Prof. Jairos Kangira
At its 39th summit, held in Tanzania in 2019, the Southern African Development Community (SADC) designated 25 October every year as a day for SADC countries to stand by Zimbabwe, and call for the removal of the illegal sanctions imposed on this country for over two decades now.
In her statement at the SADC Anti-Sanctions Day public lecture, held at a local hotel in Windhoek last week, Zimbabwe ambassador to Namibia Melody Chaurura paid tribute to SADC countries for their decision to set aside a day annually as a reminder to the world that the sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe should be lifted unconditionally.
“The 25th of October 2023 marks the fifth time the SADC region will renew its call for the removal of all sanctions and other punitive measures imposed on Zimbabwe. Sanctions imposed without the endorsement of the United Nations violate the UN Charter and run entirely counter to the spirit and practice of multilateralism, which we all hold dearly,” said Chaurura.
The public lecture was held under the theme, ‘Harnessing the Youth for Accelerated Socio-Economic Development in the Fight against Sanctions’.
“The youth surely deserve a chance to thrive and shape a prosperous Zimbabwe – free from the constraints of these unjust economic sanctions,” she stressed.
Chaurura further noted that the SADC Anti-Sanctions Day assisted in amplifying various voices, calling for the removal of the sanctions – not only for the benefit of the nation, but also to ensure a brighter future for the youth.
Currently, the youth constitute 67.7% of Zimbabwe’s total population, and they have borne the biggest brunt of the sanctions.
“The rationale for the imposition of sanctions 23 years ago was primarily given as ‘concern for the rule of law and human rights violations, as well as concern at the overall state of governance in Zimbabwe’. It is clear, however, that the decision by Western governments to isolate Zimbabwe both diplomatically and economically was indeed triggered by the implementation of Zimbabwe’s Fast-Track Land Reform Programme in 2000.
The sanctions imposed by Britain and her allies were, thus, designed to punish the government and the people of Zimbabwe for the land reform programme that sought to redress the colonial imbalances and create economic opportunities for all Zimbabweans,” she stated.
Over the years, sanctions have adversely impacted Zimbabwe. Some of the negatives include the suspension of balance of payments’ support; ineligibility of access to finance support windows of institutions, such as the IMF and the World Bank; ZIDERA expressly directing the US representatives at all such institutions to oppose/vote against any request by Zimbabwe for such access and any form of debt relief or rescheduling; the suspension or complete cessation of direct bilateral development cooperation; negative impact on trade, investment and tourism flows; the interception and seizure of mineral export revenues; the sanctioning of critical agricultural and infrastructural developmental institutions; reduced access to international markets; the severe incapacitation of the banking sector, as well as disruption of diaspora remittances (via formal channels). In his address to the 78th Session of the United Nations General Assembly 2023, Dr Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa, president of the Republic of Zimbabwe, informed the world that “Zimbabwe has been under illegal, unilateral economic sanctions for 23 years. These sanctions were designed to subjugate the sovereign will of the Zimbabwean people”.
The government of Zimbabwe has continued to offer skills development programmes, targeted at the youth.
Several vocational training centres have been established to equip young people with practical skills and industry-specific knowledge in agriculture, information technology, hospitality and crafts to secure meaningful employment, create jobs and contribute to the country’s socio-economic development.
Ambassador Jerobeam Shaanika, Arthur Makarutse and Dr Cossam Makunganya also called for the unconditional lifting of the illegal sanctions in their presentations.
Scores of Zimbabweans living and working in Namibia, members of the diplomatic corps and members of the public attended the information-sharing public lecture on sanctions, the first of its kind in Namibia.
* Prof Jairos Kangira is a professor of English at the University of Namibia. – kjairos@gmail.com