Zanu-PF pushes for law barring opposition members 'inviting' sanctions from running in elections

Members of Parliament from Zanu-PF are advocating for legislation that would prevent opposition members, whom they accuse of inviting sanctions, from participating in elections. The proposal emerged during recent discussions in the National Assembly where MPs deliberated on the impact of economic sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe by the United States and Britain.

The sanctions were implemented through the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act (ZIDERA) in response to human rights violations during the Land Reform Programme in the early 2000s, marked by violence. Zanu-PF Chief Whip Pupurai Togarepi argued in Parliament that opposition members should be excluded from the governance system for supporting the embargo.

"As a country at war, it is unfortunate to have some of our people supporting sanctions, going to these places to ask for sanctions. I want to remind this House that there was a motion that was moved to say that those who look for sanctions must never participate in the governance of this country.

"Why would we even entertain an election with people who are sponsored to destroy Zimbabwe? Why would we have an opposition that is totally, clearly, and vehemently against Zimbabwe and allow them to participate in a democratic election when they are sanctioning us? We are a country at war, and there are surrogates of imperialism who come here, go to an election with us, sponsored by the same people; we are too soft.

"We have people who died for the freedom of Zimbabwe, some who have no limbs, some who could not even have kids, others whom we do not even know where they were buried trying to liberate this country. Somebody goes to the same colonizers to say destroy this population, destroy these people to give life to themselves because they are sell-outs. They are sell-outs, they are Judas Iscariots," said Togarepi.

According to the government, sanctions have hindered Zimbabwe's access to credit lines and cost the country an estimated US$40 billion. The parliamentarians have proposed a visit to the USA to lobby for the removal of sanctions.

Togarepi suggested that the country should consider avoiding business with Americans seeking investment opportunities. He stated, "We continue to engage them in goodwill. We do all the businesses that we do, we are the most honest people in the world, but these self-imposed policemen of the world continue to impose sanctions on our people. We cannot continue to handle them with kid gloves. It is time that we say this is a war declared on us and our economy.

"The same people who sanctioned our country cannot come and do business here. They should stop doing business here. They cannot make money out of our lithium, our gold, diamond, etc., while they use the same money to destroy our economy. I think this should come to an end," he said.