Harare ready for anti-sanctions day

Harare (New Ziana)-The Harare Metropolitan Province is ready to hold the mega national anti-sanctions event set for Friday to demonstrate against illegal sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe, an official said on Thursday.

At its annual meeting in Tanzania in August this year the Southern African Development Community (SADC) agreed to collectively lobby for the removal of sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe and designated October 25 as the day when each member country will carrying out activities to denounce the sanctions.

The Zimbabwe government then declared 25 October 25, 2019 a public holiday to mark SADC solidarity against illegal Western sanctions on the country.

Harare Metropolitan Provincial Affairs and Devolution Minister Oliver Chidawu told the media that 100 public buses would be available in the different suburbs to pick up those intending to attend the anti-sanctions event in the capital.

“Buses will be available at usual pick up points from 6 am. The march will commence at the Robert Mugabe Square to the National Sports Stadium where solidarity messages will be delivered,” he said, adding that 100 buses had been set aside to ferry people intending to participate in the march.

“In Harare we have 100 buses, Bulawayo 50 buses, Mashonaland central 15 while Masvingo and Mashonaland West will get 20 buses,” he said.

The remaining five provinces will get ten buses each.

Chidawu urged all Zimbabweans to join the anti- sanctions events scheduled in all provinces across the country.

“We thus call upon all patriotic Zimbabweans to come out in their numbers in support of the call for the lifting of these unjustified economic sanctions. As we express our commonly felt desire for the removal of these sanctions against our country, I urge you all to be mindful of maintaining peace, law and order,” he said.

“Let us come out in large numbers to show the world that Zimbabwe is a free, democratic and peace loving nation which needs everyone’s support as we strive for our emancipation,” he said.

Various activities will be held across SADC on the day to call for the lifting of the embargo, which has cost the country an estimated US$100 billion since they were imposed over two decades ago.

At home, marches are expected to be held in cities and towns across the country with the main event penciled for the National Sports Stadium as Zimbabweans join the rest of SADC in demanding the removal of sanctions that have affected virtually every facet of life, especially the economy.

In imposing the sanctions, the European Union and the United States had expected the resultant economic pain to force the country to abandon its land reforms as well as bring about regime change through causing disaffection towards the government among the citizens.

New Ziana