By Llyod Takawira
Following the European Union’s review of its restrictive measures against Zimbabwe indications are that the EU might be warming up to Zimbabwe while on the contrary the United States was not moved and extended sanctions against some Zanu PF members.
Two learned friends of mine whose political inclinations differ strongly while discussing the whole sanctions charade expressed varying sentiments.
The debate ragged on with Mussa saying “Cde while we continue rantings at the US it is our leaderships obligation to reform” with one of our daily newspaper with the headline US extends Sanctions on Zimbabwe in his hand.
The heated argument continued with Makomborero saying ” look even the President said it, he is not perturbed” while taking a look at a state owned newspaper which contained an article where Mnangagwa claimed he was not worried about the US extension of sanctions on Zimbabwe.
For nearly two decades Zimbabwe has been in isolation, with the international community shunning business with a country that an unstable economy.
Just like the previous Mugabe regime which seemed not to care, President Mnangagwa knows that only immediate political and economic reforms will secure fresh funding but he has stressed that change will cost money an argument blamed by many as scapegoating.
Speaking in Gutu Mupandawana at a clean up campaign, Mnangagwa said “You may have heard that the US renewed its sanctions on us. There is nothing new there. We have been with these sanctions for the past 20 years. These are the same sanctions they have renewed. As Zimbabwe, we have a policy of engagement and re-engagement. The whole of SADC is standing with us. You may recall that on October 25, 2019, SADC countries in their respective countries had various programs calling America to remove sanctions on Zimbabwe.”
While as a sovereign country we continue to rant the economy just like in 2008 is in shambles.
An investigative story from Financial Gazzette whether true or false claimed that government has been on a money printing spree much to the dismay of the International Monetary Fund which had been helping Zimbabwe with its staff monitored programs .
The Zimbabwean dollar barely a year after its introduction has become valueless if not worthless on the parallel market.
In 2017 a new man in town, Emmerson Mnangagwa through a military assisted takeover , promised to move from the old into what he claimed was the ‘new dispensation’.
An infusion of hope was inquested. The man at the helm of power promised heaven on earth.
Mr President you went on an overdrive positioning yourself and your comrades as new wine in new bottles. Reports of the administration paying some western media PR to push the new dispensation mantra surfaced. Despite the efforts, all seems to have gone astray.
The question is Mr President what has gone wrong . Indeed there’s is no free launch.
It’s crystal clear that the international community cannot be fickled by deceptive , rancid and sweetened rhetoric antics meant to hoodwink the international community.
Sincere enough to see Zimbabwe getting back to the international scene, we need to reform our politics for the good.
The contact of our security apparatus has been betraying the fundamental human rights to which they must be upholding . Recently in St Mary’s riot police went about beating , harrasing and maiming members of the public much to the dismay of local rights groups ZimRights, Crisis In Zimbabwe Coalition, Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights among others .
Galivanting and paying international media lobbyists to cossy the images of the leadership in Harare will not extricate ourselves from this quagmire rather it is exacerbating an already perilous and calamitous situation.
Now we hear Mr President wants 2023 two years into his first term , three years to 2023 . What a joke !!!
