Maravi

(TALKZIMBABWE) Sanctions busting needs neighbours

Sanctions busting needs neighbours
Truman Makahamadze-Opinion
Wed, 16 Jul 2008 00:05:00 +0000

DEAR EDITOR—I have heard a lot of people advance the ill-advised argument that Ian Smith managed to survive with sanctions, but President Robert Mugabe did not. On the face of it this question could sound reasonable, but a simple investigation will reveal the reasons why Smith was able to doge sanctions and even build a stronger economy despite the sanctions. A report by the United Kingdom’s telegraph newspaper talked about how Ian Smith was helped by many people, especially countries in the region to fight the sanctions. In a report entitled, “Robert Mugabe is more vulnerable to oil sanctions than Ian Smith,” Nick Butler said Smith was helped by, “the involvement of South Africa and Portuguese-controlled Mozambique (ruled by the Catholic dictator Antonio Salazar), in deals which broke the spirit and the letter of the sanctions order, including the creation of a front company called Freight Services which bought oil from the majors - principally Shell and BP - and delivered supplies to those known in South Africa under the code name "our friends in the North".

These two countries were helpful in ensuring that the sanctions and embargo could be ignored and Britain knew what was going on. Even then negotiations between London and Salisbury (Harare) continued intermittently throughout the 1960s and 1970s.

The sanctions-busting smuggling of oil was the most difficult aspect of sanctions to control.

When Mozambique became independent in 1975 all this changed. South African Prime Minister John Vorster started a policy of engagement with that country's independent black-ruled neighbors in contrast to the previous policy of isolation. This cornered Smith who had to open up dialogue.

So Zimbabwe can never be like Rhodesia – the dynamics are very different. We do not have many friends to help in busting sanctions.

Truman Makahamadze—Opinion

Labels: SANCTIONS

posted by MrK @ 3:57 AM