Zapu president Sibangilizwe Nkomo has urged the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to quit ‘nursing’ the Zanu PF administration in Harare and instead establish an all-inclusive platform that brings all political parties in Zimbabwe together for a long-term solutions to the country’s challenges.
NKomo said an “unrepentant and incompetent regime of Zanu PF” had duped SADC, the Pan African Parliament (PAP), and the progressive world into joining the chorus against sanctions, despite the fact that the ruling party was responsible for the real sanctions Zimbabweans faced due to corruption and incompetence.
The ZAPU leader’s remarks came after the government organised nationwide marches on Tuesday in protest of the sanctions imposed by the United States, the United Kingdom and the European Union (EU), after SADC’s declaration of October 25 as Anti-Sanctions Day.
“While Zapu, as the authentic liberation movement in Zimbabwe, and indeed a revolutionary organisation grounded on nationalist and anti-imperial policies, would never associate with anything that seeks to undermine our national sovereignty and rights to self-determination, we unambiguously reject the temptation to join the chorus against a sanctions regime designed only to reign in on an errant euro-centric pseudo revolutionary party, Zanu PF,” Nkomo said.
Instead of hosting “futile marches, public relations displays and musical shows,” Nkomo said, SADC leaders and those in the continent to develop an all-inclusive forum for all political actors in Zimbabwe.
“An all-inclusive platform where political players are brought together to fashion a clear, collaborative effort and roadmap towards a sustainable solution to our problems which are threatening the security of our neighbours in the region,” said the ZAPU leader.
“We appeal to the SADC leadership to honour their obligations that relate to SADC principles and guidelines on elections. They should desist from nursing the errant regime in Harare and engage Zimbabweans for a lasting solution. ZAPU is willing and ready to play a part towards this objective.”
The ZAPU president stated they have ‘no’ doubt the conflict between EU members and its partners was a punitive measure imposed after a fallout between the founders and funders of Zanu PF and their errant surrogate.
“On the one hand, these ‘sanctions’ seek to ‘reform’, not remove Zanu PF from power as evidenced by continued bilateral partnerships and involvement of these parties in the internal politics of Zanu PF where they openly funded a military coup against Robert Mugabe and their complete silence and conspiracy during the Gukurahundi genocide,” Nkomo alleged.
“If Zanu PF deserved any sanctions, they were supposed to be imposed in 1983 before over 20 000 of our people perished. That Zimbabwe is under sanctions is beyond doubt. That the British and her partners-imposed sanctions on Zimbabweans is also not a matter of fanciful imagination.”
On that point, Nkomo stated “Zanu PF and their corruption, incompetence and intolerance” are the actual sanctions in Zimbabwe.
“These devastating sanctions regime was imposed on us when the British conspired to impose their Zanu PF surrogates on Zimbabweans in 1980. It is these sanctions the British and their partners should help remove. Zimbabweans must acknowledge that some of our biggest challenges are self-inflicted as they emanate from lack of visionary leadership, greed and the affinity to self-aggrandisement,” he said.
“By turning rogue, abusing human and property rights, abusing the constitution and the right to vote, the regime invited these measures on themselves.”
According to the ZAPU leader, the sanctions are an incentive to reform and should be lifted if the reforms are achieved.
“Instead of funding pomp and fanfare against the sanctions, the government of Zimbabwe should be seized with implementing electoral, media, political and security reforms,” Nkomo said.
