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Tendai Mugabe Senior Reporter

Zimbabwe has welcomed the move by the United Nations Secretary General António Guterres in calling for the lifting of sanctions on all countries in light of the Covid-19 outbreak.

Mr Guterres made the call in his letter to the G-20 member countries arguing that the move would allow the countries to access essential medical material required to fight the pandemic.

“I am encouraging the waiving of sanctions imposed on countries to ensure access to food, essential health supplies, and Covid-19 medical support. This is the time for solidarity not exclusion,” wrote Mr Guterres.

“Let us remember that we are only as strong as the weakest health system in our interconnected world.”

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres

Reacting to Mr Guterres’ remarks, Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Monica Mutsvangwa said: “This is a natural statement coming from the UN Secretary General and this is the right thing to do. Those powerful nations of this world who have imposed sanctions on Zimbabwe can at least take this.

“The United Nations itself has never endorsed those sanctions and that is why they are illegal. The UN is the only institution in the whole world that can only say this country is causing insecurity to other countries but in this particular case these sanctions are a way to strangle Zimbabwe. These are powerful countries that want to strangle Zimbabwe because they think they can have a regime change in Zimbabwe. They want our minerals. Zimbabwe is a rich country.”

Zanu PF director of information and publicity Tafadzwa Mugwadi said it was time for the West to reconsider its sanctions regime on Zimbabwe.

Cde Mugwadi

“This is a wake-up call to countries that have maintained hostility on our innocent nation, Zimbabwe to reconsider their approach, demonstrate soberness and realise that the world is facing a serious threat to humanity that can only be dealt with through global cohesion,” he said.

“Zanu PF is aware that its hostile enemies are desperately waiting to pounce on this deadly pandemic, which for them presents a golden opportunity to vilify the efforts of the Government and our President, Cde ED Mnangagwa. Those whose hopes of achieving a change of Government through nefarious conspiracies and plots of sanctions, which have threatened our health infrastructure must not take the people’s conscience for granted.

“As Zanu PF, we call upon the US and its allies to consider the UN Secretary General’s call for oneness, togetherness and unity of purpose in the fight against this pandemic.”

Political analyst Mr Richard Mahomva echoed the Government’s position saying: “The call by the UN Secretary General exposes the extent to which the international community is conscious of the effects of the sanctions on the economies of the global South and their livelihoods. Covid-19 also exposes the lack of infrastructure and capacity of the third world, Zimbabwe included, and thus showing that the traditional hegemony of the West must come to a halt for humanity’s sake.”