Maravi

(HERALD) The people have spoken

The people have spoken
Wednesday, 02 March 2011 20:56
By Sydney Kawadza

PRESIDENT Mugabe yesterday launched the National Anti-Sanctions Petition Campaign as Zimbabwe steps up its fight against the illegal Western embargo.

Britain and its allies imposed the sanctions after Government acquired land owned by a few white commercial far-mers and redistributed it to some 300 000 black families.
In the National Anti-Sanctions Petition Campaign, the Go-vernment seeks more than two million signatures from Zimbabweans opposed to the sanctions.

People append their names, signatures and identification numbers to register their protest to the West and to demand an immediate end to the widely-discredited embargo.

The campaign will be conducted at district and provincial level while an Internet-based offensive to incorporate Zimbabweans in the Diaspora will also be rolled out.

While no date has been set for the conclusion of the campaign, the petitions will be collated and the final figure submitted to Sadc. The Government will then ask Sadc for a resolution illustrating how the generality of Zimbabweans opposes the sanctions.

Sadc, which has already condemned the embargo, will then be asked to take that resolution to the African Union, which feels the same way about the sanctions.
The AU is in turn expected to then speak with one voice on the matter at the United Nations.

The petitions can also be used as a legal basis for Zimbabweans to sue countries that have imposed the illegal sanctions.

Such legal action can be taken up in both the US and EU.

The petition is an affirmation by Zimbabweans that they are opposed to sanctions, that they are not targeted and that they are illegal.

Zanu-PF and the two MDC formations voluntarily concurred in Article IV of the Global Political Agreement to fight the embargo.

The parties, which form the inclusive Government, ag-reed that "all forms of measures and sanctions against Zimbabwe be lifted in order to facilitate a sustainable solution to the challenges that are currently facing Zimbabwe".

However, MDC-T leader, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai reneged on this commitment yesterday even though he was scheduled to be among the first people to sign the petition.

Instead, he chose to address the media at his Strathaven home where he dismissed the national anti-sanctions campaign as a Zanu-PF programme.

The petition bears the Government of Zimbabwe coat of arms and is State-sponsored.
Addressing thousands of Zimbabweans at the launch at the Harare Exhibition Park's open car park, the President said Zimbabwe was mulling several options in its fight against the illegal sanctions.

The Head of State and Government and Commander-in-Chief of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces hailed the business community, farmers' organisations, churches and tradi-tional leaders for backing the campaign.

"Tinoziva kuti pfungwa dzedu ranga riri bararamhanya asi tinoda kudziumba kuti dzive pamwechete.

"Tigodzisunda zvino riri bumbiro repfungwa dzevanhu varikuti masanctions hatimade, tinoaramba. Pasi nawo!"

He thanked Sadc and the AU for backing Zimbabwe, but said more needed to be done to oppose the sanctions.

This, President Mugabe said, included taking over the 400 British companies operating in Zimbabwe.

"Tichiti kana vacho varikuchera vane migodhi vachingotuta mari yedu ichibuda kunze?
"Kwete! Izvo ndozvandakati kwete."

President Mugabe said the time had come for Zimbabwe to take drastic measures against companies whose home governments were needlessly punishing Zimbabwe.

He said the indigenisation programme would target such entities.

"Ndikati VaKasukuwere indigenisation and empowerment should start naivavo, makambani iwawo, we must take them over.

"Hapana chatinonyara!"

The President said Zimbabwe could also stop importing from countries that had imposed sanctions.

"Kana tichiziva kuti ava pane zvatanga tichitenga, zvingave zvidyiwa nezvimwe, tisati tatora tinokwanisa kutora action yekuramba, boycotting their products."

He urged British banks like Barclays and Standard Chartered to join the fight against the illegal sanctions if they were truly interested in operating in Zimbabwe.
The British, President Mugabe said, had acknowledged that their banks here were profitable for them.

"But for all that, Britain thanks us by imposing sanctions on us."

He said Britain and its allies wanted to pillage Zimbabwe's natural resources while at the same time making ordinary people suffer - something that would no longer be tolerated.

"Zvicherwa zviripasi zvikomborero. Zvimwe ndinotenda Mwari nemidzimu yedu.
"Dai zvakawanikwa izvozvo nguva iyoyo, madiamond iwayo aya, oh, hondo, Chimurenga chainge chakatitorera nguva ndefu ndefu kwakauya masoja nemasoja kuno.
"But Mwari akazviwanza izvozvo. Neplatinum yanga isati yawanikwa. Saka tinofanira kutenda Mwari kuti zvimwe zvakanga zvakavanzwa."

President Mugabe called for unity in the fight against the illegal sanctions.
"Vasingade havade nyika yavo and munenge muchivao-nawo. Isu tiri venyika isisu. Takazvipira kufira ivhu iri."

He said many people had died, were injured or had their lives disrupted in the quest for total national liberation and these sacrifices should not be in vain.

"Tinoda vanoti tazvipira, nyika yauya zvino tiitonge. Tive vene isu, vayo.
"Tibate basa aya seedu, tizvipe isu macampany.

"Tipinde mumakambani vana vedu vakafunda vatitungamire. Titi ndisu vana bhasi kwete kungoramba tichiti yes sir, yes sir.

"Muchingonzi mabhoyi mabhoyi. Ngatimboita kuti ivo vaiye vachisevenzera isu.
"We must become masters of our destiny, which means we must be owners of our country, our resources, companies that we form and that we hope we can run. Hapana chatichatadza."

He said Zimbabwe was for all Zimbabweans, even those who did not fight the liberation struggle but castigated politicians who always rushed to the West for guidance.
"Hapana anonzi haasi weZimbabwe. Kunyangwe waidududza nezuro, urigwara wakasunungurwawo. Chirega kuramba uchitya nhaiwe-we, dera. Nyika yakauya chisimbawo!
"Kana ukamira shure kwevakachenjera. Kwevasingatye unongonziwo mwana weZimbabwe, wounziridzwa, hapana achanyadzurudzwa.

"Asi kana uchiramba zvino uchimhanya kuvavengi, ah, tinochakabaya chikadii? Hezvoka kovarikupi vamwe vedu? Chatyiwa chii zuva ranhasi?"

He made reference to revelations that MDC-T secretary-general Mr Tendai Biti had been consulted on which people the West should include in the travel ban component of their illegal sanctions.

"Vainyorwa nenhengo dzeMDC zvichinzi aya mazita abve kumasanctions.
"VeMDC vaitiwo ava zvavasisawirirane nehurumende tobva tazemberana navo samba reshandiswe kuti hurumende ibve tigowana mapindiro.

"Ndokusaka tichiti kunevamwe vedu national consciousness yako, yedu, imi weMDC yakagozha zvakadii? Do you have it at all?

"What are your basic principles, fundamental principles? What morality governs those principles? Hunhu hwenyu hunobva papi uchisvika papi?

"Isu tinoti kwete vavengi vavengi ngavagare kunze kwenyika. Hatidi anopindira munyaya dzedu."

President Mugabe said every citizen had the responsibility of protect Zimbabwe's legacy and heritage.

"Kana wakazvipira isu totadza nhasi uno kuzvipira nekubatana tichichengetedza gwara rekuramba masanctions, kuramba kutongwa nemabhunhu, toramba izvozvo zvirikutaurwa kuti izvizvi zvinhu izvi zvinokanganisa hunhu hwedu hwauya neChimurenga.
"Izvi zvinhu zvinopaza hunhu hwedu nekubatana kwedu. Zvinopaza samba redu. Zvinotitorera hupfumi hwedu.

"Mabhunu akaramba arimuno achingo sveta isu takagarwa matumba tichivasevenzera.
"Ndazvatakati pasi nhazvo! Tavakuzvitonga."

Labels: ROBERT MUGABE, SANCTIONS, ZDERA

posted by MrK @ 9:14 PM