By Elizabeth Sitotombe

VIOLENCE, warfare and, most notably, religious influence were some of the numerous methods used to steal resources and capture slaves back in the day. 

Another would be to pit Africans against one another (political rivalry). 

Raise a group that would be deemed as superior and ensure they had all the means to go and conquer the other party; these would be awarded with weapons, alcohol, beads and textiles, among many other items.

The rest were put in bondage, debt bondage and pure slavery.

Now history has a way of repeating itself. 

Bellagio-Harvard Guidelines would define slavery, in its contemporary form, as controlling a person in such a way as to significantly deprive that person of his or her individual liberty, with the intent of exploitation through the use, management, purchase, sale, profit, transfer or disposal of that person.

Today;s slavery is still upon us in the post-independence era. 

Only it is couched in sophisticated words and justifications.

Sanctions are being used as a means of coercive diplomacy – a strategy by the West to subdue countries perceived as economically fertile. 

The targets of sanctions are “…to modify the behaviour of the sanctioned group. Weaken its position and reduce its capabilities thereby forcing them to conform to the demands of the sanctioning party….” 

It is a weapon of choice by the West on Zimbabwe. 

The whiteman has always been the rider while the blackman is the horse.

Today, those would-be slave drivers economically suppress and exploit Zimbabweans through sanctions, to ensure that they have no control over their nature, environment and conditions of their lives. 

The economic sanctions were imposed by the US and its Western allies following Zimbabwe’s decision to reclaim land from white farmers which contradicted the colonial discourse. 

The ZANUPF Government then became an undesirable entity.

But all the Land Reform Programme aimed for was to address colonial land imbalances and to put an end to white monopoly on farms. 

Only 4 000 white people owned prime land but the move saw 400 000 black households gain that same land.

But that is not all. 

Zimbabwe possesses vast and assorted natural resources that the West cannot help but drool over.

The objective has always been a commercial one. 

Their intention is to force regime change in-order to install puppet leaders who will allow them to squander our resources at will, while converting the people into modern day slaves. 

It is from whence the opposition was birthed.

Sanctions shape domestic political environments; they are used to assemble and bolster opposition groups by generating anti-regime sentiments among the population and by offering a signal of an international community’s implicit or explicit support for regime change.

This year’s SADC Anti-Sanctions Day will be held on October 25 2023, under the theme: ‘Harnessing the Youth for Accelerated Socio Economic Development in the Fight Against Sanctions’.

The theme recognises the resilience, courage and unflinching determination by youths in the fight against illegal economic sanctions. 

The youth in Zimbabwe have refused to be placed under the yoke of economic oppression.

More than US$42 billion has been lost in revenue over the years because of these illegally-imposed sanctions as all sectors of the economy were hit very hard.

Sanctions made it difficult for the Government to provide the most basic services such as education, healthcare and potable water for ordinary Zimbabweans.

They severely hindered the country’s economic growth, limited access to international financing and trade, and negatively affected the lives of ordinary Zimbabweans. 

Many Zimbabweans have been pauperised; their day-to-day lives stifled and paralysed by this unGodly attack on their economy.

But then there is another issue.

The chaos created by sanctions has spilled into neighbouring countries and become an annoyance as many Zimbabweans have been forced to migrate to other countries to earn a living. 

Everyone in the region unanimously agrees that sanctions are a form of punishment meant to turn Zimbabweans into economic slaves.

The SADC then designated October 25 Anti-Sanctions Day since 2019 to show solidarity with Zimbabwe. 

Zimbabwe has been under attack for decades now owing to the opposition’s contribution to this misadventure. 

These are the real enemies of the struggle.

What then, if our very own people are the authors of our pain? 

During a CCC meeting in Belvedere, Harare, last week, Taskforce leader Eric Murai instructed Councillors to abide by a 14-day boycott from council activities in protest of the on-going recalls. The City Council is dominated by the opposition.

These are the same people in charge of the water and sanitation infrastructure which has all but collapsed resulting in the outbreak of cholera and typhoid. 

They have been sleeping on duty; their incompetence is glaring. 

They have failed to avail potable water to residents, garbage heaps make up part of the communities as they have failed to collect on time.

Their decision to boycott council activities should be met with repercussions.

Furthermore, Councillors were instructed to recruit 50 youths each who will be called in for a brief on impending demonstrations. 

The brief for demonstrations was scheduled for Tuesday, October 17, in Belvedere. 

Takudzwa Ngadziore chaired the meeting.

The opposition will not push us back into being puppet slaves for the West, never again!

Despite the fact that the country is under illegal sanctions, the Second Republic has set the country’s economy on a recovery trajectory by implementing socio-economic developments and the youth have been roped in to be part of the drivers of this successful venture.  

It has become possible to achieve many things

And the youth have continued to heed President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s message that: ‘Nyika inovakwa nevene vayo/Ilizwe liyakwa ngabanikazi’.