The Sunday Mail
Dr Norbert Hosho
OVER the past four years, SADC countries have held anti-sanctions commemorations on October 25 after regional leaders declared it a day to show solidarity against illegal sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe by the West.
The leaders also resolved to conduct various activities in their respective countries on that day to resoundingly call for the immediate removal of the embargo.
In 2022, the day saw Zimbabwe’s fight against the yoke of illegal sanctions take a new twist as various stakeholders met at a local hotel in the capital, where the Zimbabwe Anti-Sanctions Trust (ZAST) launched the book “Sanctions Against Zimbabwe: Debilitating effects, resilience in adversity and envisioned way forward”.
The book comes in the form of a white paper.
It has become clear to many that the sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe are illegal and not targeted at a few individuals as purported by the West.
The greater part of the Zimbabwean populace now fully understands that the sanctions were triggered by the West’s desire to reverse the gains that came with both the liberation struggle and the historic land reform programme. After over eight years of conscientising Zimbabweans on human rights violations resulting from the illegal embargo imposed on the country by the West, ZAST embarked on the white paper project in 2022 to further disseminate the information.
The white paper launch was witnessed by heads of diplomatic missions, leading academics from universities, independent researchers, innovative entrepreneurs, leaders of youth organisations, political parties, religious groups, vulnerable groups and several other stakeholders. The white paper is a result of thorough investigation and enquiry. It is, thus, a must-read for every Zimbabwean.
It clarifies the nature of sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe, demystifying common misperceptions surrounding their imposition and impact.
The white paper expounds the nature of the illegal sanctions, with a view to demystifying common misperceptions surrounding their imposition, and to explain in detail why the United States (US) and the European Union (EU) are not happy with the situation in Zimbabwe.
The project was mainly prompted by the need for a detailed report on the impact of the sanctions on Zimbabwe’s macro-economy and the different sectors, namely, health, tourism, transport, energy, mining, industry/manufacturing, agriculture and finance, as well as global relations and regional cooperation, vulnerable groups, social amenities, investment and growth, international financial transactions and other socio-economic facets of Zimbabwean livelihoods.
The project was also premised on the need to tell Zimbabwe’s story of resilience in adversity.
Considering the foregoing, the white paper describes and evaluates the sanctions-busting strategies employed by the Government, citizens, local economic players, progressive non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and other stakeholders.
It is also imperative to demonstrate how diplomatic relations and cooperation with supportive nations are paying off, as Zimbabwe continues to forge ahead notwithstanding the sanctions.
Lastly, the white paper project was driven by the need to propose the way forward for Zimbabwe and make recommendations to various stakeholders with a view to averting the curse of illegal sanctions in Zimbabwe.
The white paper is organised in four parts.
Part One: Introduction and Background
This section outlines the purpose of the white paper and goes on to discuss the history of illegal sanctions, contextualisation of illegal sanctions in Zimbabwe, the falsity of illegal sanctions in the country, sanctions as a form of economic invasion and sanctions as a threat to sovereign nations’ independence and self-determination.
Furthermore, this part of the white paper explicates and demystifies common misperceptions surrounding the sanctions issue in Zimbabwe. It ends with a detailed explanation of why the US and the EU are not happy with the situation in Zimbabwe.
Part Two: Debilitating effects of Illegal Sanctions in Zimbabwe
This part begins with an overview of the impact of sanctions in Zimbabwe and subsequently delves into the impact of the illegal sanctions on the macro-economy and the different economic sectors.
Moreover, this section gives a detailed explanation of the impact of sanctions on global relations and regional cooperation, vulnerable groups, social amenities, investment and growth, international financial transactions and other socio-economic facets of Zimbabwean livelihoods.
Part Three: Zimbabwe’s Resilience in Sanctions Adversity.
This section is dedicated to recounting Zimbabwe’s story of resilience in adversity, given the sanctions.
First, an overview of sanctions’ ineffectiveness in Zimbabwe is given. This is followed by a description and evaluation of the sanctions-busting strategies employed by the Government, citizens, local economic players, progressive NGOs and other stakeholders.
It also demonstrates how diplomatic relations and cooperation with supportive nations such as the People’s Republic of China, Russia, Iran and India paid off in Zimbabwe’s quest to bust the illegal sanctions.
Part Four: Envisioned Way Forward
This part of the white paper presents the author’s proposed way forward.
The recommendations are made to the following key stakeholders: Office of the President and Cabinet, higher education institutions, foreign missions, Government ministries, local authorities, parastatals, civic organisations, religious groups, community leaders and the general populace.
In particular, this part makes suggestions on further strengthening existing global relations, strengthening trade with friendly nations, initiating anti-sanctions youth enlightenment programmes, adopting multi-stakeholder approaches, defusing polarisation to save Zimbabwe from itself, expediting the anti-sanctions law to break the curse, setting up a special anti-sanctions commission, fostering citizen participation in busting sanctions, advancing Education 5.0 for economic prosperity and implementing specially designated sanctions-busting industrial clusters, among others.
Dr Norbert Hosho is the president and founder of Zimbabwe Anti-Sanctions Trust (ZAST). He is an educationist and trainer in financial literacy, economic empowerment and entrepreneurial leadership. Contacts: +263 773 115 890; [email protected] or [email protected]
