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Joseph Madzimure and Trust Freddy

ZIMBABWEANS from all walks of life have described the sanctions imposed on the country by the West as a weapon of mass destruction, which has destroyed critical industrial infrastructure and led to the closure of companies that used to employ thousands of people.

Led by the United States, large parts of the Western world imposed illegal sanctions on Zimbabwe from the year 2001, with a view to crippling the economy and causing an uprising against the ruling Zanu PF.

The sanctions have affected the economy badly, with most companies either downsizing or closing shop altogether due to challenges with accessing raw materials, spare parts for plant and machinery and affordable lines of credit to boost their operations.

Some firms have had their payments for raw materials flagged and blocked because Zimbabwe is under sanctions.

A respected lawyer, Advocate Obert Gutu, said the illegal sanctions continue to cause untold suffering to millions of ordinary Zimbabweans.

“These sanctions have literally decimated the country’s industrial infrastructure leading to the closure of many companies that used to employ thousands of people.

“These punitive measures have been in existence for more than two decades and they continue to bleed Zimbabwe’s economy,” said Adv Gutu.

Studies have shown that the punitive and coercive measures have cost the national economy over US$40 billion since they were imposed in 2001.

The sanctions must be immediately and unconditionally removed, said Adv Gutu.

The SADC bloc, the African Union and many progressive nations have called for the lifting of the illegal sanctions to allow Zimbabwe to grow its economy.

Adv Gutu said the sanctions came as a tool to effect regime change in Zimbabwe, but the project to illegally remove the ruling Zanu PF from power has dismally failed.

“All patriotic Zimbabweans are speaking with one voice. They want these illegal sanctions to go,” he said.

A human rights defender, Ms Linda Masarira, said women were the most affected by the sanctions, hence the need for their removal to restore their dignity.

“Women are over-represented in sectors that sanctions affected most such as textiles, which further increases their vulnerability.

“Economic desolation has pushed women into the informal labour market and contributed to higher rates of female prostitution and human trafficking,” said Ms Masarira.

Due to sanctions and funding shortfalls, she said, women continue to lack access to emergency reproductive kits to assist with life-threatening complications during pregnancy.

MDC-T spokesperson, Mr Lloyd Damba, said sanctions were not targeted at the national leadership alone, but are intended to hurt the common man in the village and urban areas.

“As MDC-T we are advocating for the immediate removal of those sanctions,” said Mr Damba.

He said some financial institutions such as CBZ Bank and ZB, were hit by the sanctions resulting in the shutting some of their branches, throwing hundreds of workers onto the streets.

“I know of certain Zimbabweans in Diaspora who are not allowed to open bank accounts in those countries because Zimbabwe is under sanctions,” he said.

A third year student at the University of Zimbabwe, Justice Mfiri, said sanctions have caused untold suffering among students.

“Our parents are struggling to pay our tuition fees, causing an increase in the number of school dropouts,” he said.

Mfiri said the call by African leaders for the immediate removal of sanctions on Zimbabwe was encouraging.

“It actually tells a story of how Africa is now going towards a common goal to say ‘we should co-exist as a continent and when one is suffering from certain injustices it actually has a collateral damage’,” he said.

Another University of Zimbabwe student Talent Muranda said students at tertiary institutions now struggle to get industrial attachment since companies have been affected by sanctions.

“The few industries that are working cannot accommodate all students. We call for the unconditional removal of sanctions,” she said.

Epworth legislator, Cde Zalera Makari, said sanctions were forcing people to engage in criminal activities and drug abuse.

“The sanctions are suffocating Government operations, hence they should be removed unconditionally,” she said.

The sanctions came as a direct response to the country’s Land Reform Programme, which saw the few white former commercial farmers losing their land.

In December 2001, the US Congress passed the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act (ZDERA), which among other things, blocked Harare from accessing international lines of credit, crippling the manufacturing sector.