By Eunice Masunungure

THE US is reluctant to relook into the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act (ZDERA) of 2001, an Act enacted to punish Zimbabwe following its Land Reform Programme of 2000. 

As has become the norm, Washington is not in a hurry to do away with the Executive Sanctions (Executive Order 3328 of 1 March 2003) and have been renewed annually ever-since.

There has been dragging of feet on the review ever since because the US has taken a position on Zimbabwe; a position of moving targets and shifting goal posts.

The US has tightened sanctions on Zimbabwe each turn.

In 2018, the US amended Section 4 (c) of ZDERA of 2001, which has come to be known as the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Amendment Act (ZDERAA) of 2018, to include withholding funding to Zimbabwe. 

“The US Government shall withhold funding for the African Development Fund equivalent to any funding provided to Zimbabwe through Pillar II for arrears clearance,” reads part of the amended Act.

The US Senate passed the ZDERA Bill on August 1 2001, while the House of Representatives passed it on December 4 2001. 

Former President George W. Bush signed it into law on December 21 of the same year.

While hiding behind the statement, “…to support the people of Zimbabwe in their struggle to effect peaceful, democratic change, achieve broad-based and equitable economic growth, and restore rule of law,” ZDERA barred Zimbabwe from participating in all programmes funded  by the World Bank,  International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the African Development Bank.

Zimbabwe’s access to international credit markets was blocked after the enactment of ZDERA. 

Under ZDERA, the Secretary of the Treasury gained rights to instruct the US executive director of each international financial institution to, ‘oppose and vote against’ any extension by the respective institution of any loan credit or guarantee to the Government of Zimbabwe and any cancellation or reduction of indebtedness owed by the Government of Zimbabwe to the US or any international financial institution.

ZDERA restricts the US from voting in support of new assistance to Zimbabwe from international financial institutions. 

This unfavourable development has worsened the country’s credit-worthiness as the country’s international financial risk profile escalated, leading to banks de-risking in Zimbabwe.

ZDERAA of 2018 also sought to control Zimbabwe’s election processes.

“An independent electoral management body is selected, the members of which should be nominated by all political parties represented in the Parliament of Zimbabwe, and permitted to entirely carry out the functions assigned to it in section 239 of Zimbabwe’s 2013 Constitution in an entirely independent manner,” it declared.

But for Uncle Sam, it does not matter whether Zimbabwe improved the pre-election environment to a degree consistent with accepted international standards for security and freedom of movement and association, or has revisited the land reform and demonstrated a commitment to an equitable, legal, and transparent Land Reform Programme. 

Since 2018, the Government has released two tranches towards compensating former white commercial farmers while the 2020 budget also caters for such, but the US turns a blind eye towards these developments.

The sanctions have been a general desire by Washington to effect regime change in Harare because they have since lost confidence in their being able to be free to do what they want in Zimbabwe after realising the ability of Zimbabwe to be assertive.

It is clear then that US sanctions are premised on Western colonial rigidity to take a position regarding Zimbabwe and not on Governmental moves — and it’s been one lame excuse after the other.

“We have sanctions against certain individuals and certain corporations… not against the country of Zimbabwe,” boasted US Ambassador to Zimbabwe Brian Nichols.

“There are only 141 Zimbabwean people and companies on the US sanctions’ list. 

That’s right, 141, in a country of 16 million. 

They are on the list for a good reason.”

Ambassador Nichols revealed that the US does not really want to come in the open and say that sanctions are not to be lifted any time soon.

The US has made itself clear on what the Government of Zimbabwe should do and has arrogated to itself the dubious powers to ‘formulate the assistance package going forward’, if one is to go by what mbassador Nichols’said.

The US Ambassador to Zimbabwe also stated that the prerequisite for the removal of the sanctions from Zimbabwe was anchored on implementation of reforms, which the Government has exactly been doing.

However, there has not been corresponding goodwill from Washington. 

Instead, the US has always been arguing Zimbabwe is not doing enough.

And most of the time on Twitter, Nichols sounds like the official leader of the opposition political parties in Zimbabwe; while Nelson Chamisa echoes the US’ sentiments at every opportunity he gets to speak.

The West’s conclusion on Zimbabwe is negative because even their Rand Corporation think-tank insinuated on the intention of the US ‘to push the Government (Zimbabwe) in a co-ordinated fashion to implement genuine political, economic and security reforms’.

Their so called ‘pushing the Government in a co-ordinated fashion for implementation of genuine political, economic, and security reforms’ has been manifesting in continual pressing of sanctions and funding sporadic demonstrations across the country. 

Combatively, ZDERA is a fall-back document to precondition dealings of Zimbabwe with the US but inclined towards benefitting the US because it allows the US to meddle in affairs of a sovereign state.

Ambassador Nichols, hands off Zimbabwe!