THE tragedy with the illegal sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe by the US and its Western allies is that there has been an an aggressive attempt by regime change forces to blame the ZANU PF Government for the adverse effects of this cruel measure. 

It is equally tragic that this misleading strategy has found some takers.

That is why we hail the decision by SADC to choose October 25 as a day dedicated to the unanimous cry by the regional bloc to urge the West to lift these illegal sanctions.

We believe this will bring greater awareness of the national evil these sanctions mean.

Outright lies, in a desperate bid to convince Zimbabweans that these illegal sanctions are meant to to punish selected individuals only, have been floated around.

Claims by the West that sanctions are meant to ensure that Zimbabwe respects the ‘rule of law’ and ‘human rights’ is all hypocritical gibberish meant to mislead the world.   

We should not be fooled by cliches such as ‘targeted’, ‘smart sanctions’, ‘restrictive measures’ or ‘travel bans’.  

All these are euphemisms for what former US Secretary of State for African Affairs Chester Crocker once said were measures to make the economy of Zimbabwe ‘scream’.

The purpose of  making the economy ‘scream’ was to make all Zimbabweans, especially the vulnerable, suffer. 

The suffering Zimbabweans were then expected to vent out their anger at the ruling ZANU PF and punish the revolutionary Party at the polls.

This has not happened, much to the chagrin of the West.

It is important that Zimbabweans realise that the cutting of all lines of credit by the US and the Bretton Woods institutions it controls has had a devastating effect on our industry.

Investors have shied away and failure to retool by companies with links to the US has seen firms close. 

The net effect of all this has been loss of jobs, not for ZANU PF bigwigs, but for ordinary people the illegal sanctions are purportedly meant to save.

The illegal sanctions have seen the country lose considerable donor support.

This has seen sectors which affect the livelihoods of ordinary people, like health, education, water and sanitation, infrastructure and agriculture, among others, receive a severe knock.

So many people have had nightmarish experiences when applying for visas, just because they come from a country the West has imposed illegal sanctions on.

These are only some of the areas ordinary Zimbabweans have been disadvantaged because of these evil sanctions meant to bring about regime change.

And yet the West and its pawns are quick to falsely claim that this is the result of ZANU PF misrule. 

Because sanctions create a difficult economic environment, this has also seen the emergence of a cancerous offshoot in the form of corruption.

This is one ill effect of sanctions which should never be tolerated.

Those involved in corruption are, in fact, actively assisting those imposing sanctions on us.

In the same breadth, we are also unreservedly against those who see no evil in sanctions, with some even prepared to stage a counter demonstration to thwart SADC protests.

How else would one view MDC Alliance’s proposed simultaneous protests.  

We believe that today’s SADC solidarity march against sanctions will go a long way in making people have a correct perspective about these illegal sanctions.