BULAWAYO – A section of traditional rulers, led by outspoken Ntabazinduna Chief Nhlahlayamangwe Felix Ndiweni, believe Western sanctions should not be lifted or eased as they are not responsible for Zimbabwe’s current economic and social collapse, according to a report by the Center for Innovation and Technology (CITE).
“Mnangagwa has failed to manage our economy and now wants us to believe it is because of the sanctions. This logic has no credibility,” Chief Ndiweni said Tuesday while speaking to the press at the Bulawayo media center.
Instead, the chiefs said those attending the Oct. 25 anti-sanctions parade were to demand the resignation of Emmerson, who headed the administration, according to them, Mnangagwa was incapable of running the country.
The foreigner said that the SADC leadership had chosen for many years to only listen to the government’s narrative and not that of Zimbabweans, leading to even more poor results.
“Perhaps now is the time to give the real story of Zimbabweans a chance to be heard, if that is acceptable then there is a very good chance that the Zimbabwe issue can finally be resolved.
However, if SADC leaders still find a problem with the true history of the people of Zimbabwe, the Zimbabwean problem will continue,” he said.
Chief Ndiweni goes all out against Mnangagwa
Chief Ndiweni urged those planning to join the sanctions march to “call out loud for the resignation of Mnangagwa and his government because of the failure of their sanctions strategy”.
He added that Mnangagwa’s government has “failed the economy, failed this nation and failed the people. They bankrupted this country.
Chief Ndiweni said he and a group of around 30 chiefs from across Zimbabwe’s various provinces, who preside over more than 70 percent of the population, could not remain silent or it would be a “serious error of judgement”.
“It is fair and appropriate that Amakhosi’s narrative on the sanctions issue differs from that of the current government. Amakhosi is more and more in contact with people every day and is therefore the right person to comment on these matters,” he noted.
The leader said it was disappointing that the current government is using the sanctions to cover up and excuse its mismanagement, noting that lifting the sanctions immediately would not improve Zimbabwe’s economy.
“They have chosen to blame all of our economic and social crisis on targeted international sanctions imposed on identifiable individuals in our country. We reject the idea that our economic and social collapse is the result of targeted international sanctions,” he noted.
“International sanctions can be lifted today, but they would not fix or improve our economy and our social way of life. What we do know is that the current group of extremely wealthy people would become wealthier. The vast majority of us who are poor would be even poorer.
He added that those who champion the anti-sanctions agenda are not being honest with the public.
“Good people, blanket sanctions like this simply don’t exist. If you still believe this government’s sanctions story, then the Almighty has, with the utmost respect and unwittingly, denied you any wrongdoing. reprimanded Chief Ndiweni.
The leader said the October 25 anti-sanctions march was an attempt at “emotional blackmail” that lacked credibility.
“Why were the sanctions put in place? They were introduced by the US government as the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act (ZIDERA) in 2001 to encourage the restoration of property rights, the restoration of democracy and the restoration of the economy is also what we want .
“All of this restoration could have been legislated within the first 100 days of this term. If that had happened, we wouldn’t have sanctions now,” he explained.
“Rather than calling for sanctions to be lifted, Mnangagwa’s government must reform itself and take full responsibility for the country’s economic collapse,” Chief Ndiweni said.
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