via RadioVop Zimbabwe – Mutasa, Top Zim Military Brass Removed From EU Sanctions February 17, 2014
The European Union suspended sanctions on eight of Zimbabwe’s most powerful military and political figures on Monday, but kept them on President Robert Mugabe and his wife, in a cautious easing of policy after last year’s disputed elections.
The 28-nation EU, which imposed sanctions on Zimbabwe in 2002 in protest at human rights abuses and violations of democracy under Mugabe, has gradually eased sanctions over the last few years to encourage political reform.Another decision, to be taken by ministers on Tuesday, is expected to pave the way for the EU to resume channeling development aid directly to the Zimbabwe government from 2015 after years in which the bloc shunned the government and worked with charities.
The EU’s concessions were dismissed by Rugare Gumbo, a spokesman for Mugabe’s ZANU-PF party, who told Reuters in Harare: “This is all nonsensical, we don’t accept these half measures. We want total and irrevocable removal of sanctions.””They cannot keep the president on the sanctions list, what has Mugabe done? We have said we are open to talking to the EU but they have to remove those sanctions, they are hurting our people,” he said.Mugabe, who turns 90 on Friday, has ruled Zimbabwe since independence from Britain in 1980.
He has frequently clashed with the West over his policies and accused the United States and Britain in a speech to the United Nations last September of trying to control his nation and its resources.EU states were divided in their response when Mugabe won a fifth term as president in an election last July that was endorsed as free by African observers but denounced as fraudulent by the opposition.LEVERAGEAfter a review, EU governments have decided to stick to their carrot-and-stick policy of gradual easing of sanctions with the aim of encouraging positive change in Zimbabwe while retaining some leverage over Mugabe to pursue reforms.
The EU decided on Monday to keep Mugabe and his wife Grace under an asset freeze and a ban on travelling to the EU for another year. The bloc is retaining an arms embargo on Zimbabwe and sanctions on arms supplier Zimbabwe Defense Industries.But sanctions, which are reviewed annually, were suspended on the eight senior Zimbabwe officials who remained on the EU’s list, EU sources said.They include Constantine Chiwenga, commander of the Zimbabwe Defense Forces, army commander Phillip Valerio Sibanda, Air Force commander Perence Shiri, intelligence chief Happyton Bonyongwe, police chief Augustine Chihuri and Didymus Mutasa, minister of state for presidential affairs.
Reuters
COMMENTS
It looks like a few deals are being struck on the side and promises of a big change in Zimbabwe looming. Just hope I am not getting my hopes up too soon. I would rather have seen the change first then the easing of sanctions as these guys cannot be trusted.
You’re right “don’t get your hopes up”. The ones that just had sanctions lifted will launders assets thru their personal accounts for those that have sanctions remaining. Its pretty much of a no brainer.
Sweet dreams comrades, sweet dreams
what positive way forward.
great, move.
thats what i call leadership. not just a good move but a just one.
cheers.
They are trying to separate Mugabe from his men. Maybe some of them have grown up and will take the opportunity offered for what it is. There is no point in stripping Zimbabwe bare to make yourself rich only to find you cannot visit London and New York.
My Take:
As long as RGM is under sanctions then:
1. All Zimbos are under the same sanctions as their popularly elected president.
2. The whole of SADC is under sanctions just as RGM their chairman.
3. The whole AU is under the same sanctions as RGM their VC, which is why they will not attend any meeting where he is excluded.
Lets see who blinks first!
I understand you are trying show us the illegitimacy of these organizations.
Firstly what animal is a Zimbo? I have never seen or known of such an animal?
I, personally, am not under sanctions simply because gukurahundi Mugabe is under sanctions. He is a gukurahundi, I am not.
I am not part of the gukurahundi familt; have never been part of it; will never be part of it; and will never wish to be part of the murderous family!!
Considering that the military, intelligence and police supremos who have had sanctions suspended are the real power behind this regime and the enforcers of past repression and human right abuses, this doesn’t make sense unless they are trying to drive a wedge between them and Mugabe. If so, good luck to them because it is not likely to work.
Europe is confused. How do you lift sanctions on the actual perpetrators of gukurahundism – the military?
Even if they were trying to play divide and rule, in an effort to weaken the establishment, it would have been better to remove gukurahundi Mugabe from sanctions and tighten the gukurahundi sanctions on the gukurahundi military, right across the board.
This way, you would eventually see cracks between the military and the civilian authorities in power.
Mthwakazi mfowetu: being mthwakazi does not mean u must be a tribalist bigot who sees everything thru a tribal prism. There are a lot of shona pple who did not support nor actively take part in Gukurahundi.
Dydmas Mutasa is one of them. And so was the late Sllomon Mujuru. In the case of the later, that is why 5th Brigade reported directly to the President and not Mujuru.
Others lik Rugare Gumbo were at one time victims not beneficiaries of Mugabeism. Mutasa is one of the few wisemen left in ZanuPF, who keeps the radicals in check and the EU has realised that Mutasa does not deserve to be on sanction list.
And yes Mthwakazi, Mutasa is not a Gukurahundi!
Bayete Mzilikazi.
Godonga
Godonga, you; like all of the like minded as usual, you always read what you have at the back of your mind or what you have grown up being taught by gukurahundi ZANU PF and its government’s state controlled media; NOT what is written in front of you.
I am not surprised; but I feel sorry for most of you post 1980s so-called born frees. It is not easy to grow up in such a highly controlled and psychologically controlling environment like that of Zimbabwe. It is very difficult to pursue indipendent thinking – as such people are simply turned into robots as they grow up.
1. Obviously, from what you are saying, it is clear you grew up being told that GUKURAHUNDI EQUALS SHONAS – am I wrong?
2. You also grew up being told GUKURAHUNDI EQUALS REVENGE FOR 1890s TRIBAL WARS – am I wrong?
3. Again, you also grew up being told ANY MENTION OF THE WORD GUKURAHUNDI EQUALS TRIBALISM AGAINST THE SHONA – again, am I wrong?
If you re-read what I have written above – there is no mention of the word SHONA and there is no mention of the word TRIBE, or TRIBALISM.
Now tell me mfowethu, where exactly do you get these terms since you have just brought them into this discussion about these gukurahundi travel and shopping sanctions?
PLEASE ENLIGHTEN ME – I AWAIT YOUR ANSWER WITH BATED BREATH, SIR!!
Mthwakazi, u can not always rely on what is written, I made a logical inference from some of ur thots and if am wrong, it does not take away our common ground:
“that the EU is right to remove Mutasa et al from the sanctions list”. (except for the Gukurahundi Military- and by that i mean only those in the military who took part in Gukurahundi). Ndoda that is why i gave the Mujuru analogue above.
Mthwakazi i find a lot of sense in some of what u say here but underneath ur thoughts sometimes lies a bitterness only u can exorcise.
U r quick to group people into boxes yet some of us do not operate inside or outside any box: My mind operates in a realm where there are no boxes at all!
Lets talk ideas without u boxing me into categories, calling me names or pigioning my points into the usual Zanu Pf generalisations can not help ur own case at all.
I am surprised however that u think Gukurahundi is not a tribal monster: lol for once u almost sounded lik a CIO stooge there!
Bayete Mzilikazi
Bayethe Mzilikazi!
Godonga
Gukurahundi is a ZANU PF issue. Its not a Shona issue my friend, grow up.
As far as I am concerned, anyone associated with ZANU PF is by definition a gukurahundi, because gukurahundi was perpetrated by ZANU PF.
That it was made up of Shona speaking people is neither here nor there; but the crux of the matter is that it was created and driven by ZANU PF.
Because ZANU PF has never changed in its tactics of retaining power since the days of gukurahundi in the 1980s – it remains a gukurahundi party, using gukurahundi methods of retaining power.
Gukurahundi does not define Shonas – it defines ZANU PF zealots. Enos Nkala and Mark Dube, the then Governor of Mat South were by far worse as ZANU PF politicians in gukurahundism, than most ZANU PF Shona politicians put together; therefore there were gukurahundis, of Ndebele or Mthwakazi extraction.
Even today, Jabulani Sibanda is far worse a gukurahundi; even worse than Joseph Chinotimba, who is Shona. That he is Mthwakazi is neither here nor there; he remains a gukurahundi.
I will not be cowed from raising the gukurahundi issue as I see it fit, just because Mugabe brought you up to believe gukurahundi refers to all the Shona people, innocent or not. I will never allow a politician to play with my mind – which is what they are doing to you.
Mugabe and his ZANU PF, knew their actions were an evil way of retaining power; so they sought to find sympathisers among the Shona by deliberatly confusing the masses. This strategy has clearly worked in their favour over the years; as you can see that most Shonas feel guilty about this issue and dont like to hear it discussed. At the end of the day, ZANU PF wins, hands down.
I dont buy this thing of people being made to feel guilty by association. Are you saying Bona, Chatunga and Robert Mugabe jnr, should also guilty of gukurahundi, because they are Mugabe’s children? Conflating gukurahundi with the Shona people is deliberately mischevious – it has nothing to do with the Shona. Stop this mischieve – it only serves ZANU PF interests, of not being accountable for their evil actions.
Tribalising gukurahundi serves Mugabe and ZANU PF’s interests. It is them who tribalised the dissident issue, in order to win Shona support. This is why everytime gukurahundi is mentioned – their first reaction is to bring up the Mzilikazi wars of the 1890s – where is the connection? Was King Mzilikazi also after dissidents?
You have been brought up the ZANU PF way – that is why you believe what you believe – there is no tribalism here; grow up and stop allowing yourself to be used by politicians!!
Mtwakazi, I hear you. This serious gukurahundi issue will never be attended to by ZANU. The point is ,we have a bunch of people who were never rehabilitated after the war.Most in the leadership are mentally unstable and really need help,more so in the military. We are being filled by lunatics I am sorry to say.
Strangley enough people are not willing to talk about this.
We needed new blood not Zanufied, then the gukurahundi issue will be opened so we can heal.
By the way I am Zezuru,but its neither here nor there.
I mean ruled by lunatics. Its all because of atrocities committed to nationals during the war.