ZIMBABWE is determined to re-engage the world and is doing
everything it can to improve the economic welfare of its people but needs the
albatross rock of illegal economic sanctions imposed by western countries in
order to move fast, a senior Government official said.
In an interview with German public international
broadcaster, Deutsche Welle yesterday, Foreign Affairs and International Trade
Minister Dr Sibusiso Moyo said although Zimbabwe had been facing a plethora of
challenges precipitated by a myriad of factors, remedial action is now being
taken.
“There was hope, and there is still hope because we have to
take painful decisions to rectify the economy from where it was. These painful
decisions are the ones which make people lose hope, but in reality they are
getting things right,” he said.
As part of resetting the button and setting the country on
a recovery path, Dr Moyo said Government also considered its embassies dotted
around the world that needed capacitation after years of neglect.
A decision was made to immediately purchase vehicles for
easy mobility.
“The conditions of our diplomats externally was really in a
state of collapse because they were moving around in Ubers (taxis). They were
moving in something that was inappropriate for a diplomat who is posted in a
foreign country and buying vehicles for the diplomats was one of those measures
which were taken to improve their welfare. Whatever the cost of those vehicles,
it’s not necessarily the issue that has caused the economy to be like this,” he
said.
Dr Moyo said the country’s economy had been in bad shape
for some time now and Government is putting in place a raft of measures and
reforms to ensure recovery and growth including the recent efforts to stabilise
the exchange rate through a Foreign Currency Auction System that has positively
impacted on the economy as it has resulted in market stabilisation.
“We are doing a lot of other economic reforms which ensure
that even the investment community is free to come in with the mantra Zimbabwe
is Open for Business. The whole gamut of sanctions has caused serious and
unintended consequences. I have always called it a weapon of mass destruction
because Zidera (Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act of the United
States), which exits now is an act on Zimbabwe that (says the country) shall
not access any external support from the IMF (International Monetary Fund),
World Bank or other international institutions and because of that it means
therefore the perceived risk for this country whenever there is that hanging
aspect of a sanction means its higher. It
deters investors who would want to come into this country despite the fact that
Zimbabwe is Open for Business which has been propagated by President
Mnangagwa.”
Dr Moyo added that sanctions were not only irrelevant, but
were causing unnecessary pain to the general populace as Zimbabwe could not
access lines of credit that could help the economic to recover.
He said when President Mnangagwa assumed office he made it
clear that Zimbabwe was willing to be a friend of everyone as he enunciated his
engagement and re-engagement drive.
“The whole objective of that was to ensure that we are a
member of the family of nations who can trade and who can allow any companies,
particularly from the West to come and invest and we are still encouraging
that,” said Dr Moyo.
Dr Moyo said the country offers the best primary investment
platforms in the world especially for early movers.
On corruption, Dr Moyo said President Mnangagwa has made it
abundantly clear that he will not tolerate the vice and has thus far, has walked
the talk through taking action even against some of his Government ministers.
“Corruption is something that we are acting on and not just
something which is theoretical. You are aware that two Cabinet ministers have
been arraigned, and a number of other officials and bureaucrats,” said Dr Moyo.
Some of the top Government officials who have been nailed
for engaging in corrupt activities are former Director of State Residences
Douglas Tapfuma, former Energy and Power Development Minister Samuel Undenge,
former Tourism Minister Prisca Mupfumira and ex-permanent secretary in the
Ministry of Public Service and Social Welfare Ngoni Masoka and just recently
former Minister of Health and Child Care Dr Obadiah Moyo.
The minister said Zimbabwe had put in place measures that
will ensure greater freedoms of its people, but stressed that freedoms come
with responsibilities.
“There is no freedom of violent demonstrations or protests,
there is no freedom of burning people’s cars and everything like that, it must
be the freedom which respects other people’s rights as well.
“In the first place, we are in the Covid-19 period and you
cannot have an assembly of over 50 people in town. If you break the law in that
regard and then cause danger to the other people in regard to Covid-19, it
means you are infringing other people’s rights to life which is not
appropriate”.
Notwithstanding the spectre and threat posed by the
invisible Covid-19 pandemic, whose cases in Zimbabwe are now over 1 000 with 20
deaths, the country’s opposition parties are planning protests, ostensibly
against corruption, but in reality its meant to subvert a constitutionally-elected
Government.
On the alleged abduction of three MDC Alliance officials,
Minister Moyo said while investigations are ongoing on the issue, preliminary
findings have poked holes into the whole abduction story.
“You believe that State Security agencies abducted those
women, but this is a matter which is under investigation and an interim report
has actually been produced by the Ministry of Home Affairs, which articulates
clearly that this could be leading to one of those issues which are stage
managed towards a particular regional or international event,” said Dr Moyo.
The alleged abduction of the three MDC Alliance officials,
namely Joana Mamombe, Cecilia Chimbiri and Netsai Marowa coincided with the
Sadc Troika Summit that was attended by regional leaders in Zimbabwe.
While almost in similar fashion, in a September last year,
just before the UN General Assembly and also when a high-ranking delegation was
visiting Zimbabwe to assess the human rights situation, Dr Peter Magombeyi, a
leader of the Zimbabwe Hospital Doctors Association (ZHDA) was also allegedly
abducted in yet another case that exposed machinations to soil the image of the
Second Republic.
The minister said as a sign of sincerity to its reform
agenda, Zimbabwe has repealed some pieces of legislation such as the Access to
Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA).
“There are reforms that are taking place and these reforms
are not being taken for the sake of the international community or Western
capitals but they are also being done for the benefit of our people”. Herald
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