'Sanctions removal will unlock Zimbabwe's potential'

The Southern African Development Community (SADC) has once again urged the international community to immediately and unconditionally lift sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe, saying the measures continue to hinder the country's development and its contribution to regional prosperity.

In a statement marking SADC Anti-Sanctions Day, the bloc's Executive Secretary, Mr Elias Magosi, described the sanctions as an assault on Zimbabwe's sovereignty and its people, noting that they undermine both regional economic integration and continental development goals outlined under the African Union's Agenda 2063.

This year's commemoration was held under the theme, "Inclusive Development through Heritage-based Innovation and Industrialisation in a Multilateral World."

Mr Magosi said the continued existence of sanctions remains a stark reminder of the social and economic hardships they have inflicted on ordinary Zimbabweans, while simultaneously frustrating regional growth efforts.

"The harsh economic and social realities emanating from these sanctions remain emblematic of the multiple attacks on Zimbabwe's human and peoples' rights," he said.

"Such impositions run counter to our collective aspirations for global interdependence and the attainment of the African Union's Agenda 2063 - The Africa We Want - which envisions a peaceful, integrated and prosperous continent."

He said the sanctions have constrained Zimbabwe's full participation in regional trade, investment, and economic cooperation - key pillars of SADC's development agenda.

"Most importantly, the economic sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe continue to undermine SADC's pursuit of regional economic integration by limiting Zimbabwe's full participation in trade, investment and shared economic growth within the region," Mr Magosi added.

He commended the region's unity and consistency in supporting Zimbabwe's sovereignty and reiterated that SADC's call for the lifting of sanctions is anchored on principles of fairness, equality and mutual respect among nations.

"SADC believes that the prosperity and livelihood of any civilisation should not be held ransom by external forces, as has been the case with the sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe," he said.

The Anti-Sanctions Day, observed annually on October 25, was established by the 39th SADC Summit of Heads of State and Government in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, in August 2019, as a platform for the region to express collective solidarity with Zimbabwe and to advocate for the end of punitive measures imposed by Western nations.

Mr Magosi noted that although the sanctions have evolved in form and scope over the years, their adverse effects on the economy and the general populace have remained unchanged.

"Sanctions on Zimbabwe have evolved in form and target over the years, yet their effect has frequently destabilised Zimbabwe and the SADC region at large," he said.

Zimbabwe has been under various sanctions from the United States, the European Union, and the United Kingdom since the early 2000s, following the implementation of the Land Reform Programme.

SADC maintains that lifting the sanctions would enable Zimbabwe to realise its full potential, contribute meaningfully to the region's economic growth, and accelerate the attainment of the SADC Vision 2050 and the AU's Agenda 2063.