Staff Reporter
SADC Chairperson and Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) President, Felix Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo has said that the illegal sanctions imposed by the West on Zimbabwe were not targeted as they were affecting every Zimbabwean.
In a statement to mark the SADC Anti-Sanctions Day, President Tshisekedi said that sanctions against Zimbabwe should be immediately and unconditionally removed.
“Once again, the Southern African Development Community (SADC) reaffirms its solidarity with the Government and People of the Republic of Zimbabwe and reiterates the calls for the unconditional and immediate lifting of sanctions that were imposed on Zimbabwean individuals and institutions.
“SADC is deeply concerned at the claim that the sanctions are of a ‘targeted nature’ and are aimed at unilaterally punishing a few individuals. The reality is that there is a spill over and contagion effect on the rest of the country, in particular by imposing a blanket negative perception about Zimbabwe across the world, in particular in the sensitive global financial markets,” said President Tshisekedi.
President Tshisekedi said that the negative perception had resulted in Zimbabwe being unable to attract the much needed foreign direct investments, lines of credit and other financial services that are essential to the socio-economic development of the country.
The DRC President said that sanctions should be removed to allow all contesting political parties to approach the 2023 elections on equal footing.
“Zimbabwe is expected to hold regular national elections in mid-2023.In this context, SADC appeals to those who have imposed sanctions on Zimbabwe to give space to the citizens of the country to exercise their democratic rights and not use sanctions as a covert mechanism to effect regime change,” added President Tshisekedi.
President Tshisekedi noted that sanctions on Zimbabwe were not imposed in accordance with international law, hence they were illegal.
Meanwhile, as Zimbabweans commemorate the SADC Anti Sanctions Day, President Mnangagwa will today deliver a speech from State House condemning the illegal sanctions. The speech will be broadcast on ZBCTV, radio stations and other online platforms.
