Source: Ramaphosa Tells Biden That Sanctions Forcing Zimbabweans To Migrate To Neighbouring Countries
South Africa’s president, Cyril Ramaphosa has told United States president, Joe Biden that sanctions on Zimbabwe are affecting other countries in the region as economic migrants from Zimbabwe are fleeing to neighbouring countries.
Peter Ndoro, a broadcast journalist posted on Twitter:
Meeting with President Biden, President Ramaphosa raised the issue of #sanctions on #Zimbabwe. He explained to President Biden that Zim sanctions affect other countries in the region as economic migrants are forced to leave #Zimbabwe in their droves to seek economic opportunities.
A senior Biden administration official told reporters earlier in the day that the United States president wanted to discuss the war in Ukraine with Ramaphosa, and hear the South African leader’s “thoughts on the best way forward”.
Biden, who has led an international coalition in applying a slew of economic sanctions against Russian President Vladimir Putin over the war, wants South Africa’s help in those efforts.
But the South African government has resisted calls to directly condemn Russia for the invasion citing close historical ties to Moscow due to the Soviet Union’s support for the anti-apartheid struggle.
Meanwhile, some argue that the economic crisis in Zimbabwe was caused by corruption and looting of national resources by political elites in the ruling ZANU PF, not by sanctions imposed on the southern African country at the turn of the millennium.
The U.S. imposed sanctions, known as ZDERA on Zimbabwe following Robert Mugabe’s administration-initiated fast-track land reform programme that was marred by “gross human rights violations.”
America has always maintained that sanctions were attracted by human rights violations and will only be removed when Zimbabwe implement requisite reforms.
Statistics suggest that hundreds of thousands of Zimbabweans fled the country twenty years ago when the economy collapsed, most of them in South Africa.
COMMENTS
Zanu sanctions are doing this – not USA sanctions. Zanu stole all our property including our homes and businesses and never paid a cent in twenty years. Zanu is a professional mafia – they were even stealing farms from black people (opposition) recently and have detained many opposition members without trial. Ramaposa needs to get his very own Zumagate House in order before throwing stones for Zanu. Why are there over 25 opposition people in Chikirubi, and why did Zanu detain Chief Ndiweni?
Ramaphosa, that a lie. There are no sanctions on Zimbabwe, and you know that. There are targeted sanctions on the the ZANUPF élite and we all know that. We know the difference between targeted sanctions and comprehensive sanctions. Comprehensive sanctions is what Rhodesia had when Ian Smith declared UDI. Rhodesia developed the infrastructure Zimbabwe inherited at independence and which is now destroyed. I was in Zimbabwe recently, and was heartbroken to see the what the country has become. The roads have huge gaping potholes, the paint on the buildings have faded. I visited Mbare and was shocked at the sight of the decaying structures the hostels have become. The stench of urine and faeces greets people in the former central business district, AKA, first street. ZANUPF and their murderous and thieving behaviors is the reason Zimbabweans are fleeing the country and seeking refuge in neighboring South Africa, and other countries. Zimbabweans have become just as corrupt as the ZANUPF leadership. I tried driving in Harare, what a nightmare. No one obeys traffic rules anymore. The remaining street lights are a testament to what was once proud Harare’s glory days. Beggars in the street, many people in wheel chairs, and I saw many blind people being led by very young children, begging for money from the motorists. ZANUPF is returning Zimbabwe to the status of 1890. Remember, there was no modern city and infrastructure in 1890. Well Done ZANUPF. Stop lying, there are no so-called sanctions contributing to Zimbabwe’s destruction. Just ZANUPF. Oh, the Saudi’s, Pakistani’s and the Chinese are colonising Zimbabwe. Mosques are springing up everywhere and the people are subjected to the Islamic call to prayer, adhan, five times a day. Zimbabwe is being turned into an Islamic state.
Ramaposa is making a fool of himself. US sanctions are TARGETED sanctions against individuals. Those are the people he should be challenging. Ask them why they have sanctions against them?