Zivanai Dhewa
The United States Embassy in Harare has torched a twitter storm after it attempted to exonerate the sanctions from being the chief root of the Zimbabwe’s economic challenges.
Posting on its twitter handle, @usembassyharare, the US Embassy said, “Zimbabwe’s economic recovery depends on its ability to deliver on promised political and economic reforms. Failed economic policies not sanctions, hinders Zimbabwe’s economic growth.”
One netizen identified as Vashe @PTChimusoro rubbished the post and demanded to know why the US would impose the sanctions if they knew they had no effect.
“If sanctions don’t affect Zimbabwe’s performance, why did the US even have to extend them? Would you waste your time to post about sanctions if they were trivial?
“But you have been trying too hard to justify the sanctions, sanctions must GO,” said Vashe
Mildred Musimboti further queried, “Are you trying to lie that sanctions are there to help Zimbabwe’s economy to recover?
“Has any country imposed any sanctions on your country, I know the answer is NO, why then do you impose sanctions on such a small country like Zimbabwe,” added Musimboti.
If the Sanctions have no effect on Zimbabwe, Takudzwa Makanda demanded to know what the need was to impose them on Zimbabwe in the first place.
The government has, however, been working on a number of socio-economic policies aimed at improving the Zimbabwean economic situation. Government has set macro-economic stabilisation programs to increase investment and help raise productivity. It has also limited the use of RBZ overdraft facility and curtails RBZ advances to government. It has also reviewed the use of Treasury Bills in support of the socio-economic development programs.
Government has encouraged the issuance of publicly traded infrastructure bonds in order to crowd in the private sector and diaspora participation in national infrastructure programs.
State owned Enterprises have been categorised according to their degrees of viability for privatisation, merger or dissolution in order to improve viability and also to strengthen the public private partnership of the enterprises and generate the much needed revenue. Government is also accelerating the process of re-engagement with the international partners and creditors in order to clear arrears on external debt.
Meanwhile, Makanda has queried the US Embassy Harare to explain its reasons for imposing sanctions on Zimbabwe. “Can the embassy explain to the people of Zimbabwe the goal of the sanctions and how these are to be achieved by the sanctions,” Makanda asked.
