ZwNews.com
Former Zimbabwean Deputy Prime Minister and Robotics Professor Mutambara says Zimbabwe has no moral authority to talk about foreign imposed sanctions until it removes the sanctions it has imposed on itself.
This comes high on the heels of the recent appointment of an American firm by President Emmerson Mnangagwa to try and mend the country’s bruised image.
Mnangagwa’s administration recently contracted Brian Ballard’s firm to try and lobby for the removal of sanctions imposed on Harare by Washington. The contract is said to be worth US$500 000, which many are saying is a wasteful move by the Mnangagwa administration.
The sanctions have since been recently extended by another year. Renewing the restrictions, US President Donald Trump cited continued human rights abuses, lack of rule of law compounded by lack of democratic space in Zimbabwe.
However, Harare is maintaining that her re-engagement adventures are still on track, hence the contract of the American firm to clean her tainted image in Washington.
Meanwhile, more recently, the US voiced fresh concerns over Zimbabwe rights abuses, saying Mnangagwa is yet to reform and shake the bad boy image off his back.
“We believe that President Mnangagwa has yet to implement the political and economic overhaul required to improve the country’s reputation,” said the State Department.
Prof Mutambara told recently CNBC that sanctions on Zimbabwe are self inflicted wounds coming on the foundation of human rights abuses and the deprivation of citizens’ democratic space by the state.
He said Zimbabweans must work together and put the country first. Added that dialogue should have the MDC-Alliance as the opposition and not what he calls 20 other little lumpen elements! He said the key to the economy is confidence, reserves, cut down on expenditure and productivity.
When probed if there was a difference between Mugabe and Mnangagwa, Mutambara said that the 2018 election was a window dressing activity to endorse a coup, adding that you can never build a democracy on the back of a coup d’etat.
He went on to indicate that Chiwenga and Mnangagwa were Mugabe’ henchman, so by nature, they are more brutal and vicious than their former master.
