The United States of America’s Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Brian Nichols, has scoffed at Zimbabwe’s planned anti-sanctions gala saying the energy that ZANU PF spends on mobisiling such events and lobbying SADC should be better spent on implementing political reforms.
Nichols accused President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s administration of attempting to pull the wool over Zimbabwean citizens’ eyes about the real causes of the country’s crises. Said, Nichols:
Last year’s Anti-sanctions solidarity day was very much designed to distract the people of Zimbabwe from real causes of the problems in this country.
If the government of Zimbabwe put the energy that they put into organizing these types of events and generating statements from other SADC members into pursuing reform agenda that the government of Zimbabwe campaigned on and talked about three years ago in November 2017 and 2018 at the inauguration of President Emmerson Mnangagwa, they would have advanced further in that reform agenda.
Addressing a post-politburo media briefing in Harare on Wednesday, acting Zanu PF spokesperson Patrick Chinamasa blamed MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa and his colleagues for inviting sanctions on Zimbabwe. Chinamasa said:
But you get to worry, your Chamisa, Biti and Coltart, they remain unrepentant. And what we are saying is, it’s never too late to say to the people of Zimbabwe they have caused so much suffering, to say we are sorry, we should have never have asked for those sanctions. That alone will be a very therapeutic statement.
The Zimbabwean government has resolved to conduct this year’s Anti-Sanctions march online on Sunday.