Make them fight a losing battle

The simple, clear message encoded in  the Bi-National Commission signed between Zimbabwe and South Africa earlier this week and in the  other  between our country and Botswana earlier, and also implicit in repeated calls by the African Union and Sadc for an unconditional lifting of illegal Western economic sanctions goes something  like this: "If the West won't join us in growing the Zimbabwean economy but instead remain hell bent on effecting regime change as punishment for land reforms implemented  by the Zanu-PF government nearly two decades ago, then we must make the culprits realise that they are fighting a losing battle."

The pronoun "us" refers to Zimbabweans and to progressive countries that have come to the aid of this country in resuscitating an economy ravaged by the West's economic and financial embargo. To begin with, our government should spare no effort in implementing measures aimed at re-invigorating the economy.

For instance, the country should tirelessly dangle its ease-of-doing-business carrot to catalyse direct foreign investment as part of reforming the economy and with peace and stability reigning to conduce investment.

Secondly, Zimbabweans should fearlessly and passionately play their part in fighting corruption by anyone in the public or private sectors because no investor, however filthy rich  s/he  will want to plant their hard earned money in the bellies of  octopuses,  be they anonymous or known to the Zimbabwean public. Putting such investment in bottomless pits bears no fruits for the businesses that are supposed to reap handsome returns on their money.

To bolster the anti-corruption campaign,  any Zimbabweans known to have blued money out of the country should have their assets seized by the state to defray the economic losses suffered by the country if the culprits  refuse to have the spoils repatriated.

If the offenders also left the country to follow the stolen money, the state must take measures to have  them extradited from foreign lands to dance to the kwasa-kwasa music played to them by Zimbabwean courts as a warning to potential economic saboteurs in efforts to plug any further corruption loopholes for potential offenders.

For millions of Zimbabweans of living and working in foreign countries BNCs signed with the two Sadc countries, as stated above, should serve as a  big challenge to the diasporans to play a big role in resuscitating  the economy  in their native motherland instead of remaining perched on the fence there with their  rich earnings dormant in their lap.

That money should be channelled home but not to build imitation palaces but to invest in the productive sector in order to grow the economy to benefit present and future generations of their kith and kin, not to mention their own decent living conditions when they  finally return home for good.

Now back to the countries responsible for the economic  and financial embargo against Zimbabwe. They or their running dogs have also pasted dangerous labels on Zimbabwe's good name by crying frivolous foul to the effect that the government in Harare violated human rights but without specifying what rights.

Of course, the claims are nothing but a cover-up for their own grand and monstrous violations of the rights of Zimbabweans through the illegal sanctions. Indeed, the sanctions are the single big violation of human rights and, therefore, a sin that might deny access to heaven for the leaders of the countries that refuse to lift the satanic punishment on this country.

For God knows how many Zimbabwean children have died of hunger or are seriously malnourished because their breadwinner parents or other relatives lost their jobs which gave them money to buy food after sanctions ruined their jobs with company closures.

Verily, verily God knows how many Zimbabweans have died from curable diseases in the many years of sanctions because the government failed to secure assistance from international financial institutions, because of the economic embargo to buy drugs for the country's health institutions.

Add to the list above children failing to proceed with their education after sanctions robbed their parents of jobs and incomes to educate their offspring. Judgment day may not be too far off.