MIDRAND, South Africa – The Pan African Parliament (PAP) has again added its voice to growing calls for illegal sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe by the West to be unconditionally lifted as they were a violation of human rights and a form of neo-imperiliasm meant to choke Zimbabwe for rectifying inequalities of colonial ownership via land reform.
PAP is convening for the first ordinary session of the 6th parliament that opened with PAP president Chief Fortune Charumbira addressing MPs in the chamber in Midrand yesterday.
Ahead of today’s commemoration, the SADC anti-sanctions day, MPs said Africa will only be totally free upon the unconditional lifting of the embargo.
Speaking to the media on the importance of the growing and unanimous anti-sanctions lobby, Chief Charumbira said PAP will not rest until the illegal sanctions against Zimbabwe removed.
He equated sanctions on Zimbabwe as a new form of imperialism by Western powers saying Zimbabwe should be allowed to breath as a sovereign nation. PAP was unequivocal in its call for illegal sanctions on Zimbabwe to be removed without delay.
“PAP has already declared its official position, that it condemns sanctions on Zimbabwe and that position still stands. These illegal sanctions have to be removed and we condemn them and join SADC and the entire African continent to call for their unconditional removal,’’ said Chief Charumbira.
“We will continue to condemn sanctions against Zimbabwe because that is another form of colonialism and imperialism by the West. We have condemned them before and we still condemn them today. They must go.
“The issue of sanctions will soon be back on the PAP agenda and we will not rest until they are removed.’’
It would be premature to announce the next course of action to be taken by PAP as it upped the ante in the war against sanctions.
Vice chairperson of PAP’s Eastern Africa regional caucus Mr Felix Okoti Ogong said illegal sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe hit the vulnerable most and must be lifted.
“These sanctions must be unconditionally lifted because they are hurting the poor more in Zimbabwe, As PAP we strongly condemn the sanctions because they are unjustified as they hit women, youths and the disabled in Zimbabwe more. The sanctions are misplaced and I condemn them to the highest degree because they affect the poor most,” said Mr Okoti Ogong.
Zimbabweans were being punished by the West through illegal sanctions for taking back their land, he said.
“The whole issue is punishment of Zimbabweans for demanding equity in the factor of production which is land When you take away land from Africans you are taking away their income and robbing them of prosperity.
“These sanctions must be unconditionally removed because the land redistribution programme in Zimbabwe is a reflection of the aspirations of people in that country.’’
First Vice President of the PAP Youth Caucus Tatenda Mavetera said sanctions on Zimbabwe were a violation of human rights and their imposition exposed the West’s duplicity and double standards as the West claimed to be champions of human rights yet they repeatedly violated them when it came to Zimbabwe.
“The effects of illegal sanctions have been debilitating on the Zimbabwe economy and they are a violation of human rights. As PAP we are calling for the unconditional lifting of the sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe because they will have a contagion effect on the rest of Africa,’’ said Cde Mavetera.
PAP would continue fighting until the embargo was removed engendering justice for the people of Zimbabwe and the entire African continent.
Of late clamours for the removal of sanctions have been growing within and without Zimbabwe and research has shown the sanctions have cost Zimbabwe over US$40 billion ever since being imposed at the turn of the millennium. – The Herald
