Illegal sanctions in Zim: We must get down to the nitty gritty

By Tafadzwa Katsande and Tinofara Sagandira

THE phrase, “illegal sanctions” has been deemed relevant and mostly appropriate after critically examining the implications that have been induced, amongst them being a host of trading constrains to the nation of Zimbabwe and has affected its relations with nations beyond borders.

Taking a closer look at the interconnectedness of the world, the United States sanctions on Zimbabwe is a declaration of long-life supercilious relations and they have plunged chaos in the nation, on the region, societies and in the world which we live in.

This has seen Zimbabweans, with one accord, and the SADC region as well joining in solidarity for the unconditional removal of these illegal sanctions as they have thwarted businesses internationally and has halted the country’s extension of its domestic policies as businesses have become isolated and poor diplomatic engagement on bilateral and multilateral levels.

It is justifiable to unconditionally eliminate this unnecessary evil and let Zimbabweans re-shape their destinies as a people adorned with skills and will power.

The imposition of sanctions on Zimbabwe is nothing more than just a way of sustaining the colonial matrix of power in the 21st century in the form of neo-colonialism which denotes a further development of capitalism by means of indirect rule.

For instance, the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act (ZIDERA) amendment bill specifically notes the land reform issues, stating that, there be payment of repossessed farms to white farmers.

This entails the most absurd pursuit which can only be counteracted by the denunciation of these sanctions imposed by the west on Zimbabwe as a way of punishment for reclaiming what was ours.

Yet the land reform was meant to address colonial land iniquities, it attracted coercive and illegal restrictions thus they are by all means unjustified.

Be informed, “For a colonial people, the most essential value, because the most concrete, is first and foremost the land: the land which will bring them bread and, above all, dignity”.

Equally, if the U. S. A would allow foreign powers like Zimbabwe to decide upon how they should handle their internal affairs for example the perpetrators and victims of slavery which left a watermark with grave effects that continue to manifest today , only then is Zimbabwe going to reciprocate in accepting their interference in the country’s concerns or else they are just ‘mere intruders’.

Moving on, the most important issue at glare should be apprehended from the conception that sanctions are working in favour of the opposition in Zimbabwe considering how the amended bill is inclusive of the requests and presentations at the Capitol Hill following a visit by the opposition leaders and this painted a different picture in the eyes of the natives that its essence is to channel elections results in a particular direction anticipated by the opposition.

From such an analysis, one is lured to the conclusion that there is more to the unilateral imposition of sanction than just the land reform program but rather that sanctions should be employed until after the upcoming presidential elections thus being futile. Is this a way of upholding democracy?

The amended bill was compiled with imperialist undertones, babbling about the Zimbabwean government having to account for diamond revenues going back to a period of eighteen years ago, this is the highest level of overlapping as they are infringing the country’s internal affairs, managing the economic issues of a sovereign.

If anything, this petition is a case that should rest upon the local people (Zimbabweans), to decide upon not an external force peeping into businesses that does not concern it.

In International Relations, states are bound with the principle of international law which states that, one sovereign power cannot exercise jurisdiction over another sovereign power, (par in parem non habet imperium), however in this case, the US is acting otherwise, and no one bets an eye lid.

Election management concerns as purported by ZIDERA is an eyebrow-raising issue which the government needs to look at from a dispassionate and objective angle so as to avoid the escalating risk of violence in the country as the 2023 presidential elections are closer than yesterday.

It is pathetic to note how this act is shamelessly determining our lives as a nation before our active participation in the developmental processes of our country through casting our votes to the deserving and competent candidate and as it stands, this is proof that the people who drafted this amendment bill are literally idealizing the reality embedded within the interaction of issues in Zimbabwe and politics.

Critically getting to the core of these undesired sanctions and the politics of Zimbabwe, it is convincing to argue that the West are trying to portray the ruling party as a failure in the eyes of the masses with their ripple effects on the economy, hindering progress and transparently depicting an ideology of regime change and puppet leadership to take over, therefore the illegal sanctions are extremely becoming unpopular due to such an unwarranted interference in the domestic affairs of a sovereign country.

In order to elicit the desired results for the upcoming elections, the opposition party should consider the Zimbabwean doctrine and law on free, fair and credible elections as it might be a noble idea in which it needs to cling on to so as to achieve.

However, getting the Americans to do it on their behalf undermines our very own Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) and this ceases to uphold the principles of patriotism but rather illustrates a lack of political maturity of the opposition party because there is not a time where they have been invited in the US to observe their electoral processes.

Additionally, such a move is one that is dump and gets the masses to question the opposition’s agenda and its nothing less than a penchant for public nuisance and fuelling of the ruling party’s social base through the anti-sanctions campaign as the region has joined in the participation.

Furthermore, all these thoughtless strategies will not work as sanctioned by the west because, these are matters for Zimbabwean people hence they have entitlement to the decisions that best resonate with them as a nation and should be the sole preserves of their own.

This bill has for a long time demanded a handful of issues and it is the government of Zimbabwe that has an obligation to safeguard human rights and make sure that they are by no means sabotaged or threatened by any forces, external or sometimes internal traitors.

The illegal sanctions are meant to cripple the economy of Zimbabwe since the terms of the bill are harsh and beyond reasonable measures and instead of encouraging change through constructive tools they are extremely provocative and lack remorse.

Therefore the anti-sanctions campaign marks the beginning of a Zimbabwe that is clothed with self-rule and during the 2022 national annual people’s conference running under the theme, “Enhancing Zimbabwe’s resilience through economic development and engagement and re-engagement”, His Excellency President Mnangagwa further cemented the need to totally nullify the illegal sanctions adding that they are an impediment to development in the country.

*Tafadzwa Katsande and Tinofara Sagandira are junior researchers in the International Relations Unit at Africa University.
They write in their own capacity*