefore calls on the international community to end sanctions against Zimbabwe,” said President Mokgweetsi Masisi of Botswana addressing 76th session of the UN General Assembly.

This is music to President Mnangagwa and his Zanu PF cronies’ ears but it is rubbing hot chillis into eyes of every long suffering Zimbabwean out there.

There a mountain of evidence proving beyond all reasonable doubt that the root cause of Zimbabwe’s economic meltdown are 41 years and counting of gross mismanagement, rampant corruption and the rank lawlessness that have earned the country the pariah state status.

A report from Zimbabwe’s own Auditor General revealed that US$890 million of donor funds to help with the corona virus has either been looted or otherwise wasted. Zimbabwe is losing a staggering US$1.2 billion per year to gold smugglers alone.

Ever since the imposition of the sanctions the regime has repeatedly failed to put a definitive figure on the financial loses brought on by the sanctions. The truth is the financial loses are but a tiny fraction to the financial loses caused by corruption and mismanagement.

Indeed, soon after the West imposed sanctions, Mugabe came up with his “Look East” policy which supposedly meant to counter the sanctions. And ever since the regime has boasted of various measure to guarantee national economic prosperity regardless of the sanctions.

The reality on the ground has been one of economic decline before the sanctions were imposed and the decline has continued after the sanctions were imposed. During the 2008 to 2013 GNU when Zanu PF was forced to abandon some of the party’s disastrous economic policies the economy registered a 12% recovery in 2009 up from minus 6% the previous year although the sanctions remain in place. All proving that sanctions are NOT the root cause of Zimbabwe’s economic and political mess!

Indeed, Zimbabwe has been stuck with this corrupt, incompetent and tyrannical Zanu PF dictatorship for 41 years and counting because the party rigged elections. Ever since the late 1990s Zimbabweans have been calling for democratic change, changes to stop Zanu PF rigging the elections.

The people have risked life and limb to elect Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC friends on the promise the party would deliver the democratic changes the nation has been dying for all these years. Sadly, MDC leaders have proven to be corrupt and incompetent and have failed to bring about even one democratic change.

Still, every Zimbabwean with half a brain knows that to get out of the mess we find ourselves in, the country must implement the democratic reforms to guarantee free, fair and credible elections.

It is patronising, to say the least, SADC leaders to be parroting Zanu PF propaganda of blaming sanctions for Zimbabwe’s ills when they know Zanu PF corruption and mismanagement are the real causes.

We, in Zimbabwe welcome all the help we can get in our fight to end the Zanu PF dictatorship and will accept and respect those nations and individuals who refuse to lift a finger to help. What we will not accept is the insults of those who decide to side with the Zanu PF thugs. We do not accept Zanu PF’s denial of our basic freedoms and rights.

By denying the 3 million Zimbabweans in the diaspora the vote, Zanu PF is rigging the 2023 elections in advance and elections must be condemned in advance. The attempt to link the denial of the diaspora vote to sanctions is an insult because the right to vote is not a privilege or bargaining chip.

It is us, the people of Zimbabwe, the ruling party, the opposition and us the ordinary people, who must share the blame for the country finding itself stuck in this economic and political mess for 41 years. Still there are some outsiders who have helped us land in this mess and that is intolerable especially from those nations who have routines held free, fair and credible elections and therefore have no excuse for giving a thumbs-up to Zanu PF rigged elections!

The root cause of Zimbabwe’s economic meltdown and political instability is the country’s failure to hold free, fair and credible elections – the west imposed sanctions are just a feeble excuse and scapegoat. – SOURCE: zsdemocrats.blogspot.com