by Tawanda Chiweshe

President Emmerson Mnangagwa joined other world leaders in condemning the US outgoing President, Donald Trump’s riotous attempt on Wednesday, this week to thwart the process of confirming US President-elect, Joe Biden’s victory at the Capitol Building.

Trump organised his supporters to disturb Congress which was going through the process of certifying Biden’s victory after realising that his bid to overturn his poll loss had failed as he had no irrefutable evidence to support his claims.

President Mnangagwa questioned Trump’s moral grounds of extending the sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe by the US in 2001. In March last year, Trump extended by one year sanctions against Zimbabwe arguing that the government’s policies continued to pose an “unusual and extraordinary” threat to Washington’s foreign policy.

“Last year, President Trump extended painful economic sanctions placed on Zimbabwe, citing concerns about Zimbabwe’s democracy,” said President Mnangagwa.

The President criticised the US’ claim to high democratic moral ground, which was exposed as false by the events at Capitol Hill, this week. He questioned the US’ basis for imposing sanctions on other sovereign nations such as Zimbabwe in the name of democracy, when it failed to uphold the principle as Trump’s stunt had demonstrated.

“Yesterday’s events showed that the US has no moral right to punish another nation under the guise of upholding democracy. These sanctions must end,” the President said.

The opposition community was conspicuous by its silence on the issue. Instead of condemning Trump’s assault on democracy, MDC Alliance leader, Nelson Chamisa issued a letter in which he criticised MDC-T leader, Douglas Mwonzora, accused ZANU PF of imposing the MDC-T on Zimbabweans and defended his sidelining of the founding members of the party in favour of the youth.