The Sunday News
Dr Obert Mpofu
When you have nothing useful to say, it is mostly advisable to keep one’s mouth shut. Words that come from one’s mouth often expose their foolishness. There is a lot to make out of America’s revision of the sanctions that had been imposed on Zimbabwe for so long, all long the narrative had been that these sanctions were targeted. But the recent policy announcements suggest otherwise. Is it an admission of guilt? This time around, the Americans have been caught with their hand in the proverbial cookie jar. The recent announcement speaks to a lot of things that had been hidden for so long.
Was it too embarrassing to entirely scrape the sanctions off altogether? Knowing the Americans and their pride, they would never admit that they were indeed wrong. The revisions of the sanctions by the Americans is a clever way of trying to do business with Zimbabwe once more. Zimbabwe is of strategic importance, not only to American interests but to the rest of the world. We are a unique country. Little England, they said. Some even said that the popular Wakanda from the Black Panther is Zimbabwe. A country full of all the riches and gold. Lithium, natural, gas, gold in abundance, all manner of metals and diamonds, you name it. Some even said Solomon’s Sofala Mines were located in Zimbabwe. The myth is, if you dig anywhere in this country, you will find gold. Yes, a little house of stone which is full of gold and all the precious minerals. Could it be the newly found enormous gas deposits that present the possibility for the discovery of oil in Muzarabani that has the American second guessing themselves and trying to re-associate themselves with Zimbabwe? We all know their thirst and appetite for the black precious liquid, after all, they have invaded and destroyed nations over it. Not even sanctions could put a dent in the light that this beautiful land shines.
The world is changing. Americans risk being left behind if they continue in their archaic ways. The world is turning towards the East. Russia is surely giving the Americans a good run for their money, and so are the Chinese. The selected weapons of choice in the form of sanctions and invasions are no longer effective. We have all grown resilient to this virus that had been weaponised by the Americans. The world is not afraid of these two-faced bullies anymore.
There have indeed been some interesting perspectives pertaining to this recent and most predictable move by America. Plenty of perspectives indeed but, no real change. One of the key questions is, how much of this act truly represents a shift in policy? How much of the burden and effects of sanctions has truly been removed on Zimbabwe when the Head of State and Government, the country’s Vice President and the country’s First Lady as well as several other high-ranking officials in Government or who represent some of the top businesses in the country are still sanctioned. It seems the Americans have not repented from their regime change agenda and they have made it even more abundantly clear now with their latest pronouncements. The gesture by the Americans is a slap in the face and an insult to our leadership. There should be total and unconditional removal of all the sanctions imposed on our country and its leadership. The sanctions are an anomaly and should never have been there in the first place. They are misdirected and misplaced. America’s act of revising these sanctions is equally inadequate. If we are to engage and be on an equal footing, then the sanctions should be fully done away with. They are archaic and serve no real purpose other than making the people of Zimbabwe suffer. We should be grateful that our Government has been able to build resilience during this most difficult of times and our people have not perished as a result of this madness that is, the sanctions.
Are the intentions of the Americans truly genuine or this is just a raise to hoodwink the public amid increasing international criticism of America’s foreign policy? The executive order signed by Joe Biden on 4 March 2024 on the Termination of Emergency with Respect to the Situation in Zimbabwe does nothing to alleviate the plight of Zimbabwe. It is one of the ways in which their sanctions have morphed and taken on a new face, shape, form and size. Zimbabwe and its leadership have been constantly abused, pillaged and violated by America’s big brother approach.
Our leader, HE President Cde Dr ED Mnangagwa is the chief representative of this nation and for as long as there is a target on his head, then there is a target on all of us. As a matter of fact, the actions by America are deplorable and are a diplomatic nightmare. To shamelessly claim that the sanctions are being removed/ revised or whatever some categorisation made to water them down is grossly criminal, to say the least. You cannot separate a nation and its leader. To impose sanctions on a nation’s leadership is to impose sanctions on an entire people. These illegal sanctions will indeed fail, like what has happened with the previous set of restrictions.
The international criminal in the form of America will indeed always behave in a despicable manner. Until the Americans want to genuinely remove this blatant illegality that has subjected our nation to enormous suffering for decades on end, I suggest they keep quiet and do not talk about Zimbabwe anymore. America’s intention on Zimbabwe still remains malicious. Therefore, as has been the case, nothing new here. Zimbabwe will forge ahead charting its path to prosperity, under our capable leadership of HE Cde Dr. ED Mnangagwa, with or without the sanctions.
ν Dr Obert Mpofu is an academic and the Secretary General of Zanu-PF. He writes in his own capacity.
