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Herald Reporter

Zimbabweans should remain united and peaceful and ignore calls to destabilise the country that are being made by some citizens that have fled justice, President Mnangagwa said yesterday while commissioning a 32,2km dualised stretch of the Harare-Masvingo-Beitbridge highway.

The President said peace was a key ingredient to national prosperity, fruits of which are already being seen in extensive infrastructure development across the country, most of which under the devolution concept.

“All this will be achieved under an environment of peace, tranquillity, stability and love. That is the basis that provides development in a country.

“We must remain united, we must ignore the ramblings of the fugitives who ran away from this country and focus on developing our country for the benefit of our people,” said President Mnangagwa.

His call comes on the back of spirited calls for violence mainly by some Zimbabweans living in South Africa, such as former ministers Saviour Kasukuwere, Walter Mzembi and Patrick Zhuwao.

Professor Jonathan Moyo, who is understood to be based in Kenya where his wife comes from, is also one of the fugitives calling for violent protests in Zimbabwe.

Opposition parties and civil society organisations, which are backed morally and financially by Western embassies, principally the United States, have also upped calls for violent demonstrations in Zimbabwe.

This is despite the fact that Zimbabweans are generally peace-loving citizens, who resoundingly ignored the July 31 demonstrations.

The US has since added Sakunda Holdings and its CEO, Mr Kuda Tagwirei, to the sanctions list in the vain hope of causing fuel supply disruptions, and potentially stoke violent protests.

A number of top US officials, including Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Mr Tibor Nagy, have recently openly supported violent uprisings in Zimbabwe, aimed at overthrowing Zanu PF and President Mnangagwa.

Political analyst Mr Obert Gutu told The Herald that sanctions have, of late, been used as a lethal tool for effecting regime change in countries whose leaders are disliked by big Western powers.

“The underlying reason for sanctioning both Kuda Tagwirei and Sakunda Holdings is meant to deliver a chilling message to President Mnangagwa and the Zanu PF Government that he leads, that we are coming for you,” he said.

“Essentially, this is a war cry. It’s a declaration that mighty is right. Whilst I have got absolutely no mandate to speak for and on behalf of Kuda Tagwirei and Sakunda Holdings, it is crystal clear that the real reason for imposing sanctions on these two persons is to spite the Government of Zimbabwe for the perceived friendship between Kuda Tagwirei and powerful politicians in Zimbabwe.

“Tagwirei and Sakunda Holdings are just being used as collateral damage. The real intention is to make Zimbabwe’s economy scream and in the process, foment civil unrest that will ultimately lead to a popular uprising against the Zanu PF Government.”

Mr Gutu said powerful Western countries know that if they cripple Zimbabwe’s fuel supply lines, the whole economy will literally scream.

He said the same strategy was tried in Venezuela but it “hopelessly backfired” both under the late President Hugo Chavez and the current President Nicolas Maduro.

“This is the use of both hard and soft power in order to cause socio-economic mayhem in Zimbabwe. Powerful forces are at play and big money has been unleashed to launch an unprecedented global mainstream and social media onslaught against the Government of Zimbabwe.

“The stakes are extremely high. It’s a do or die mission. Be that as it may, the Government of Zimbabwe should continue with its re-engagement policy with all Western countries, including the United States.

“The world spotlight, through the unrelenting usage of powerful mainstream global media and huge funding of social media activists, is now on Zimbabwe. The idea is to portray Zimbabwe as a rogue and pariah State in which the Government must be toppled,” said Mr Gutu.