HARARE - Zanu (PF) is currently abusing the government with adverts in newspapers and on the state radio attacking the so-called sanctions and people in the country who do no ascribe to their views, the United States Ambassador to Zimbabwe Charles RaySince the launch of the so-called anti-sanctions campaign, Zanu (PF) has been running full length adverts in the state media with a government insignia.
“It is very disappointing to see full page ads from the Zanu (PF) Information Department under the heading ‘Government of Zimbabwe’ and adorned with the great Zimbabwean coat of arms. Zanu (PF) is a political party, which does not speak for the government of this great country. Additionally, Zanu (PF), which is part of the government, has its own symbol that is quite distinct from the Zimbabwean coat of arms,” said Ray.
The former ruling party last week formed an anti-sanctions committee that is chaired by Vice President John Nkomo. However, other members in the Inclusive Government have distanced themselves from the sham describing it as a Zanu (PF) project.
Acting President Nkomo said in a statement that thousands of people who were forced to attend the anti-sanctions launch demonstrated that they were against sanctions.
“This exceptional support was an emphatic statement to Britain, the European Union, America and to all those interests which have slapped sanctions against the people of Zimbabwe,” said Nkomo.
In reality there are no sanctions on the people of Zimbabwe, but rather targeted measures on a few individuals. USA, America and Britain in particular have played a significant role in extending aid to the people of Zimbabwe.
Many people in both rural and urban communities have benefited significantly from USAID and other western donors. Yet Zanu (PF) says that sanctions are “an attack on all Zimbabweans.”
The United States dispelled the anti-sanctions rhetoric as unfounded.
Said Ray, “the ZANU-PF Information Department is using misinformation and completely unrelated facts to mislead the public. The facts are:
1. For more than ten years, Zimbabwe has been ineligible to receive any type of international loan, regardless of U.S. and EU opinions, due to its leaders’ failure to make payments on its debt. Zimbabwe’s unpaid debts to the African Development Bank, IMF, and World Bank put a stop to lending long before there were sanctions.
2. Zimbabwe’s current political and economic environment, including fresh threats from the President on his birthday to take over established companies, has a chilling effect on new investment, both domestic and international. Banks and other businesses are responsible to their share holders, and find it increasingly difficult to justify investing in such a high risk environment. Only economic stabilization
and political sanity will change this.
3. Fewer than 120 Zimbabweans are named on the legal U.S. sanctions list, almost all of them Zanu (PF) leaders who had a hand in political violence against their fellow citizens. They may not travel to the U.S. or do business with U.S. companies because Americans do not want them to enjoy the fruits of their corruption on our soil. This does not hurt other Zimbabweans. What hurts the rest of the country is the corruption, mismanagement, and lack of social investment that has brought development to a standstill.
The former ruling party has exclusive control of the state media and abuses it to attack Mugabe’s political rivals.
Post published in: News