Whites add voice to anti-sanctions lobby

voice to the anti-sanctions lobby by appending their signatures to the petition against the imposition of illegal sanctions by some western countries.
A good number of them including, miners, farmers, professionals and businessmen were seen at St Christopher Primary School on Saturday where scores of people from all the province’s seven districts gathered to show their displeasure over the illegal embargo.
Women’s Affairs, Gender and Community Development minister Dr Olivia Muchena led the proceedings and as usual the MDC was conspicuous by its absence.
In separate interviews, they said sanctions were not targeted, but affecting everyone across the country and the Government’s economic recovery programmes.
“These sanctions must be removed as soon as yesterday, they are strongly affecting our businesses.
“You will realise that it’s difficult to access loans from banks to procure inputs and we also need to import some of these implements,” said Mr Patrick Middleton a dairy farmer from Esigodini.
“Business was very sound around here before the country was slapped with sanctions and if they are not removed any meaningful efforts to revive the economy will be met with challenges.
“I am calling on all concerned Zimbabweans to come out in their numbers and support the anti-sanctions campaign.”
Mr Middleton said farmers and businesspeople were concerned over the issue because their businesses were slowly crumbling.
“We need money and there is no way we can succeed under these conditions.
“We are calling on the western governments to reconsider their decision which has led to suffering among most Zimbabweans,” he said.
Another dairy farmer from Esigodini identified as Ms Tinky said the banking systems were crippled and there was no access to money to support the agro-based economy in the province and the country as a whole.
A representative of resettled farmers in Matabeleland South, Mr Iaya Moyo said the illegal sanctions imposed by the European Union, US and its western allies had rendered them poor since they could not access capital to finance their projects.
“These sanctions must go if we are to make any meaningful progress towards economic recovery.
“This is the work of the economic saboteurs who are against our land reform programme. These conditions have led to the closure of many businesses in the country,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Anti-Sanctions Petition Campaign has gone international.
One Zimbabwean working in Dallas, United States of America resident Thomson Mabvundwe who lives in Dallas has decided to take over the campaign from the Diaspora.
Mr Mabvundwe hopes to launch his campaigns in three continents and four countries within 48 hours.
“I hope to do the first campaign at Dallas’ Fort Worth Airport on the March 29 en-route to Gatwick Airport.
“Once I get into London, I have ten-hour lay-off and hope to continue with the demonstration.
“My next lay-off will be OR Tambo International Airport the next day for three hours and I hope to continue with the same plan before I land in Harare in the afternoon of the 31st,” he said.
Mabvudzwe, an ordinary worker in Dallas says he will wear T-shirts with President Mugabe’s face during the journey.
The Zimbabwean flag, he said, will become the emblem of the message that the sanctions are affecting ordinary people not the “targeted” Zanu-PF leaders.
Mabvundwe is collecting signatures of Zimbabweans in the Diaspora that would be added to the petition.
“We hope to collect about a hundred signatures in Texas and hope to spread the campaign to other states and hopefully countries like Canada and Australia,” he said.
Speaking during the launch of the petition in Gweru, in the Midlands Province, Mr Douglas Kanengoni said continued imposition of the sanctions would undermine efforts to resuscitate the economy.
“In business terms sanctions have caused massive de-industrialisation, capital flight and brain drain.
“The general socio-economic environment has deteriorated and this has negative impact on business people.
“We no longer have access to lines of credit from international institutions thus re-capitalisation is impossible.
“It is against this background that we join other voices in denouncing the illegal sanctions.”
He said the sanctions have eroded investor confidence.
“Most banks are holding onto their money and those headquartered in Europe tend to follow the directives of their masters not to release money to us.
“This is clear evidence that the sanctions are wholesale and not targeted as the British say,” he said.
Mr Farai Chidowe, a farmer at Romac said every industry depends on agriculture.
“Production costs for farmers have conti- nued escalating owing to the high cost of inputs.
“To manufacture fertilizer you have to import raw materials and chemicals but it is impossible because of sanctions.”
He said without the lines of credit farming activities would collapse.
“Farmers are failing to fully utilise the land because conditions of operation are not favou-rable,” he said.

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