The United States should have lifted economic sanctions against Zimbabwe \u201cyesterday\u201d, the African country\u2019s president has said, as he seeks to fix a broken economy and attract international investment.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe feel that we are almost two decades behind in terms of development as a result of economic sanctions that have been imposed on us,\u201d Emmerson Mnangagwa told The National in an interview in Abu Dhabi on Sunday.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are saying yes, we wish that these sanctions would be removed yesterday by those who have imposed sanctions on us, but beyond that we should not put our heads in the sand and cry,\u201d he said. \u201cWe should, with the resources that we have, do our best to attract global finance into our economy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Surrounded by ministers and military officials who made up the visiting delegation, Mr Mnangagwa said that the country was putting two decades of isolation behind them and pursuing \u201ca policy of engagement and reengagement so that again Zimbabwe can be embraced in the community of nations.\u201d<\/p>\n
But asked if the administration of US President Donald Trump had detailed the required reform it wants to see in order to lift sanctions, Mr Mnangagwa said the measures had \u201cno basis at all\u201d and that he would not take action to please another country simply to see them removed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe cannot say that there is something which we must do to satisfy America,\u201d he said. \u201cOur concern is to do those things which satisfy the needs of our people.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.com\/zimbabwe\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2019\/03\/Donald-Trump1-300x196.jpg\")
\nUS and EU sanctions were imposed on Zimbabwe in 2001 and 2002 respectively, in relation to reports of government violations of human rights and the rule of law. They have remained in place, despite Mr Mnangagwa\u2019s ascension to the presidency in 2017 that ended the 30-year rule of Robert Mugabe. The measures were renewed by Mr Trump in January and the new Zimbabwean president himself is still a target of US sanctions.<\/p>\n
But they are just one indicator of Zimbabwe\u2019s economic malaise. Once known as the breadbasket of Africa and endowed with a young population and a bounty of platinum \u2013 used in the production of smartphones and electric cars \u2013 Zimbabwe\u2019s fortunes faded during the three-decade rule of Mr Mugabe.<\/p>\n
Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed holds talks with President of Zimbabwe Cyclone Idai hits Mozambique, Malawi, Zimbabwe, killing 150<\/p>\n
In November 2017, the military toppled the longstanding ruler and his deputy, Mr Mnangagwa, was named president to the backdrop of celebrations.<\/p>\n
After elections, it fell to Mr Mnangagwa to chart a new course for Zimbabwe and convince the international investment community that things had changed. It was a considerable challenge, given his background as a Zanu-PF revolutionary and Mr Mugabe\u2019s former bodyguard turned vice president.<\/p>\n
Mr Mnangagwa was open about the challenges the country faces. While he says he is\u201cvery anxious to leapfrog\u201d the country’s neighbours who have overtaken Zimbabwe during the Mugabe era, he said the country could not do it \u201con the basis of our domestic resources, we don’t have the financial muscle to fulfil our vision.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Mnangagwa impressed at the World Economic Forum at Davos in 2018 after promising to open up Zimbabwe\u2019s economy, although he cancelled his trip this year when protests broke out in Zimbabwe.<\/p>\n
During his first year in office, he has focused on tackling corruption, improving the business environment and reclaiming Zimbabwe\u2019s lost billions. With an amnesty for stolen funds taken out of the country, he says he saw more than $825 million returned in just three months in 2018. \u201cI believe that some is still out and we will continue to probe,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Mr Mnangagwa said there are still people coming forward quietly, wanting to declare assets abroad. He explained that the finance ministry was working out how to bring back the assets but they weren\u2019t necessarily publicising every case.<\/p>\n
Abu Dhabi, March 17, 2019. Interview with the President of Zimbabwe, Emmerson Mnangagwa. Victor Besa\/The National
\nAbu Dhabi, March 17, 2019. Interview with the President of Zimbabwe, Emmerson Mnangagwa. Victor Besa\/The National
\n\u201cIt has been difficult to fight corruption because it has entrenched itself,\u201d Mr Mnangagwa said. \u201cWe don’t even know who we are talking to, are they the corrupt person or not, but we are fighting it.\u201d<\/p>\n
While the economic challenges are the gravest issue facing the country, Mr Mnangagwa\u2019s vision for the country is more holistic. \u201cWe want to build a Zimbabwe we want, a Zimbabwe we can be proud of,\u201d he said. \u201cWe should not condemn ourselves to poverty, condemn ourselves to isolation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Mnangagwa spoke of the great need to give \u201chope\u201d and \u201cinspiration\u201d to the younger generation.<\/p>\n
But the dream of a new Zimbabwe was challenged in January when mass protests over a surge in the price of fuel drew violence from security forces and a military response.<\/p>\n
Mr Mnangagwa said peaceful protest is allowed in Zimbabwe, but violence and destruction, such as the burning of police cars and damage to civil property is not. When that occurs, \u201cthe only people we can call in is the army to stop the destruction and bring law and order,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, receives Emmerson Mnangagwa, President of Zimbabwe at the Presidential Airport. Ryan Carter for the Ministry of Presidential Affairs
\nSheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, receives Emmerson Mnangagwa, President of Zimbabwe, at the Presidential Airport. Ryan Carter for the Ministry of Presidential Affairs
\nThe Zimbabwean president said there had been \u201cno crackdown on free speech,\u201d in January and the response from the military had come from a lack of \u201cmachinery in terms of security to deal with demonstrations\u201d after \u201ctwo decades of isolation and sanctions\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf there is a political and economic jurisdiction in our region where free speech reigns freely and supreme, it is in Zimbabwe,\u201d Mr Mnangagwa said.<\/p>\n
He drew parallels with the so-called Yellow Vest protests sweeping France, a major challenge as President Emmanuel Macron nears the halfway point of his five-year term. \u201c[The French police] use water cannons, and they use batons, but we don\u2019t have those things,\u201d he said. \u201cWe need to acquire them so that we can deal with civil disturbances.\u201d<\/p>\n
When asked if he has the full backing of his people and the Zanu-PF \u2013 which reportedly suffers from internal division \u2013 Mr Mnangagwa simply pointed to his election victory in July 2018, when won 50.8 per cent of the vote in a crowded field of 23 candidates.<\/p>\n
Maintaining support among the majority of Zimbabweans \u2013 amid criticism from a vocal opposition, the Movement for Democratic Change \u2013 will likely require swift economic improvements.<\/p>\n
And with investment from the US and Europe hard to come by, Mr Mnangagwa says he is happy to look elsewhere.<\/p>\n
He said that economic relations were excellent with countries that had supported and armed Zimbabwe in its struggle for independence from Britain in 1980, namely Russia and China. Ties are strong too, he said, with Brazil and India.<\/p>\n
On the legacy of Mr Mugabe, who for many embodied the corruption that was rife under his rule, Mr Mnangagwa insisted his government was prosecuting people from the top echelons of society to the very bottom. But on whether that would include his predecessor, Mr Mnangagwa said he would be treated like anybody else.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will not take charges against Robert Mugabe because he is Robert Mugabe\u2026 [but] If he has committed any crime he will not be spared.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe rule of law must apply to everybody in Zimbabwe.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The United States should have lifted economic sanctions against Zimbabwe \u201cyesterday\u201d, the African country\u2019s president has said, as he seeks to fix a broken economy and attract international investment. \u201cWe feel that we are almost two decades behind in terms of development as a result of economic sanctions that have been imposed on us,\u201d Emmerson […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":1474,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,8,12],"tags":[343,31,149,336,419],"class_list":{"0":"post-5874","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-all-news","8":"category-head-lines","9":"category-policy","10":"tag-eu","11":"tag-mnangagwa","12":"tag-president","13":"tag-sanction","14":"tag-us"},"yoast_head":"\n