Staff Reporter
National Peace and Reconciliation Commission (NPRC) Commissioner and former MDC-T member, Obert Gutu has said illegal sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe by the West and its allies are fuelling corruption and have caused untold suffering to millions of ordinary Zimbabweans.
Posting on his Twitter handle, Gutu said that the impact of sanctions which opposition elements like MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa and his deputy, Tendai Biti continue to support were immeasurable.
“Illegal sanctions impact on corruption. There is a symbiotic relationship between sanctions and corruption. Sanctions fuel and in some cases, actually justify corruption. Let sanctions on Zimbabwe be immediately removed and you will, no doubt, witness a dramatic fall in corruption.
“The damage caused to lives of millions of ordinary Zimbabweans through the satanic impact of illegal sanctions imposed against the country is immeasurable. Sanctions continue to cause untold suffering to millions of Zimbabweans,” said Gutu.
The economic sanctions are frequently criticised, even derided by the whole world except the ones who are imposing them. The economic sanctions are fast becoming the policy tool of choice for the United States in the post-cold war to force other sovereign nations into submission.
Despite all the hurdles being caused by Covid-19, Government has managed to rely on locally available resources to develop sectors such as the agricultural sector and infrastructural development. Measures to neutralise the effects of sanctions being taken by the Government will go a long way in ameliorating the living standards especially for marginalised communities.
Zimbabwe`s Land Reform Programme of 2000 led the United States of America (USA) to impose illegal and unjustified sanctions under the so called Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act (ZIDERA) of 2001. Supplementing the US legislative sanctions of ZIDERA are Executive sanctions (Executive Order 13288) of March 2003, which are renewable on yearly basis. The European Union (EU) also introduced its own sanctions in February 2002.
MDC-Alliance officials in most urban councils countrywide have been accused of massive corruption at the expense of service delivery. They are involved in fraud, unprocedural recruitment and illegal residential and commercial stands allocations.
