United States Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Brian Nichols, says massive levels of corruption, economic uncertainty and weak rule of law are devastating the country\u2019s economy and not targeted sanctions imposed by the West on some Zanu PF officials accused of alleged human rights violations and election rigging.<\/p>\n
Nichols, who revealed this in a Newsday opinion piece published Thursday, said the \u201cgreatest sanctions on Zimbabwe are limitations the country imposes on itself.\u201d<\/p>\n
Zimbabwe is currently ranked 160 out of 175 by Transparency International in its corruption list, making it one of the most corrupt countries in the world.<\/p>\n
\u201cZimbabwe loses more than US$1 billion per year to corruption. That\u2019s huge compared to the size of Zimbabwe\u2019s entire economy – around US$26 billion. The government says fighting corruption is a priority but have government and government-connected perpetrators been held accountable? No. If the country\u2019s laws were evenly applied and enforced, government coffers would be full and the economy would be humming; tax revenue and foreign exchange would not leak from the Treasury, and government would recover some of the money that has made a privileged few extremely wealthy. It\u2019s not sanctions, it\u2019s corruption.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nichols said there only 141 people and companies on the United States sanctions\u2019 list.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s right, just 141, in a country of 16 million. They are on the list for good reason. These are people who have engaged in corruption, committed human rights abuses, and undermined Zimbabwe\u2019s democratic process. Blaming sanctions is a convenient scapegoat to distract the public from the real reasons behind Zimbabwe\u2019s economic challenges, corruption, economic mismanagement, and failure to respect human rights and uphold the rule of law.\u201d<\/p>\n
He further said there is no trade embargo on Zimbabwe.<\/p>\n
\u201cAmerican companies are interested in investing in Zimbabwe but are deterred by the massive levels of corruption, economic uncertainty, and weak rule of law. So, investors turn to other promising opportunities in the region and wait for the country to embrace the political and economic reforms that would make it a more attractive destination.\u201d<\/p>\n
He cited several examples of alleged corruption, which include the disappearance of US$2,8 billion from government coffers, which was supposed to benefit Zimbabweans.<\/p>\n
\u201c \u2026 Who has benefited? Where is the accountability? Up to 50% of the population faces food insecurity and hospitals lack basic supplies, life-saving medicine, and medical equipment. The money missing from the agricultural subsidies could help many Zimbabweans in need. The government should be working to get this money back into its coffers. It\u2019s not sanctions, it\u2019s graft.<\/p>\n
An American firm won the tender for the construction of the Dema Power plant in 2016, but the government cancelled the contract and awarded it to Sakunda Holdings, which had not even placed a bid. This type of corruption damages Zimbabwe\u2019s reputation and drives away investors who want to be sure the rules apply to everyone. It\u2019s not sanctions, it\u2019s dishonest dealings.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to Nichols, the Zimbabwe National Road Administration has also failed to account for US$25 million. \u201cHow many roads could Zinara have repaired with this money? How much clean water could have been provided? It\u2019s not sanctions, it\u2019s stunning mismanagement.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the opinion piece, Nichols claimed that President Emmerson Mnangagwa\u2019s government allocates taxpayer funds for goods and services that are never delivered \u201cbecause the very same funds are disbursed into someone\u2019s private account.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are people getting rich, many of them Zimbabwe\u2019s political elites, as the economy continues to deteriorate around them and the Zimbabwean people suffer from crippling shortages of food, electricity, clean water and medicine. It\u2019s not sanctions, it\u2019s unmitigated greed.\u201d<\/p>\n
He cited state-sponsored violence as crippling the nation.<\/p>\n
\u201c\u2026 Seventeen people died during mass protests in January. There were 17 reports of rape or sexual assault and police arrested more than 1,000 people in dragnet arrests in January and February. All of these reports allege police or military officers were the offenders. It\u2019s not sanctions, it\u2019s state-sanctioned violence.\u201d<\/p>\n
But Zanu PF secretary for administration, Obert Mpofu, told VOA Studio 7 the \u201csanctions imposed on Zimbabwe by America and its allies are devastating the nation.<\/p>\n
\u201cPersonally, I have millions of dollars that were seized by the American government. We have a lot of economic challenges due to these sanctions. They are not targeted sanctions but sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe because they are affecting everybody.\u201d<\/p>\n
Zanu PF in conjunction with the Southern African Development Community are on Friday expected to stage protests over the targeted sanctions, saying they are devastating Zimbabwe.<\/p>\n
The United States implemented the targeted sanctions program in 2003 as a result of the actions and policies of certain members of the government of Zimbabwe and other persons undermining democratic institutions and processes in Zimbabwe, according to the U.S. Embassy Harare\u2019s website.<\/p>\n
Since 1980, the United States has contributed US$3,2 billion in assistance to the Zimbabwean people, and is the country\u2019s largest bilateral donor in health and humanitarian assistance to the population.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
United States Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Brian Nichols, says massive levels of corruption, economic uncertainty and weak rule of law are devastating the country\u2019s economy and not targeted sanctions imposed by the West on some Zanu PF officials accused of alleged human rights violations and election rigging. Nichols, who revealed this in a Newsday opinion piece […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":15146,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,12],"tags":[38,253,239],"class_list":{"0":"post-15144","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-all-news","8":"category-policy","9":"tag-zanu-pf","10":"tag-anti-corruption-commision","11":"tag-economic-chaos"},"yoast_head":"\n