Maravi

(HERALD) Regime change agenda behind sanctions - Ncube

COMMENT - I still don't know why Zimbabwe's lines of credit were not simply transferred from the corrupt Bretton Woods institutions to China. They had the dollars, and they certainly were not on board with maintaining western privilege in Zimbabwe. I know there were moves like this ongoing. It would have saved the Zimbabwe dollar.

Regime change agenda behind sanctions: Ncube
By Lloyd Gumbo

THE illegal economic sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe by the West will remain in place as long as the West do not have their way in Zimbabwe, MDC secretary general Professor Welshman Ncube has revealed.

Prof Ncube said Britain, the European Union, the United States and their western allies who imposed embargoes against Zimbabwe and the Zanu-PF leadership would consider softening their hard-line stance if the Head of State and Government, President Mugabe, is out of power.

Speaking at a meeting between the Joint Monitoring and Implementation Committee and chiefs in Harare on Thursday, Prof Ncube said the continued existence of sanctions was testimony that those behind them had a regime change agenda. The meeting was called to discuss how Jomic could implement its programmes in rural areas.

Prof Ncube, who is a Jomic co-chairperson, said there was need for the Government to devise mechanisms to bust the sanctions.

"An honest appraisal of the sanctions is that those who maintain sanctions have a different agenda from the three parties in the inclusive Government.

"Their agenda is they want (President) Mugabe out and as long as he remains in the picture, then my honest opinion is that these sanctions will remain in place.

"We have had meetings with diplomats and those western countries don’t want any arrangement with (President) Mugabe in it.

"We have to accept reality, these sanctions are here to stay even if we engage the European Union and the Americans, they won’t lift these sanctions," he said.

Prof Ncube who is also Industry and Commerce Minister, said it was incumbent upon the Zimbabwean Government to address the issue of sanctions.

"Since these sanctions are going to remain in place, we have to find mechanisms to outdo their effects. There are a lot of things that we can do like reviving the industry and liquidity."

Another Jomic co-chairperson, Mr Elton Mangoma (MDC-T) said: "The issue of sanctions has been politicised a lot and us as MDC-T, we feel Zanu-PF are saying it’s our sole responsibility to do so (call for the lifting of the sanctions). This burden is for us all in this inclusive Government as outlined in the Global Political Agreement.

"No party has the power to remove sanctions and the burden isn’t for the MDC-T only. These countries are putting sanctions as their laws and we in the MDC-T can also be put on sanctions tomorrow. However, we will be visiting countries that imposed those sanctions to engage them," he said.

Zanu-PF politburo member and Jomic co-chairperson, Cde Oppah Muchinguri, said Jomic was supposed to make sure the sanctions were removed immediately.

"Sanctions are an issue, which need to be addressed immediately. As Jomic, we want to see these sanctions go because they have caused a lot of suffering to our people.

"Many people have fallen victim to the effects of these sanctions and we are saying they are causing more harm to our people," she said.

Chief Musarurwa, Senator Enos Masakwa, also called for the removal of the sanctions saying they had caused a lot of pain to the people in the rural areas.

"These sanctions should be removed because people in the rural areas are failing to make ends meet. They are failing to raise even a single dollar because of the effects of these illegal sanctions.

"I feel the party that invited these sanctions should be banned from political participation in the country because they are not considerate," he said.

Britain tried to internationalise its bilateral dispute with Zimbabwe over land and enticed the European Union, the United States and their western allies to impose sanctions against Zimbabwe.

The sanctions re-engagement committee failed to travel to Europe last month to engage the EU over sanctions due to the volcanic ashes eruptions in Iceland.

The team comprises of Ministers Mangoma and Ncube, Justice and Legal Affairs Minister Patrick Chinamasa, Regional Integration and International Co-operation Minister Pricilla Misihairabwi-Mushonga. Foreign Affairs Minister Simbarashe Mumbengegwi heads the team.

Labels: JOMIC, NEOCOLONIALISM, SANCTIONS, WELSHMAN NCUBE, ZDERA, ZTDERA

posted by MrK @ 6:06 PM