Staff Reporter
President Emmerson Mnangagwa has challenged Zimbabweans to defeat the illegal sanctions that were unilaterally imposed to Zimbabwe by the US and its allies through perseverance and resilience.
Speaking in a statement today, President Mnangagwa urged Zimbabweans across the country to be focused, determined and resilient so as to surmount the effects of the illegal sanctions imposed on the country by the West.
“We must therefore fully utilize all our creativity and endowments to insulate our economy from these sanctions, and to implement with great vigour our local development prescriptions, programmes and projects to improve the quality of life of our people. We have a duty to lift our people out of poverty to prosperity.
“It is only through self-generated development, determination, focus, perseverance and resilience, across all the ten provinces of our country, that we shall conquer the illegal sanctions,” said President Mnangagwa.
The President further challenged citizens to remain alive and active in building a prosperous Zimbabwe that would be enjoyed by all.
“Going forward, I challenge fellow citizens; young and old, from the Zambezi to the Limpopo; and from Plumtree to Mutare, to remain alive to the fact that it is our collective responsibility to build a prosperous Zimbabwe we all want, brick by brick, stone upon stone.
“Our development mantra, ‘Nyika inovakwa nevene vayo, ilizwe lakhiwa ngabanikazi balo’ is instructive and should guide and inspire us. There is no looking back, no retreat or surrender,” said President Mnangagwa.
President Mnangagwa said the impacts of the illegal sanctions include the suspension of balance of payments support, cessation of development co-operation, thus rendering the country ineligible to financial support from global financial institutions.
President Mnangagwa reiterated that the illegal sanctions have affected ordinary Zimbabweans contrary to claims by the West that sanctions were targeted.
“Furthermore, the rhetoric against Zimbabwe impacts negatively on our national brand, and on flows of trade, investment and tourism. These unfortunate developments severely undermine the performance of all sectors of our economy. As a consequence, the lives and livelihoods of the Zimbabwean people have been negatively impacted,” said President Mnangagwa.
President Mnangagwa further stated that despite the illegal sanctions, the Second Republic continues to make progress in its quest to realize targets set out in the National Development Strategy 1, the African Union Agenda 2063, and Sustainable Development Goals.
Meanwhile, this year’s SADC Anti Sanctions Day commemorations are being held under the theme, ‘Enhancing Zimbabwe`s Resilience through Economic Development, Engagement and Re-engagement’.
