Zimbabweans want country to remain on sanctions, says Chamisa

SANCTIONS imposed on Zimbabwe by the US mirror the aspirations of Zimbabweans, MDC leader Nelson Chamisa has said.

The measures imposed on former President Robert Mugabe and his administration in 2001 under the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act (Zidera) which stand to this day have been blamed for the country's economic as well as political problems.

Chamisa was speaking Thursday at the launch of his party's policy document, Return to Legitimacy, Openness And Democracy (RELOAD).

He said Zidera was exactly what Zimbabweans were fighting Zanu-PF for.

"Even when you look at Zidera, it is actually supposed to give us an indication. Zidera is actually the aspirations of all Zimbabwe. What they want to see is democracy. That is how we must be to look at it," said Chamisa.

The youthful opposition leader lost last year's presidential elections to Zanu-PF leader, President Emmerson Mnangagwa.

He rejected the poll result, sought to overturn it at the Constitutional Court, lost again but insists he won.

Chamisa told his audience that most observer missions to last year's elections had raised red flags on issues that must be addressed in Zimbabwe before a credible election is held.

"We all know what has to be done, the international community knows what has to be done.

"Look at the IRI-NDI (International Republican Institute/National Democratic Institute) election observer report, look at the Commonwealth report, the European Union Observer Mission report, Sadc Observer Mission report and African Union report, they are all clear in terms of the catalogue of issues of that have to be done," said Chamisa.

"Let us implement those and then go and say we have implemented our own issues. Let us do business but it all boils down to leadership."

Added Chamisa: "Genuine business would want to come where there is confidence and trust because capital hates noise, they will never come here because of our cockpit noise."

Mugabe argued until his removal from power that Zimbabwe was being punished for compulsorily taking land from whites to redistribute to blacks, blaming the country's economic meltdown on the sanctions.

While Mugabe's successor President Emmerson Mnangagwa has oscillated between blame and accepting blame for government failures, the measures remain a source of acrimony between the two countries.

Mnangagwa has tried to project himself as a reformist but questions remain on his legitimacy after Chamisa's refusal to recognise him as duly elected President of the country.