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Mr Heath Streak

Daniel Kachere Herald Reporter—
A lobby group called Zimbabweans Against Sanctions has urged Zimbabweans to unite in opposing illegal sanctions on the country. Former national cricket team captain Mr Heath Streak is the spokesperson for the group. At a media conference in Harare, Zimbabweans Against Sanctions chairman Mr Matthew Smith said sanctions affected every citizen.

“We are forming this lobby group to call for the total and unconditional lifting of all sanctions on Zimbabwe and on its citizens, including the leaders of our country,” he said.

“We are forming this lobby group because we believe that the sanctions imposed on our country by the US, the UK and the EU are gravely hurting our country economically, and consequently gravely hurting its people, including us white Zimbabweans.”

Mr Smith said their official launch would be on March 24, but they wanted to speak out much earlier.
“We are forming this lobby group because the truth about Zimbabwe needs to be heard and for that truth to be heard it needs to be told from our perspective, especially as white Zimbabweans on whose behalf these damaging sanctions were supposedly imposed,” he said.

Mr Smith said the sanctions were not targeted, but were a broad-based financial embargo in their nature and impact. He took a swipe at British Prime Minister David Cameron for threatening not to attend the EU-AU Summit in April because President Mugabe was invited.
Mr Smith said it was also wrong for United States President Barack Obama not to invite President Mugabe to attend the US-Africa Summit.

“If any of the sanctions are maintained, we will all lose; but if all the sanctions are unconditionally lifted, we will all win and a new progressive page will be turned among Zimbabweans and between them and the international community,” he said.

He called on the executive directors of the IMF, World Bank, and the International Bank of Reconstruction and Development to change their policies on the country as they were impeding the Zimbabwe Agenda for Sustainable Socio-Economic Transformation (Zim-Asset).

Mr Streak, via video link from South Africa, added: “Sanctions lifting means a brighter future for Zimbabweans future regardless of race, colour or creed. “Let us unify and join hands in this drive for the removal of sanctions by the West.”
Mr Gary Smith, the group’s director, said sanctions were like war and they hurt everyone.