By Farai D Hove| The fiery Emmerson Mnangagwa critic, David Coltart has called a removal of sanctions saying the current administration needs to be given a chance to prove itself.
The former Minister of Education said his view is they should be removed as they only serve to give Zanu-PF an excuse for its failures.
Coltart last year humiliated Mnangagwa in a well prepared dossier on past atrocities.
His comments after the US based Zimbabwean journalist Peter Godwin also called for a leaner treatment of Mnangagwa by the US government during the United States Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Tuesday.
Godwin told the US Senator Corey Booker, on suggestions that sanctions could be temporarily lifted against Zimbabwe and reinstated if President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government did not institute reforms, that the sanctions had been used as a convenient excuse by Zanu-PF for its failures. He said,
“It shields them from the consequences of their own mismanagement. Bear in mind, that Zimbabwe as far as I understand it has the fastest shrinking economy in the history of peacetime economies….It’s pure incompetence, corruption and patronage.
I am almost hesitant to mention this. You flip the sanctions that you have got now… a reverse sunset clause where you say I will tell you what we will do. You have got this new government, we will give you the benefit of the doubt for six months or say until the next elections. We are going to drop all sanctions but they will automatically go back on if you don’t meet these benchmarks, the benchmarks we have all been talking about. The ones where there is pretty wide agreement on in civic society. That way you take away the excuse of sanctions and whatever. ”
Speaking in apparent unison, Coltart said, “let me put this out there – it is a personal view not necessarily one which reflects the MDC Alliance position:
“I have publicly argued since 2009 that all sanctions against #Zimbabwe should be removed. They are well beyond their sell by date & only help ZANU PF as an excuse.
16 Replies to “Mnangagwa Critic David Coltart Calls For Sanctions Removal”
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This is Politics Mr/s Bwedebwese. The opposition knows it very well that ED is going to be very cautious when approaching 2018 elections. That means ZANU PF will get all the credit if the sanctions are removed. In order to get credit, this is the perfect timing for MDC to mention about removal of sanctions. MDC knows it very well that the plan for ED is to make sure there is free and fair elections so that he’ll “force” the US government to lift the sanctions. Inyaya yekutangirana chete iri kuda kuitwa naColtart apa.
There should be more whites in Zim opposition politics. The zvimbwasungatas need hand handling. Maybe that way the country might prosper. More Coltarts and more Robertsons!
I AGREE WITH DAVID! THESE SO CALLED SANCTIONS ARE AN EXCUSE FOR ANYTHING- YOU FIGHT WITH YOUR SPOUSE AND IT’S BECAUSE OF THESE ILLEGAL EVIL SANCTIONS!
Well said Coltart sanctions must be removed so that Mnangangwa won’t find an excuse for his failures. Chinotimba blames sanctions for the ZANU PF failures. Lets give them a rope to hang themselves. Mugabe, Chombo, Grace, Kasukuwere etc were looting but blaming sanctions
David Coltart is a mature and patriotic citizen and unlike the childish schoolboy antics of the Biti’s and Chamisas and Welshman’s……This makes a lot of sense.
Chamisa waita mutete apa.
makes sense
make sense
good coltart. love u on this one
this is what hundred of zimbabweans marched for. if opposition wants to win next elections please advocate for sanctions removal now. beg for money from IMF and World bank now. please dont tell us that sanctions will be removed when you are in government. you may not be in gvt for fifty years or more. so please MDC dont paint our country black. we want jobs jobs and improve our economy. we dont care who is ruling. politics of economic strangulation is backward. continuation of sanctions automatically uneven the electoral playing field in favor of opposition so Zanupf will give it as an excuse not to reform.
Elections already rigged, you heard that bastard former Masvingo governor Josiah Hungwe saying we will unleash soldiers on the opposition anga achitorevesa , BITI is right time time..
Anga achida the Position of Finance Minister chete kk manje akanyimwa kkkkkk
Coltart for Minister of Education, during your Tenure education was at its Best !! FIRE Mavhima now and put COLTART Gamba re education..
This is one guy tsvangson should have sent to washington his postulations are sensible
Though what u are saying in sensible Mr Coltart we have been down this road before , A lepard does not change its spots. Please join the other oppostion alliance in their bid to have the international community stand with the wishes of the people not of a few army chieves. We support sanctions 100% . We have suffered under Mugabe and the mantra was always sanctions , we can take 5 more years of suffering as long as its results in a democratic Zimbabwe where the army will not dabble in civilian politics .
I hate to say it, but Coltart is right. We are more likely to get election reforms if the suspension of sanctions is dangled as a carrot, than by wielding the stick of continued sanctions.
Makes sense to me. These sanctions have outlived their usefullness and have always hurt the ordinary man in the street. It’s a dangerous card for MDC to be playing in Washington.