By A Correspondent- Former MDC Mayors have intensified their fight against MDC-Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa and released a statement backing the ruling Zanu PF’s anti-sanctions choir.
Below is the Former Mayors Association Of Zimbabwe ‘s complete statement issued on Friday:
Whether targeted or severally imposed, sanctions are a crude, cruel way of enslavement by sadistic, bullish nations over vulnerable nations. They bring untold suffering and misery to the masses of a country. They are brought in through politically linked perceptions by simply using the politically weak and power-hungry political party leadership with the sole intention of causing regime change to the affected countries and at the same time weakening their economies.
If you target the father with certain restrictions, the whole family will suffer as the head of the family won’t be able to provide for the mother and children adequately. For a country, it’s much worse as the whole nation is forced to carry the burden of a black sheep in all businesses. So calling for the imposition of sanctions against one’s own country is un-African and primitive. Human rights abuses should have a platform to deal with them, such as regional or continental bodies.
As former mayors of rural centres, towns and cities, we were able to see the havoc brought in by these so-called “targeted sanctions”. Simple tasks of offering quality service delivery to the people were severely affected, and deadly diseases as cholera became permanent visitors in our midst.
Rather engagement with errant governments should be encouraged.
Suppose one associates with targeted people or institutions; they are painted with the same brush, meaning trade is restricted to those individuals; investment flies away in fear of reprisals from countries of their origin. It’s a waste of time, as the intended purpose is thrown into the backburner. Really Sanctions foment hate, and if you take a deep look into them, they have a racist inclination.
Opposition finds a lot of sympathy from these westerners; hence we all hear them say “tinozvidira Jecha, meaning we will pour sand on the food and you won’t be able to eat it or ” tamba tamba hako chidembo, muswe ndakabata” literally meaning you won’t achieve anything for as long we can call for sanctions.
Democracy is sacrosanct and also calls to hear from all sides, not from one side, that stage manages abductions assassinations as ways to get sympathy from visiting UN envoys, so as to go begging for more sanctions against your own government in foolish hopes of weakening the ruling party in feeble hope of winning elections.
So actually calling for sanctions against your own country to get power is not only childish; it’s criminal and treasonous as the whole country is held at ransom and the most affected are the most vulnerable citizens. Sitting at a round table offers a good chance of finding each other as well as solutions to challenges facing our beloved country no matter the composition of people coming together.
Issued by Former Mayors Association of Zimbabwe, deputy chairman, Peter Chandafira Matambo.
Chandafira is the former Mayor of Kadoma.