At the 44th Heads of State and Government Summit, SADC (Southern African Development Community) once again called for the immediate removal of illegal Western sanctions on Zimbabwe. These sanctions have severely impacted Zimbabwe’s development and the broader region. Despite these challenges, the people of Zimbabwe, along with the region and the continent, remain united in demanding that the sanctions be lifted without conditions.
The call was made at the end of a successful summit hosted by Zimbabwe at the New Parliament Building in Mt Hampden, Harare. This call reinforces an earlier demand from the 39th SADC Summit for the removal of the sanctions. SADC noted that the sanctions continue to hinder progress and prosperity, affecting not just Zimbabwe but the entire region. Since the sanctions were imposed over 20 years ago, Zimbabwe has lost more than $40 billion in potential revenue and development aid. This lost revenue could have helped Zimbabwe achieve Upper Middle Income status by now.
Zimbabwe’s only offense, leading to these harsh sanctions, was its land reform and redistribution program aimed at empowering its citizens and addressing colonial injustices. Unfortunately, this program led Britain, the European Union, the United States, and other Western nations to impose sanctions. It is ironic that those who claim to champion human rights are, in fact, causing widespread suffering through these embargoes.
In solidarity with Zimbabwe, SADC has declared October 25 as SADC Anti-Sanctions Day. Despite the sanctions, Zimbabwe and the region continue to make progress with regional policies. Zimbabwe is implementing its National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1) focused on human capital development, following the principle of “Nyika inovakwa nevene vayo” (A country is built by its people). Zimbabwe remains committed to exploring new ways to advance its development agenda despite the ongoing sanctions.
