Back to Index

Sanctions: lies and deception
Eric Bloch, The Zimbabwe Independent
May 18, 2007

http://www.thezimbabweindependent.com/viewinfo.cfm?linkid=20&id=10612&siteid=1

THIS column has previously addressed government's continuous efforts to delude the Zimbabwean population, and others, that government is in no manner whatsoever responsible for the cataclysmic, continuing decline of the economy. government's deep-seated conviction of its absolute omnipotence is so great that it cannot conceive of it in anyway being responsible for the economic Armageddon that is fast approaching. And government's megalomania is so intense that it is inevitably accompanied by equally intense paranoia.

Believing that there is no foundation to any contention of governmental culpability for the near-total destruction of what could be southern Africa's second-most virile and vibrant economy, and being paranoiac, government is wholly convinced that that destruction has primarily been caused by others, being of evil-intent, albeit aided and abetted by allegedly adverse climatic conditions.

With inflation having soared to over 2 200% (based upon the Consumer Price Index) per annum, and in practice exceeding 8 000%, according to independent studies, Zimbabwe is sustaining the highest inflation in the world. The hyperinflation is so pronounced that an estimated 85%, or more, of the population is striving to survive with insignificant incomes, far below the Poverty Datum Line (PDL), and more than half of Zimbabwe's people are suffering at levels below the Food Datum Line (FDL), being the minimum resources needed to avoid malnutrition.

The magnitude of the poverty is so great that, according to UNDP, UNAids, WHO and other sources, average life expectancy, at birth, has fallen from 60 years in 1990 to 37 years in 2004, and some project that by 2007 has fallen further, to about 34 years. The TB prevalence rate, per 100 000 people has risen from 248 in 1990, to 674 in 2004, whilst maternal mortality virtually doubled in 10 years, from 570 per 100 000 in 1990, to 110 000 in
2000.

Formal sector employment now represents less than 15% of the population, and more than 20% of the Zimbabwean people (mainly being the skilled and semi-skilled) have fled the country to seek income in positive economies.

Recognising that it could not attribute the encroaching economic demise, accompanied by intensifying poverty and misery, for all but a few (mainly being the politically well-connected), entirely upon climatic conditions, government has endlessly sought others to be the victims of its false allegations of triggering economic devastation, thereby diverting attention from its own heinous blameworthiness. At different times it has blamed the minority white population in general, bankers, traders, and numerous others. But, over the last few years, its principal target for its deflection of blame has been the international community. It has especially focused upon the US, the European Union (EU), some Commonwealth countries, such as Australia, Canada and New Zealand, but most of all upon Britain and its Prime Minister, Tony Blair.

Continuously, government spew-ed forth its vitriol against all these perceived enemies of Zimbabwe, contending endlessly that they were trying to re-colonise Zimbabwe (which is the last thing any of them would wish for), were determined to cower Zimbabwe into unmitigated subjugation, overthrow its government, and loot Zimbabwe's wealth. Presumably government espouses the same beliefs that Adolf Hitler's chief propagandist had, that constant repetition will create ultimate belief of anything, even that which is devoid of any truth whatsoever. But Zimbabweans, and the world at large, are not that gullible. No matter how recurrently government has striven to convince the Zimbabweans, and the world at large, that that is so, most have not been duped.

Despite its spin doctors, its newspapers who resolutely ignore fact in order to spread deception, and its audio and visual media, which predominantly do likewise, few have been effectively deceived into believing that all would be well, were it not for the illusory mythical machinations of those that government constantly contends are Zimbabwe's enemies.

Therefore government ultimately concluded that it would have to find something, or someone, new to blame, but not as would discredit its prior contentions. Such discreditation would demonstrate government's pronounced prevarications. So, progressively since 2005, it has recurrently, and with increasing intensity (commensurate with the accelerating economic collapse), accused its self-declared enemies of diabolically bringing Zimbabwe's economy to its knees. The manner of their supposedly achieving this is claimed to be the application of evilly-conceived economic sanctions.

The fact is that the only economic sanction imposed by any is that, in terms of US's Zimbabwe Democracy Act, that country cannot support any International Monetary Fund (IMF) assistance to Zimbabwe. But no other economic sanctions exist, despite the Zimbabwe government's contrary, repeated contentions. None of the countries that have supposedly imposed economic sanctions have barred trade with, travel to, or investment in, Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe exports very extensively to the US and the EU, and buys essential and other goods from them. Most of the investment in the mining sector in the last few years, although not all, has come from the US, Canada, Australia and the EU, as has other investment. Surely that is not evidence of economic sanctions!

Admittedly, none of those countries are disposed to provide Zimbabwe with loan funding and lines of credit, but none have barred doing so. The absence of such facilities, from those countries' public and private sectors, is not due to sanctions, but because few are determined to risk funding those who are undoubtedly poor credit risks. Zimbabwe is irrefutably a poor credit risk, with its continuous adverse balance of payments, its considerable debt arrears, and its inability even to pay its gold miners for their gold. But the Zimbabwe government contends the withholding of funding to be "illegal economic sanctions". Even if such sanctions had been imposed, which they have not, they would in no manner be illegal, for any country has the sovereign right to determine with whom to deal, and with whom not to deal.

However, Zimbabwe persists with its unfounded attacks on others, and with repudiation of all opportunities of Zimbabwean economic transformation, and of opportunities of international reconciliation. As recently as last week, when Europe Day was commemorated, the head of the European Commission in Zimbabwe, Xavier Marchal, demonstrated yet again the EU's conciliatory stance, saying that it is very willing to carry out dialogue with Zimbabwe aimed at achieving prospects of "resumption of full co-operation". Responding thereto, Zimbabwe's Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Joey Bimha resorted, yet again, to the Zimbabwean government falsehood of the contention that Zimbabwe is the unjust victim of (non-existent) sanctions.

In contradistinction to his contentions, the EU states categorically that: "There are no economic sanctions against Zimbabwe. Trade relations have not been the subject of restrictions from the EU. The EU as a block continues to be a major trading partner of Zimbabwe with several EU member states as Zimbabwe's most important markets..Zimbabwe has benefited from preferences under the ACP-EU Partnership Agreement. Zimbabwe is a Sugar Protocol Country within the Cotonou Framework". In 2006 the EU was Zimbabwe's largest donor, with total EU support of 193,3 million euros. (Developmental support from the EU since Zimbabwe's Independence has amounted to over 1, 2 billion euros). But Zimbabwe continues to allege an imposition of economic sanctions! It's just not true - the only sanctions are targeted ones against Zanu PF hierarchy and its pronounced supporters.

Ambassador Bimha urged for conciliation - directed dialogue, without the parties setting any "benchmarks" as pre-conditions for such dialogue, but then called for the EU first to remove its sanctions against Zimbabwe. Who is setting pre-condition benchmarks, and they being impossible of fulfillment, for one cannot remove that which does not exist? At the same time, reacting to the urging by Xavier Marchal for the establishment of a violence-free environment in Zimbabwe, in which everybody is treated humanely, and "which clearly does not exist today", Ambassador Bimha said that his government abhors violence and believes that in a democratic society people should pursue their political objectives by non-violent means. He continued that, "Violence should therefore be condemned by all whenever it rears its ugly head, irrespective of who perpetrates it", but implied unreservedly that such violence does not prevail in Zimbabwe or, if so, not at the instance of government.

What has he been smoking? How does he reconcile such statements with the unjustified, inhumane, cruel beatings of lawyers only last week, with the torture in prison cells of MDC arrestees, with the beatings of numerous Woza women engaged in peaceful protests, and much more.

Please credit www.kubatana.net if you make use of material from this website. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License unless stated otherwise.

TOP