US Sanctions

”Ever since the West first imposed the sanctions of the Zanu PF regime in 2002 for its human rights record, particularly its failure to hold free and fair elections; the regime has carried out regardless and claimed the sanctions were imposed as punishment for its land reform programme. The regime has even gone one step further, it has blamed the country’s economic decline of the sanctions. This has become increasingly difficult for the regime to sell these lies much more so in 2018.

For the 2018 Mnangagwa himself promised to hold free, fair and credible elections as proof that Zimbabwe had broken away from the Mugabe day of corruption and rigged elections. The Americans went out of their way to explain that if Mnangagwa kept his promise on holding free and fair elections, they would lift the sanctions. They explained what exactly they would be looking for in judging the elections free and fair, just to make sure Zanu PF was left in no doubt what was expected of the regime.

The excuse that the sanctions were imposed as punishment for seizing land from the white farms was not going to have any takers since by then almost all the farms had already been seized.

Holding free and fair elections and risk losing power was the one thing Mnangagwa and his junta friends were not going to do. They had risked life and limb in wrestling power from Mugabe in the November 2017 military coup; they were not going to risk losing power in a free and fair election. So it was no surprise therefore that Mnangagwa and the junta failed to deliver even one of the Americans’ election requirements as the regime went on to blatantly rigged the 2018 elections.

Just to underline the fact that the rigged July 2018 elections was no accident the regime was gone on to use unwarranted and brutal force to drive home the message the regime will not tolerate any protest against the rigged elections and the country’s worsening economic situation. The regime has shot dead 7 and then 17 protestors in the 1^st August 2018 and January 2019 protests.

The Americans have responded by renewing the imposed sanctions.

Zanu PF has step up its propaganda to demand the lifting of the sanctions on the grounds they are hurting the ordinary Zimbabweans.

“Through ZIDERA, the US has directed its Executive Directors to each international financial institution (IFIs) to oppose and vote against -any extension of any loan, credit, or guarantee to Zimbabwe; or -any cancellation of debt owed by Zimbabwe to the US or any IFIs,” explained the Ministry of Information in a statement.

“US sanctions are targeted at Zimbabwe and all its citizens. The sanctions are so comprehensive that any lines of credit to the country are blocked by OFAC. Citizens who are not on the sanctions list cannot access US-linked financial services such as PayPal

“To show that the US sanctions are indiscriminate, South African Banks have blocked Zimbabwean banks from importing US dollars for fear of reprisals from US authorities. Also, CBZ Bank, which is not on the sanctions list, was fined a staggering US$385 million by OFAC.”

What the statement does not say is that both the IMF and WB had already stopped extending loans to Zimbabwe in 2000, long before the American government imposed ZIDER, because the Zanu PF government was failing to service its existing debt. Other countries like China and Russia have also long stop giving Zimbabwe loans and financial assistance for exactly the same reason – failure to repay its debts.

Ordinary Zimbabweans know the frustration of having to queue hours on end for 50 RGTS$ maximum a day, they cannot get even one US$ from the bank even if the deposited US$. It is rich that there will be any Zimbabwean out there who will lose sleep because they cannot use PayPal or some such service!

As for the Americans stopping Zimbabwe importing the US$; last time I looked at the American dollar it was the image of Gorge Washington or some such American staring back at me. Surely the Americans are free to decide what to do with their own currency!  

What every thinking Zimbabwean out there should be demanding from this Zanu PF dictatorship is why are ordinary Zimbabweans being denying their basic freedoms and human rights including their right to a meaningful say in the governance of the country and even the right to life? This has gone on for the last 38 years now!

There is something disingenuous that Zanu PF is fighting to end the suffering brought about by the imposition of sanction, although it is powerless to remove the sanctions because they were imposed by the West, and yet it has done absolutely nothing to end the mismanagement, corruption and the political oppression it is imposing on the people.

The Ministry of Information has carefully avoided commenting of the USA’s reason for retaining the sanction – Zanu PF’s failure to hold free and fair elections and the recent killing of unarmed civilians. Why? Is it because the regime knows the people of Zimbabwe do not believe the lie the elections were free and fair.

The Ministry of Information has also been very careful not to comment on how much of the economic meltdown the country is facing is due to gross mismanagement and rampant corruption notably the wholesale looting taking place in Marange and Chiadzwa. The nation was swindled of US$15 billion in diamond revenue alone in 2010 to 2014 according to Robert Mugabe. Not even one swindler has ever been arrested and we know the looting is continuing to this day. Whatever contribution sanctions have made to Zimbabwe’s economic meltdown they are insignificant compared to the damage done by corruption, gross mismanagement and all the other teething problems.

It is said the beating wings of a butterfly in Japan may well be the humble origin of the hurricane storm in North America, the source of the great Zambezi is a stream. To blame Zimbabwe’s economic meltdown and brutal political repression on the West’s imposed sanctions it as foolish as blaming the hurricane of the butterfly, the storm gathered its 100 km per hour winds from tropical waters and not the beating of the butterfly wings. Zimbabwe’s economic meltdown is the product of decades of rampant corruption and gross mismanagement and not the Americans denying my aunt in Zimbabwe’s rural back water PayPal facilities!

Zanu PF blatantly rigged last year’s elections and the primary purpose of the targeted sanctions is to pile the pressure on Zanu PF to step down because it does not have the people of Zimbabwe’s democratic mandate to govern the country. The sanctions must and will stay! 

By JEFF KURAI CHAKANYUKA