Will Zanu PF reform under sanctions?

By Amh Voices | Jun. 15, 2023

Letters to the Editor

THE United States targeted sanctions on Zimbabwe are working in the sense that their effects have now reached boiling point.

This is unlike during the first days when they were imposed on the country, when the signs and symptoms were still at a teething stage whereby not even government was feeling their impact.

Twenty-three years later, the results are now real and showing, especially on the free falling of the economy and the dilapidated infrastructure.

The economy has not been growing to expected levels. Economic growth has been choked by less production and exports.

There is no growth to talk about as far as the country’s economy is concerned.

During the first five years after sanctions were imposed, government thought it was on track winning the fight against sanctions, but in actual fact, it was chasing its shadow.

Now, government has realised that it is not winning its fight for the removal of sanctions after trying to rope in regional blocs like the Southern African Development Community and the African Union.

The sanctions are making the regime more ruthless. For example, the regime is now crafting draconian laws to punish anyone who shall have any meeting or discussion with foreign countries talking about imposing sanctions or “speaking bad” about the country.

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South Africa is not ready to solve the repression in her neighbour’s yard. It is also tired.

No doubt that this law will be used to gag the opposition, which government always accuses of begging for sanctions.

Zimbabwe could withstand the effects of the sanctions imposed in the year 2000 if it had sound economic policies.

For example, government’s decision to get entangled in the Democratic Republic of Congo war in 1998 was largely due to personal business interests of a number of senior politicians and military officers.

The war gobbled a lot of money and left the country in a huge debt.

Economic stagnation, heightened corruption, poor policies and economic mismanagement played a major role in the destruction of the nation.

We have flawed economic policies in place which are killing the country, but we tend to ignore such fundamentals.

The farm mechanisation project was another scam.

The Zanu PF elite — current and past — stole from the national purse and gave themselves free farming equipment imported via a government loan.

Government has turned on its own people. It has gone into overdrive to punish anyone who squeals all because of its failures.

It has failed to uphold the rule of law, to hold free and fair elections, to respect property rights, and has been sanctioned for its failures, but now wants to punish the ordinary citizen.

The regime has always been ruthless. It has been choking democracy and giving less space to breath to the opposition and political activists.

When President Emmerson Mnangagwa was elected in 2018 through a disputed election, he touted himself as a reformist, but today he is showing his true colours, that he is a dictator.

He is now more of a securocrat than a political stalwart, and has been tarnished by the allegations of sleaze.

The fingerprints of State failure are all over the country for everyone to see. - Leonard Koni

Implement reforms for women to actively participate in political processes

THE Women’s Academy for Leadership and Political Excellence (Walpe) with support from the European Union and in partnership with the Zimbabwe Election Support Network hosted an online television programme.

The TV programme which was aired on Bustop TV’s Facebook page was on the topic The importance of creating a level playing field for women’s full participation in elections.

Aspiring women leaders who participated noted that unless reforms were implemented, very few women will be able to freely and actively participate in leadership processes.

They noted that among the concerns that women wanted to be addressed were:

lViolence, which was one of the major hindrances to women’s political participation.

Limited to no campaign resources resulting in many women not able to actively participate in candidate selection processes.
Unpaid care and domestic work which take up most of their time, leaving little or no time for them to take part in leadership and political processes.
Harassment, intimidation and cyber bullying they experience after expressing their interests in leadership and political positions also hinder their full participation.

The women also emphasised that apart from the above noted concerns, the proposed regulation to only allow candidates with tertiary education to contest as councillors meant very few women will take part as many do not have the required qualifications, but are capable leaders.

At the end of the TV programme, the women recommended that:

Political parties respect the tenets of sections 17, 56 and 80 of the Constitution, which call for 50/50 gender balance in all leadership positions and curb the menace of vote-buying.
Political parties’ resources must also be used to capacitate and prepare women for leadership.

Political parties must ensure that they create a peaceful and non-violent environment for women to freely participate in leadership and electoral processes. - Walpe

Sikhala clocks one year in remand prison

ZENGEZA West legislator and lawyer Job Sikhala yesterday clocked one year in jail after he was arrested last year by Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) officers and charged with committing several offences.

Sikhala, who is one of the opposition political Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) party leaders and is currently detained at Chikurubi Maximum Security Prison, is undergoing trial at Harare Magistrates Court on two charges of incitement to commit public violence and disorderly conduct.

He was arrested by police officers on June 14, 2022 and charged with incitement to commit public violence.

Prosecutors alleged that Sikhala recorded and circulated a video urging people to commit acts of public violence in seeking revenge for the death of Moreblessing Ali, who was murdered in Nyatsime area in Beatrice.

Prosecutors charged that Sikhala supplied vehicles which allegedly ferried CCC party supporters from Chitungwiza and Epworth to Nyatsime, where they reportedly attacked ruling Zanu PF party supporters and also destroyed property at shops and beerhalls and looted groceries and electrical gadgets including burning a one-roomed house belonging to George Murambatsvina, the Zanu PF councillor for Nyatsime.

His trial continues at Harare Magistrates Court.

Police officers on Tuesday July 12, 2022 hauled Sikhala out of Chikurubi Maximum Security Prison and charged him with obstructing or defeating the course of justice.

In this matter, prosecutors alleged that between May 25, 2022 and June 16, 2022 in Chitungwiza and Nyatsime, the Zengeza West legislator recorded and circulated a video clip wherein he intended to mislead police officers probing the murder of Ali.

The law enforcement agents claimed that Sikhala blamed some ruling Zanu PF party supporters for kidnapping and murdering Ali.

On May 3, 2023, Harare magistrate Marehwanazvo Gofa convicted Sikhala for obstructing or defeating the course of justice and sentenced him to a fine of US$600, failure of which, he would serve six months in prison.

Sikhala’s lawyers Harrison Nkomo and Jeremiah Bamu have since appealed against both conviction and sentence at the High Court, where they argue that Gofa erred and misdirected herself when she handed down the verdict on the opposition political party legislator.

Sikhala and Lovemore Maiko, a member of CCC party, who is also ward 7 councillor in Chitungwiza Municipality, are also on trial at Harare Magistrates Court answering to charges of disorderly conduct in a public place.

Sikhala and Maiko, who were summoned to appear in court on April 20, 2023, are being accused of disrupting a Zanu PF campaign rally held on May 2, 2022 by throwing stones at ruling party supporters. - Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights