The Sunday Mail
Norman Muchemwa
President Emmerson Mnangagwa has said illegal sanctions imposed on Harare by the European Union and the United States continue to cause suffering to ordinary Zimbabweans, adding the Southern African Development Community (Sadc) had not been spared either.
He said this while addressing Zimbabweans who thronged the National Sports Stadium for the inaugural Anti-Sanctions Day.
The day was mooted at the 39th Sadc summit held in Tanzania in August, 2019 when leaders from the regional block declared October 25 as the day they would collectively voice their concern for the removal of the illegal sanctions on Zimbabwe.
The President thanked Sadc for standing with Zimbabwe and said that sanctions removal is long overdue.
“The unjustified and oppressive illegal sanctions continue to cause untold suffering to the ordinary people of our great country, their direct and indirect debilitating impacts have equally been felt by our neighbours,” he said.
“Today, we arise and collectively say, enough is enough, illegal sanctions are an albatross to the development, well-being and prosperity of the people of Zimbabwe. Sanctions must go – remove them now.”
“As we meet throughout the country, on this landmark day, let it be known that we are united in purpose, resolve and determination. Our friends and neighbours, equally join our call. As a nation and people, we say: thank you Sadc for standing by us and speaking with one voice at the 74th Session of the United Nations General Assembly.”
The President further thanked the African Union and the rest of the progressive world for standing with Zimbabwe during the difficult years of sanctions.
The land issue, said President Mnangagwa, was a necessary tool to unite indigenous Zimbabweans with their dispossessed land. He reiterated that the land reform will never be reversed as that will be a betrayal to those who sacrificed their lives for that cause.
“The dispossession of our land was one of the primary grievances which led us to wage the protracted liberation struggle for our country. Ours was a fight to reunite the land with its people, and the people with their land, which promise we fulfilled during the land reform exercise. However, this had dire consequences, and led to the imposition of illegal and unjustifiable sanctions by the European Union and the United States of America.
“It is clear and undeniable that sanctions were a reaction to the just and necessary act of redistributing our land. For the avoidance of doubt, we want to make it crystal clear that we shall never regret that necessary action and land reform programme shall forever remain irreversible. We will not betray the many sons and daughters of our country who paid the supreme sacrifice, fighting to liberate our land,” he said.
Sanctions, he added, have also impacted on foreign direct investment to the country resulting in loss of revenue and employment as industry is facing serious foreign currency shortages. He added that lines of credit from international money lending institutions, like the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, have also been blocked.
Various speakers including Sadc ambassadors, religious organisations and the academia spoke strongly against the effects of the sanctions on Zimbabwe.
Vice President Kembo Mohadi, Cabinet Ministers, Politburo members, senior Government officials and opposition politicians, among others, attended the main event.
