Mnangagwa salutes Africa anti-sanctions stance

PRESIDENT Mnangagwa has saluted member states of the Southern African Development Community, the African Union and the progressive world for standing with Zimbabwe in the clarion call for the unconditional removal of illegal economic sanctions.

This comes as on Tuesday, Zimbabwe, SADC nations and Africa at large, joined hands in calling for the removal of sanctions that were imposed by the United States, the United Kingdom and their allies as punishment for the land reform programme.

Addressing the 366th Session of the Zanu-PF Politburo in Harare yesterday, President Mnangagwa, who is the party's First Secretary, said Zimbabwe will always cherish the solidarity that was expressed by progressive nations against the illegal and unjust Western imposed economic sanctions.

"On behalf of the people and Government of Zimbabwe, the party Zanu-PF, and indeed on my own behalf, I want to convey my sincere gratitude to SADC, the African Union and all progressive forces for their support and solidarity in the call for the removal of the illegal sanctions.

"In spite of the deleterious impact of sanctions, the Zanu-PF Government is moving ahead in delivering the promises we made to leapfrog the development of our beloved motherland, Zimbabwe. The party is vibrant and alive. We are a train that cannot be stopped," said President Mnangagwa.

Turning lemons into lemonade, the Second Republic has restored hope among Zimbabweans as sanctions notwithstanding, it has implemented projects across the country that have found resonance with the population.

Roads, dams and bridges are being constructed, hospitals and clinics are being opened while areas that once did not have schools have new ones being built.

This is being done using Zimbabwe's own resources in line with President Mnangagwa's philosophy that "Nyika Inovakwa Nevene vayo".

The illegal sanctions that were imposed by the US, Britain and their allies were meant to pummel Zimbabwe into submission and reverse the gains of Independence, specifically the land reform programme.

However, President Mnangagwa has been resolute in defence of the country's sovereignty and on Tuesday, there was overwhelming support for the country's anti-sanctions stance not only among locals, who included school children, but also from across the African continent and beyond.

This was all part of the SADC Anti-Sanctions Day that was adopted in 2019 by SADC member states to provide an annual pedestal for calling for the lifting of illegal sanctions.

On Tuesday, SADC chairperson and Democratic Republic of Congo President, Felix Tshisekedi, said despite claims that the sanctions were "targeted", the reality was that they had caused untold suffering for the rest of the population.

Across the world, progressive nations added their voices to the growing calls for the unconditional removal of illegal sanctions that were imposed by Western nations on Zimbabwe to reverse the land reform programme.

Embassies and diplomats expressed themselves on social media platforms and in physical meetings during Tuesday's resoundingly successful SADC Anti-Sanctions Day.

The overwhelming condemnation of the punitive measures that reverberated across the continent and beyond, from China to Russia, drowned any attempts by erstwhile colonisers to justify the illegal economic sanctions that have for two decades constricted Zimbabwe's economic growth potential.

On Twitter, China and Russia, the global powers realigning geopolitics to end Western unipolar dominance, were unequivocal in their condemnation of the sanctions.