Illegal sanctions have united Zimbabweans

[JemChi]

Illegal sanctions have united Zimbabweans

ILLEGAL sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe by the United States and her
Western allies have united Zimbabweans in defence of their national
sovereignty more than at any other time, the Minister of Information and
Publicity, Dr Sikhanyiso Ndlovu, said yesterday.

He was responding to a report by the Brussels-based International
Crisis Group that the sanctions imposed on the country by the west had
divided Zimbabweans.

The Minister said contrary to the pro-Western pressure groups
assertions, Zimbabweans were more united than before. He added that the
country brooks no interference of any sort from whatever quarter.

"The International Crisis Groups statement that the long political
stalemate in Zimbabwe is breaking up at last and that regime change is
imminent before 2008 is a grandiose flight of imagination," said Dr
Ndlovu in a statement.

"Francois Grignon, the ICG programme director, admits that sanctions
are there and that companies and the poor are suffering.

"He urges them to rise against Government in order to institute a
stooge imperialist megaphone government with a new constitution which the
MDC and (National Constitutional Assembly chairman Mr Lovemore) Madhuku
are working on without the mandate of the Zimbabwean people."

Dr Ndlovu said the MDC which Mr Grignon wants to take as government,
has had plenty of time to organise and compete in free and fair elections
in the country but dismally failed, the latest being the Chiredzi
by-election and rural district council elections.

He scoffed at the calls by ICG for the two fractious MDC factions to
unite so that they could be assisted to remove President Mugabe.

"ICG is calling for the creation of an exit package for President
Mugabe, in fact he (Mr Grignon) should prepare an exit package from Zimbabwe politics for Tsvangirai and Mutambara," said Dr Ndlovu.

"The ICG makes reference to business interests that are said to be
working to overthrow the Government because of biting sanctions. Which
business interests are these? We would be happy if they could be named."

Government, he said, had rescued many companies from suffering due to
the sanctions imposed by the EU, the US and Britain through the
distressed companies financial support programme under the National Economic Development Priority Programme.

"Farmers have been provided with cattle restocking finance, dairy
support schemes and various agricultural production facilities such as
inputs and mechanisation schemes," he said.

Dr Ndlovu described as political hallucination claims by ICG that some
Zanu-PF elements were working with the MDC to unconstitutionally effect
regime change.

"Zanu-PF is a strong grassroots party with dedicated unflinching cadres
who fought the armed struggle which liberated the country from colonial
bondage.

"No one within its ranks is poised to betray the national liberation
legacy that binds the Zanu-PF Government with the masses.

"Grignons statement must be dismissed with the contempt it
deserves," he said.