Zimbabwe: Sanctions Or Not
The issue of sanctions has been topical over the years with some arguing that the economic meltdown is not due to sanctions as the sanctions are 'targeted'. In fact others prefer to refer to them as 'so called sanctions', a suggestion that the whole notion is a figment of one's imagination.
Reflecting on my experience as a leader of a listed company, I came face to face with the sanctions in our business. International transfers to buy critical spares were at times confiscated by the USA system and later returned back to us. Meaning that we could not transact freely.
In other cases, suppliers from USA & Europe refused to deal with us as they said our country was under sanctions. This was especially so during the period to 2008. Thereafter, we still experienced the same treatment albeit on a smaller scale.
Perhaps the worst impact came from being unable to access lines of credit as a result of the sanctions.
Business colleagues have on several occasions collaborated the same experience and this has also been confirmed at various business seminars and conferences I have attended.
I therefore conclude that the sanctions on Zimbabwe were more than targeted as they had an adverse effect on businesses and ultimately the economy. To suggest that the sanction were not economic is naive and certainly not consistent with my own first hand experience in business.
As a matter of fact, for sanctions to hurt they do not necessarily have to be a total embargo. Zimbabwe was not under a total embargo but still under sanctions, economic sanctions. This is not a political view but one certainly resulting from my personal first hand experience.
A fairer question would perhaps be whether sanctions are the only cause of our economic demise. This is a different discussion for perhaps one of these coming days, more like the Bond movie Die Another Day!
USA threatens Sanctions on Zimbabwe over the Russian $3bln dollar investment
ReplyDeletehttp://www.mining.com/u-s-threatens-zimbabwe-with-further-sanctions-over-3b-platinum-mine-65715/?utm_source=digest-en-mining-141005&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=digest
The Herald 1 Nov 2014:
ReplyDeleteThe European Union yesterday announced the lifting of trade sanctions against Zimbabwe that will take effect tomorrow, but kept travel bans against President Mugabe and the First Lady Amai Grace Mugabe which the Western bloc said would be reviewed in February next year.
Analysts dismissed the lifting of the trade embargo, saying as long as President Mugabe remained on the illegal sanctions, it defeated the spirit of engagement which the bloc was advocating.
Announcing the decision in Harare yesterday during a Press conference, newly accredited EU Head of Mission Mr Philippe Van Damme said the lifting of trade sanctions against Zimbabwe means that the 28-nation bloc would directly engage with Harare on bilateral economic ties.
Ironically the European bloc had all along claimed there were no economic sanctions on Zimbabwe but just travel bans and asset freezes on Zanu-PF leaders and their associates.
He said pending arrival of British and Danish trade delegation was a sign of commitment by the Brussels based organisation to normalise relations with Zimbabwe. Mr Van Damme said EU lifted Article 96 of the Cotonou Partnership Agreement which governed relations between the Western bloc and African, Caribbean and Pacific countries, but maintained Article nine until February next year which related to travel bans imposed on First Families.