SADC keeps up pressure on West over Zim sanctions

Harare (New Ziana) – The Southern African Development Community (SADC) is keeping up pressure on Western countries to remove the illegal economic sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe, building on the highly successful region-wide anti-sanctions day held on Friday last week.

On October 25, the whole SADC region collectively remonstrated against the illegal sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe over its decision to compulsorily acquire vast tracts of prime agricultural land that was in the hands of a few white commercial farmers to resettle thousands of landless black families.

The sanctions have not only affected Zimbabwe, but the region as a whole with notable negative impact on SADCs development and integration agenda.

On Tuesday, SADC executive secretary Dr Stergomena Lawrence Tax again took the fight against sanctions on Zimbabwe to the European Union (EU) delegation in Botswana.

“Met EU delegation in Botswana today and discussed issues of mutual interest. On lifting sanctions on Zimbabwe, SADC noted that the EU is supporting Zimbabwe in economic and political reforms and called for continued cooperation and support,” she said in a tweet.

The illegal economic sanctions on Zimbabwe have cost the country in excess of US$90 billion in economic damages over the years.

In a statement to mark the SADC anti sanctions day last week, Dr Tax blamed the U.S and European Union sanctions for Zimbabwe’s economic downturn over the last two decades.

“The sanctions have proved to be directly affecting entities beyond the so-called targeted individuals, and have a negative impact on the credibility of Zimbabwe and serious trickle-down effects on the economy and people of Zimbabwe, and by extension, the SADC region,” Dr Tax said then.

“Regardless of the terms used to define the sanctions, international finance and investment entities take a precautionary approach, and inadvertently restrict the extension of financial support to Zimbabwe, and investment across economic sectors. This is contrary to the argument that the sanctions are targeted at individuals, and do not affect ordinary Zimbabweans and the region.This situation negatively affects the prospects for economic recovery.”
New Ziana