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Mapozho Saruchera Correspondent

As the SADC Zimbabwe Anti-Sanctions Day approaches, the country’s detractors, both foreign and local, are in overdrive trying to defend and justify the punitive measures.

Some have gone to the extent of putting forward irresponsible arguments that embargoes are not to blame for the economic downturn being experienced in the country and that neither are they impacting investment.

Every Zimbabwean has good reason to take the fight against sanctions to the door steps of the United States (US), the United Kingdom (UK) and the European Union (EU), considering that the restrictions are hurting ordinary people.

To begin with, sanctions are affecting Zimbabwe’s economic growth.

This is so because the mere fact that the country has been under the punitive measures for over two decades has obviously damaged its image and led to capital flight.

Investors usually shun doing business in countries under prohibitions because of low expected returns to investment.

Capital flight has been known to impose a severe burden on poorer nations since the lack of investment impedes economic growth and leads to lower living standards — Zimbabwe has not been an exception.

Additionally, sanctions are curtailing the operations of some State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs), preventing them from making significant contributions to the economic and social development of Zimbabwe, as was the case in Ireland.

Research has shown that in addition to providing critical infrastructures, early Ireland SOEs played a key role in enhancing skills (including technical and managerial) and entrepreneurship.

Thus in short, the restrictions are impacting the necessary mechanisms for Zimbabwe’s economic growth.

Moreover, as Zimbabwe’s economy shrunk due to sanctions, the lives of local women became harsher. The job market contracted, prompting many local women to migrate in search of greener pastures.

This saw a number of them falling prey to human trafficking syndicates which are on record selling Zimbabwean women into prostitution, slavery or exploitation in countries as far as Kuwait.

Victims of human trafficking have been known to experience devastating psychological effects during and after their experience. Many survivors end up experiencing post-traumatic stress, difficulty in relationships, depression, and other severe forms of mental trauma.

In a nutshell, sanctions have destroyed the lives of countless Zimbabwean women.

The punitive measures led to an increase in the poverty gap, which can be described as the average shortfall of the total population from the poverty datum line.

In layman’s terms, sanctions-induced unemployment and created many poor Zimbabweans.

Those who were retrenched as companies folded due to the embargoes found themselves reduced to paupers over night as they were not equipped to deal with the adverse effects of the punitive measures.

Apart from severe financial hardship and poverty, other personal and social costs of unemployment include debt, homelessness, family tensions and breakdown, crime, and the atrophying of work skills, just to mention a few.

Another damaging effect which came about as a result of the sanctions-induced unemployment is income inequality.

This can be described as an extreme concentration of wealth or income in the hands of a small percentage of a population.

This impacted ordinary people more as some of the poor Zimbabweans were now in debt.

Debt can lead to a myriad of other problems such as stress, depression and in some serious cases, even suicide.

Some Zimbabweans who are in debt are finding it harder to reach their other financial goals as spending money on debt leaves them with less money for other priorities like saving for retirement or holidays.

Many may have to delay their educational goals or feel trapped in a job they do not like simply because they need to pay their bills.

Lastly, the ruinous illegal economic sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe by the US, the UK and the EU will have a negative impact on the cost of economic growth and reconstruction following their lifting.

Thus, even if the restrictions are to be lifted today, their 21 year stint has already set the southern African country more than half a century back in terms of development. Again, catching up with other countries is going to need a lot of money, which may not be readily available.

The most perceptive among us must be asking why the US, UK and EU maintain sanctions on Zimbabwe when they definitely know that ordinary people are bearing the brunt.

Well, the reason is quite simple; they are naively hopeful that the economic deterioration caused by sanctions will fuel a rebellion, leading to illegal regime change.

They are the enemy, not Zanu PF which is fighting for the total emancipation of locals.

They intend to see the land reform fail and ensure that the opposition, which they finance, gains power in Zimbabwe.

Sanctions are meant to safeguard their interests, not the benefits of Zimbabweans — the ultimate reason why every Zimbabwean should push for the unconditional removal of the illegal sanctions.