By Saul Gwakuba-Ndlovu
THE US administration recently renewed sanctions on Zimbabwe, with President Donald Trump claiming the Zimbabwean Government posed what he termed “…an unusual and extraordinary threat to the United States foreign policy.”
That sounded a very, very strange reason, if we can give it that most undeserved verbal attire to lend it some spurious diplomatic respect.
In what way or by what stretch of normal human imagination does, or can, President Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa’s ZANU PF Government pose a ‘threat’, let alone “…an unusual and extraordinary…” one, to any aspect of the US Government policy?
Some governments in the southern African region, such as SA, Botswana, Mozambique and Tanzania, have publicly called for the abandonment of those sanctions because, they all explained, they are not justified nor were they based on an internationally acceptable diplomatic process for their passage.
It is virtually always ill-advised for a government of one sovereign state to be involved in the internal affairs of another sovereign state.
An independent country’s elections are a very important internal affair.
The US Government diplomatically errs by openly aligning itself with opposition parties on various continents: Africa, Asia, and South America and even in Europe. It should leave national party politics and elections to nationals of the countries concerned.
As far as opposition parties in independent counties are concerned, active foreign support should really be no more than moral.
If it crosses that line and becomes financial and material in its actual content, it is bound to break some of the laws of the countries concerned.
Can you imagine how loudly and angrily the US Government would shout and complain if one of the communist countries were to pour millions of dollars into that (US) country in support of a US communist or even socialist party?
During the anti-colonial (liberation) struggle, it was internationally lawful for sovereign independent states to give money, food, clothing, means of transport, medicines and whatever else to freedom fighters because colonialism is a crime against humanity, and had been declared so by the whole world under the auspices of the UN.
Zimbabwe (Southern Rhodesia) was officially declared a British colony by the UN in 1962 as a result of Joshua Nkomo’s research and campaign there (UN) since 1960.
Zimbabwe became an independent nation on April 18 1980 and, since then, its elections are an internal affair over which it has full, unfettered legislative and administrative authority no less that the US has over its own.
It is too recent for us to have forgotten about US allegations about Russian subversive activities during the Donald Trump presidential elections.
For Zimbabwe to enjoy normal diplomatic relations with the US, mutual respect of each country’s interests must prevail between the two nations.
Mutual respect is based on the existence of the truth being the basis of their relations.
We cannot say that to be the case at the moment.
We can state without any hesitation, however, that as far as the recently renewed sanctions are concerned, they were introduced on the basis of ‘…an unusual and extraordinary…’ lie by the US that “…Zimbabwe poses an unusual and extraordinary threat…” to its foreign policy.
Matters of such international importance as this one are always handled with diplomatic openness, hence Washington’s public announcement of the renewal of the unwarranted sanctions.
Upholding the very same diplomatic norm and practice, the relevant Zimbabwe Government ministry would be very well advised to ask the US Government to publish what exactly it is that Harare has either done, or is doing, or is planning to do, or is likely to do, that would “…pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the United States foreign policy.”
Should there be no suitable and quick response from the US, surely Zimbabwe can, and should, raise this matter at a number of international fora such as the AU, SADC and wherever else it can be heard.
This sanctions issue has been on the lips of many Zimbabwean Government officials for some years now and is also given as one of the causes of Zimbabwe economic deterioration.
We should, therefore, as a revolutionary nation, take it head-on and not leave the nation at the mercy of the architects and imposers of these utterly indefensible punitive measures.
It has been said in some diplomatic circles that one of the reasons the US imposed sanctions on Zimbabwe is the country’s land repossession policy introduced in 2000.
We must, all of us Zimbabweans, say without any hesitation that our country belongs to us just as England belongs to the English, Scotland to the Scottish and Germany to the Germans.
We took up arms to repossess Zimbabwe and surely, about that, there should be no doubt.
We are talking here about the ownership of the land of Zimbabwe, and about its productive use which is an economic aspect which can, and should be, discussed only after the ownership aspect has been decided, as it has been.
It is one thing to talk about repossessing our land, and an utterly different thing to criticise the people of Zimbabwe for failing to utilise it optimally.
If any country has imposed sanctions on Zimbabwe because we have repossessed our own land, Zimbabwe should impose its own sanctions on that country instead of continuously begging it to feel for us.
We should stand up and defend our national rights and not be apologetic for our existence.
Saul Gwakuba-Ndlovu is a retired, Bulawayo-based journalist. He can be contacted on cell
0734 328 136 or through email: sgwakuba@gmail.com
