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Ivan Zhakata

Herald Correspondent

People have criticised the effects of economic sanctions imposed by the US and Britain and their allies on Zimbabwe as a result of land reform saying the country could have achieved more without them.

Zimbabweans under the umbrella Citizens Against Economic Sanctions (CAES) said the sanctions were not only affecting the country’s growth but their everyday lives.

Speaking in Harare, CAES executive director Mr Martin Zharare said Zimbabwe could have achieved a lot more but the sanctions were hindering the progress. 

“Our country has been under these sanctions for a long time now and we have never been given a chance to rule ourselves unhindered by the saboteurs,” he said.

“Our organisation’s mandate and mission is to educate the people of Zimbabwe wherever they are in the 10 provinces so that they can understand better the real issues at the center of the sanctions saga and to debunk the misinformation that is being peddled by the sanction imposers and their puppets here in Zimbabwe that these sanctions were imposed because of human rights abuses by our Government and other smoke screen reasons.

“These sanctions are being used as a continuation of war on our country and have to be fought collectively by all of us. 

“How can the Americans and the British suddenly start to be very much concerned about our human rights just after we repossessed our land, the very people who abused our right to existence since the 1890s till we went to war to liberate ourselves with the gun so that you and me can enjoy our human rights?”

Mr Zharare said people were being bombarded with misinformation by unpatriotic citizens and voluntary organisations masquerading as human rights defenders.

“As patriotic citizens of this country we are demanding that these sanctions be unconditionally removed and our country that is endowed with fertile lands, untapped mineral resources, abundant deposits of natural gases and oil reserves be left alone to chart its economic trajectory.

 “We are very grateful as an organization to President Mnangagwa’s clarion call to the international community to have these sanctions removed and we are very pleased with his engagement and re-engagement drive which is bearing fruit,” he said.

Sheikh Ishmail Duwa from the Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs in Zimbabwe said sanctions affect ordinary citizens of the country.

“We are saying no to the sanctions. The reason is that sanctions kill. They affect ordinary people. It is stated in the Koran that if you kill one person, you have killed the whole nation, if you save one life, you have saved the whole nation.

“Citizens Against Sanctions have a good cause of saving the lives of the people and also supporting our Government. 

“Sanctions are a cancer; they affect an ordinary person. Those who are supporting, I appeal to our own people in Zimbabwe who are supporting those who enforced the sanctions that they realise they are killing people,” he said.