Mnangagwa owes us an apology

EVER since President Emmerson Mnangagwa came into power in 2017, one of his rallying calls has been the removal of sanctions imposed by the United States and the European Union  over human rights abuses.

Mnangagwa and his ruling Zanu-PF party became so obsessed by the sanctions issue that it was one of the major reasons the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act had to be amended to give birth to the draconian so called "Patriot Act".

It then comes as a real shock that — given the fact that Mnangagwa, his party and government were so resolutely determined to fight the sanctions imposed on certain individuals and companies by enacting laws which can sentence to death someone who invites sanctions on the country – today President is preaching the gospel that the sanctions must stay.

Officiating at the commissioning of Hwange Thermal Power Station's Units 7 and 8 this week Mnangagwa said: "We have had sanctions for the last 23 years now. We have resources that keep us alive despite the sanctions. In fact, I for one would say let the sanctions stay because they make us think outside the box and become innovative."

While we will not delve into the fact that this is one of the most unpatriotic act by Mnangagwa which should be punishable under the new law he recently assented, we are, however, curious to know why Mnangagwa has made this sudden about turn.

For years, many of us have been harangued for pointing out that the sanctions issue was just a smokescreen for the Zanu-PF government's failures. On countless occasions many people have pointed out that this was all a game of smoke and mirrors because the country survived and did extremely well under worse sanctions when the late Ian Smith was slapped with United Nations (UN) sanctions for unilaterally declaring the then Rhodesia's independence in November 1965.

In fact, every infrastructure which Zimbabwe inherited at Independence in 1980 in pristine condition was created under those UN sanctions.

The country is still largely dependent on that infrastructure, including the bulk of the present roads, which have all been rundown without repair while we have been busy mourning about sanctions which Mnangagwa is now very much happy to say they may as well remain in full force.

So why did the Zanu-PF government waste our time all these years leading us down a garden path when it was all very clear that the country could prosper under the so called sanctions? Why did Mnangagwa and his party blame sanctions for all the country's economic deterioration to a near dysfunctional state when the sanctions were actually a panacea to our problems? Why did Mnangagwa and his government entertain laziness and ineptitude in the rank and file while blaming sanctions for the busy bodies' failure to develop this country? Why did we even rope in the entire Southern African Development Community to call for sanctions removal when it was all smoke in a bottle? Why was the "Patriot Act" even created when these sanctions actually "make us think outside the box and become innovative"?

We believe Mnangagwa, his party and government owe Zimbabweans an apology for hoodwinking them all these years.