By Evans Mushawevato and Elizabeth Sitotombe
WHEN it was all over, one could not help but look at the calendar.
It was indeed March 6 and not April 1!
This was no April Fool’s Day prank; it was as real as they come, warts and all, no velvet glove to conceal the iron fist.
The whole presser on sanctions review by the US charge d’affaires, Laurence Socha, lasted less than 10 minutes! Yes, that’s right — less than 10 minutes.
But it was, as playwright William Shakespeare so aptly put it, a lot of thunder and lightning, but alas no rain!
It was a litany of accusations against the head of a sovereign State and other individuals without any shred of evidence; a blatant attack on the people of Zimbabwe nicely veiled and couched in hollow platitudes.
And a horrendous violation of Zimbabwe’s first citizen’s human rights by Uncle Sam.
Lest we are lost in the diplomatic jargon, illegal sanctions against a leader of a country are sanctions against the nation.
And those illegal sanctions, by any other name, still stink to kingdom come.
As long as the Head of State is under sanctions, Zimbabwe as a country remains under sanctions.
The US claimed it is easing sanctions on Zimbabwe but would keep President Emmerson Mnangagwa and First Lady under sanctions.
These are the same sanctions the West has always denied existed.
Central to Zimbabwe’s resilience is its unwavering defence of its sovereignty. Zimbabwe has consistently affirmed its right to self-determination and independence, rejecting external interference in its internal affairs.
And this steadfast defence of sovereignty is not merely a matter of principle, but a practical necessity for safeguarding the nation’s interests and preserving its hard-won independence and development trajectory.
And Uncle Sam is not happy about it.
After painting a bleak picture of Zimbabwe, the US is now saying they are not sanctioning Zimbabwe but only its President (who also happens to be the first citizen of the country) otherwise ‘we love and are ok with every other Zimbabwean’.
Zimbabweans note that the US is not sanctioning a private entity, but the representative of a sovereign Republic of Zimbabwe. The motive is clear, the West unashamedly continues to seek to illegally topple the Government of Zimbabwe.
For that reason, every other Zimbabwean will be made to suffer.
The Joseph Biden administration and other administrations before that have always expressed their commitment to upholding human rights, but will not hesitate to trample on the same if it does not further US interests. Their foreign campaigns stand testimony to this; a case in point being the Russia-Ukraine war, now overshadowed by the massacre of Palestinians by Israel.
Now, for the same criminals to haughtily impose sanctions on a Head of State, citing human rights abuses that they have no evidence of is rather hypocritical of the US. They claim they are sanctioning His Excellency and the First Lady for their “. . . involvement in corruption and serious human rights abuses”.
But the opposite is the truth.
The Second Republic’s pursuit of sustainable development has underscored its determination to build a prosperous future for its citizens.
Despite facing illegal sanctions and external pressures from the US and its allies, the new dispensation has implemented various initiatives aimed at fostering economic growth, improving infrastructure and enhancing social welfare.
From investing in education and healthcare to promoting agriculture and industry, Zimbabwe has demonstrated its commitment to addressing the needs of its people and advancing their well-being under difficulties and spanners thrown by the US through the illegal sanctions they continue to maintain.
In the face of adversity, Zimbabwe and President Mnangagwa have shown remarkable resilience and adaptability.
What has made President Mnangagwa a muleta or the red cape attracting the fury of the bull, Uncle Sam, is that, rather than allowing external challenges to derail its development agenda, Zimbabwe has sought innovative solutions and forged partnerships with like-minded nations and organisations. Through regional co-operation and international engagement, Zimbabwe has sought to overcome the limitations imposed by sanctions and embark on a path of steady recovery.
The US claims they are sanctioning President Mnangagwa and the First Lady for their “. . . involvement in corruption and serious human rights abuses”.
Speaking at a press conference in Harare, Socha accused the Zimbabwe Government of ‘human-rights abuses’: “We continue to have concerns regarding serious cases of corruption and human rights abuse in Zimbabwe. Multiple cases of abductions, physical abuse, and unlawful killing have left citizens living in fear.”
This begs the question: Which abductions, what unlawful killing!
The US is basing its sanctions on statements by civil society groups and human rights activists whose main aim is to create lies in pursuit of donor funds.
The US is not stupid, neither are we.
It knows what the results of such baseless accusations are.
Accusing someone of human rights abuses or significant corruption without providing a shred of evidence not only undermines the principles of justice and fairness, but also has serious consequences for the individual being accused and society at large. The US knows this.
Uncle Sam knows that allegations of such grave offences can tarnish reputations, damage careers and erode public trust in institutions.
In a fair world of equals and no ‘big brothers’, it is essential that accusations of human rights abuses or corruption are supported by credible evidence before they are levied against anyone.
But Uncle Sam fed dossiers from some errant civic organisations sprints to condemn a whole Head of State on hearsay and speculation.
It’s a pity that desperate Uncle Sam, who has too many problems of his own, has been reduced to baseless slander and perpetuating injustice.
Uncle Sam knows but does not care that baseless accusations of human rights abuses or corruption undermine efforts to combat these serious crimes effectively.
By diverting attention and resources away from genuine cases, false allegations hinder the pursuit of justice and accountability. They also weaken public trust in institutions responsible for investigating and prosecuting such offences, undermining their legitimacy and effectiveness.
Again Uncle Sam does not care, all he wants is chaos in Zimbabwe.
The US deliberately chooses to ignore their blue-eyed boy Nelson Chamisa’s shortcomings that led to his dismal performance in the polls and pin the blame for failure of the opposition on people like President Mnangagwa.
The implosion within the Citizens’ Coalition for Change (CCC) stems directly from Chamisa’s inept leadership, leaving him with no-one to blame but himself.
It is clear that Chamisa’s reluctance to establish robust organisational structures within the party resulted in a vacuum of leadership and accountability.
Instead of fostering inclusivity and transparency, he opted to centralise power, running the party predominantly from his own pocket, so to speak, without bona fide institutional frameworks.
Furthermore, Chamisa’s tendency to appoint cronies to positions of influence within the party exacerbated internal divisions and eroded trust among party members.
And by prioritising loyalty over competence and meritocracy, he undermined the credibility of the party leadership and alienated potential allies like the influential Tendai Biti.
The lack of clear structures and the concentration of power in Chamisa’s hands created an environment ripe for internal strife and dissent. Without mechanisms for dialogue, consensus-building and conflict resolution, disagreements escalated, leading to the eventual implosion of the party.
Chamisa’s failure to heed warnings and address systemic weaknesses within the CCC ultimately contributed to its failure to wrest power from ZANU PF.
The US should be expending its energies and spending money encouraging people like Chamisa to learn from their experience and teaching him that effective leadership requires more than charisma; it demands a commitment to democratic principles, accountability and institutional integrity.
So, according to Socha, the US President, Joe Biden, scrapped the sanctions programme that the US criminally imposed on the country since 2003 called Executive Orders.
However, in its place came the Magnitsky Sanctions, where 11 individuals and three companies are the targets. These include President Mnangagwa and the First Lady.
The First Lady stands accused of ‘facilitating her husband’s corrupt activities’. Also on the list of sanctioned people are VP Constantino Chiwenga, Defence Minister Oppah Muchinguri, Police Commissioner-General Godwin Matanga and businessman Kuda Tagwirei, among others. The measures include travel bans and asset freezes.
The Magnitsky is a law that provides for governmental sanctions against foreign individuals who have purportedly committed human rights abuses or been involved in significant corruption. It originated from the US which passed its first legislation in 2012.
It is a load of bull! No matter how much they may try to sanitise or sugar coat it, it is clear that the sanctions by the US have only changed in arrangement but not purpose.
They have changed the arrangement because they have realised that their companies and investors are being left out while the rest of the world engages Zimbabwe.
The US’s influence in the global arena is waning; their desire to dominate other countries is being strongly challenged by countries that seek to maintain their sovereignty at all costs.
Its desire to cause political instability has been met with equal resistance from China and Russia whose economies are booming and have withstood the yoke of American dominance.
And they cannot afford to shun and not deal with resource-rich Zimbabwe at official level.