AS President Emmerson Mnangagwa took office in November 2017, there were visible signs that it would be a long shot to mend Zimbabwe’s seemingly irreparable relations with the West, given the eternally arrogant conduct of the latter.

The US, true to form, immediately made their mark, hiding behind their list of never-ending demands, while Britain, probably Zimbabwe’s closest contact and a potential ally in the building of the new Zimbabwe teetered on, looking on pretentiously uninterested but with glee.

And in the fullness of time, the full cycle was always going to be reached.

Last week, the two Western powerhouses, and shameless sponsors of the illegal economic sanctions, once again came knocking on the Zimbabwean door, armed with their usual wretched demands.

The two nations want Zimbabwe to speed up what they say are reforms yet a closer look will show that Harare has already walked that road.

Thirty-nine years after Zimbabwe became a free nation, the two seem to have failed to come to terms with the fact that a resource endowed African country can become truly free in the absence of war and conflict.

They seem to have failed to grasp the fact that a tiny African country can resist all shocks emanating from sanctions and their interference and be able to produce world class farmers and miners. 

Yet a template of resistance and endurance is right before their eyes, which template should have, by now, given them an understanding that Zimbabwe is not about to be shaken by their sanctions.

This is so, especially when it comes to their favourite mantra — reforms!

The US and Britain cannot lecture Harare, let alone anyone on reforms because they are legendary failures in that regard.

If anything, the only reform Zimbabwe was supposed to embark on, which has been achieved, is giving ownership and control of the means of production to its rightful owners.

Zimbabweans took up arms so they could give land to its rightful owners.

The war was waged so that the majority could be in charge of their destiny — and that is the case right now.

Those gallant sons and daughters whose exploits we celebrate next week did not go to war to please the US and Britain; they did so in order to give meaning to the lives of the majority.

We take exception when Britain tells us to ‘reform’ when that charity is alien in their home.

We take exception when the US continues to poke us in the eye through their continued extension of the sanctions against the country.

It has never been a secret that former President Robert Mugabe was their problem; we are truly aware that they are agitating for the removal of ZANU PF in its entirety from power.

Those, both in ZANU PF and outside, who do not subscribe to the above notion must take heed for the winds of increased aggression are gathering from all corners.

ZANU PF must be steadfast because a storm is brewing.

The West simply do not care about re-engagement, they want to occupy this country; to once again make it their fiefdom.

We should all be on the lookout, for it is coming.

Let us hear President Mnangagwa’s speech during the ninth edition of the National Environment Cleaning Day at Ashbrittle Shopping Centre on Friday last week:

“We want a better future, we want the next generation to live a better life than ourselves and to do so the current generation, united as a country, as a people, we put our heads together and shoulders on the wheel to develop, to modernise, to industrialise our country.

We can do that and achieve that on our own, depending on our resources but alas, the pace at which we develop would be very slow. That’s why we have said ‘Zimbabwe is open for business’ in order to attract foreign direct investment (FDI) into the country and assist us to develop the various sectors of the economy — agriculture, mining, tourism, manufacturing, infrastructure development and ICTs. 

But when FDI comes into the country, it must come at the dictates of ourselves; no political ties, no conditions. The conditions should only be those which we want and this can only be achieved if we remain united, when we remain peaceful, when each one of us strives to do one’s best in whatever they are doing.

In 2017 came in the new Government under the new dispensation and we said we are embarking on an engagement and re-engagement programme with the international community. 

We said we want Zimbabwe to join the family of nations. (We said to) those who were not engaged with this country, ‘can we engage?’

We do not want to live in the past. The past can only be a lesson for us for the future so that we can avoid the bad things that have happened in the past.

We have challenges and we must not avoid them but deal with them head-on. In that process, we will go through hard times until we surmount those challenges.”

Zimbabwe is a sovereign country that will not be dictated to by anyone.

Let those with ears listen.