President Emerson Mnangagwa has begged for the removal of economic sanctions imposed on the country by the west saying Zimbabwe’s potential cannot be realized as long as the restrictive measures are hanging on the government’s neck.
Mnangagwa who took over the reins following a bloodless coup in November last year has promised a free and fair elections which according to the west has been a stumbling block to their re-engagement with Zimbabwe.
In a statement published on the New York Times, Mnangagwa asked western countries to reconsider their sanctions against Zimbabwe saying the country has so much potential which will not be realized as long as those measures are still in place.
“Zimbabwe is changing — politically, economically and socially — and we ask those who have punished us in the past to reconsider their sanctions against us. Zimbabwe is a land of potential, but it will be difficult to realize it with the weight of sanctions hanging from our necks,” said President Mnangagwa.
He appealed for support on the recently established National Peace and Reconciliation Committee which he said would be instrumental in moving the nation forward.
In what appears like a distressed call, Mnangagwa urged the west to let go of past misunderstandings and allow a new beginning.
“As we put the past behind us and embrace this new dawn, we are calling upon the international community to join us. The creation of a National Peace and Reconciliation Committee, which I recently signed into law, will enable us to move forward now as one united people, part of the greater community of nations. Whatever misunderstandings we may have had in the past, let these make way for a new beginning.
“Those who cling to the sanctions are stuck in the old Zimbabwe — the Zimbabwe of poverty and international isolationism. We are bringing about the new Zimbabwe — a country of hope and opportunity, a country that engages with the world and strives toward prosperity,” said Mnangagwa.
He invited the international community to partner with Zimbabwe in unlocking the country’s vast potential and build a new, prosperous and democratic Zimbabwe.
