Nevanji Munyaradzi Chiondegwa
A child is a person from the time of birth until he or she is an adult. A child is defined by the UNICEF in its The Convention on the Rights of the Child as any person below the age of 18 years. Children are neither the property of their parents nor are they helpless objects of charity. They are human beings and are the subject of their own rights.
Convention on the Rights of the Child says; “All children have all these rights, no matter who they are, where they live, what language they speak, what their religion is, what they think, what they look like, if they are a boy or girl, if they have a disability, if they are rich or poor, and no matter who their parents or families are or what their parents or families believe or do. No child should be treated unfairly for any reason.”
In 2003, the United States of America introduced a further measure of its diabolical sanctions regime on Zimbabwe.
In this new regime, signed by George Bush, sought to target certain Zimbabweans for further personal sanctions on top of those on the country. The list put several persons that were either part of the political elite or connected to the elite on a list for further sanctioning.
A couple of entities including State Owned Enterprises government used to power the economy were also targeted as the USA sought to tighten its stranglehold on Zimbabwe and push the regime change agenda.
That is where the tears of Cde Chinamasa start.
His tears are of a child, not just any child but a girl child robbed of her childhood and rights by something she definitely had no knowledge of.
Despite the UNICEF convention on Children’s Rights, a 13-year-old girl named Gamuchirai Chinamasa suffered not just prejudice but clear and criminal discrimination.
Gamuchirai is the daughter of a man named Patrick Antony Chinamasa, a father, a lawyer and therefore knows these rights and the legal position) and a politician.
He is ZANU PF National Secretary for Finance and was once the country’s Attorney General, Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs as well as Finance Minister.
Cde Chinamasa, posting on microblog Twitter recently wrote, “Monday the 12 December 2022 Gamuchirai my daughter brought to my attention a Social Media report indicating that the United States Authorities had removed her name from the OFAC Sanctions List. This event cannot pass without my comment.
The United States Authorities imposed sanctions against Gamuchirai when she was only 13 years old. Someone needs to explain to me how a 13-year-old girl child can pose a threat to the global security interests of the sole World Super Power, the Mighty USA.”
The lawyer further sought an explanation not only to him but to the Wider World how a 13-year-old girl child can be sanctioned on the basis that she violated human rights. He challenged United States apologist Hopewell Chin’ono to help explain the situation.
Cde Chinamasa’s pain was clear as he sought to enlighten political activists who are at the beck and call of Western Countries not to swallow hook, line and sinker the propaganda churned out by Western Imperial Forces on the subject of Human Rights.
They do not practise what they say and falsely allege human rights violations against those countries and peoples who refuse to toe their imperialist line or resist to be subjugated.
Despite the video that followed the caption of a black American man being beaten by police while handcuffed( the man is Lloyd Floyd who later died and sparked the Black Lives Matter Movement), one can feel, Cde Chinamasa is referring to Gamuchirai’s rights.
She was a child and Western countries are all signatories of the Convention of Child Rights. None of them including the self -appointed chief policing officer on human rights The USA, which slapped Gamuchirai with the said sanctions saw anything wrong with depriving this child of her rights and discrimination against her.
For Western Countries Sanctions are an instrument of their Foreign Policy to whip into line the victim countries. Their strategy always is to sow seeds of division within targeted countries with the clear intent to undermine their economies through destabilisation of the economy and hence political stability of those countries. An indication that sanctions are a permanent instrument of the foreign policy of the USA is the fact that while lifting sanctions on some persons the USA is continuously and perpetually adding new ones to the Sanctions List.
Cde Chinamsa said, “Emmerson Jr has been added to the Sanctions List for no other reason than that he is the son of our President. Obey Chimuka of Fossil Construction has been targeted because his company is one of 5 Contractors undertaking construction and rehabilitation of the Beitbridge-Harare Road..”
The Sanctions List also saw the spouses of Kuda Tagwirei and Obey Chimuka added on for no other reason other than that they are spouses of the persons targeted just falling short of placing under sanctions their pets.
This is a clear example of Scorched Earth Policy pursued by Imperial Countries, destroying everything lying in the path of their imperial anger. Again perhaps Hopewell can explain his Masters’ intentions in sanctioning spouses for no other reason that they are spouses.
The former Finance Minister further said, “Imperial Forces do not want independent Zimbabwe to succeed & will do everything in their power to undermine our Unity & thwart our soci-economic development. In our dealings with these countries we must always, I mean “always “sleep with one eye open.”
He signs of saying “Those on the Sanctions List must consider being on the List as a Badge of Honour. Those who have eyes let them “ eye” and those who have ears let them “ear”. Nokuti hatigoni kurega kutaura izvo takaona nezvotakanzwa.”
Despite this optimism and bravado, what must not escape attention is his questions begging answers on why his 13 year old child had to suffer humiliation of finding herself a target for sanctions.
A 13-year-old does not even hold party membership in Zimbabwe nor can he or she attend a rally. Gamuchirai Chinamasa was not a member of ZANU PF, was not a holder of any position in the party, had not participated in any political activities. She had not even accompanied her father to any function, even out of childish curiosity.
Her only crime was being a child of Patrick Antony Chinamasa, whom the evil Washington regime had chosen to punish and spitefully hurt. They knew for any man, hitting out at his children was the biggest way to hurt them and so they also sanctioned Gamuchirai.
Gamuchirai, was denied a chance to enjoy a normal childhood, travel freely, transact freely and apply to any schools of her choice simply for being Cde Chinamasa`s child.
Here is a typical imperialist view, punish them and their children, never mind the children’s rights, just punish them.
I for one urge either Gamuchirai or Cde Chinamasa to sue the United States for the violations of her rights! – tategurutv
