Former ZANU PF Mashonaland West provincial chairperson Temba Mliswa said that Zimbabwe can learn a lot from Rhodesia’s last Prime Minister, Ian Douglas Smith on how to bust sanctions.
Mliswa is of the view that sanctions by themselves are not as debilitating as has been claimed in some circles. Rather, corruption among the country’s ruling elite is more ruinous than the sanctions. Said Mliswa:
My homeboy from Shurugwi, Ian Douglas Smith had very profound words all can learn from regarding the imposition of sanctions. The level of CORRUPTION in Zimbabwe is our biggest challenge to economic success.
Sanctions understood as an abuse of power and use of destruction for political expediency can also include corruption which is a self-imposed form of the same, more pernicious and damaging than traditional sanctions.
We have many cases of gross corruption which has national significance negatively. NSSA, Chiadzwa diamonds, Hwange scandal, ZINARA’s dubious tenders and many others where money has and is being abused. All these monies should have gone to supporting national production.
The limitation of sanctions is manifest in the Rhodesian and Cuban examples where they were and are more punishing. That should inform us about the existence of some other factor(s) derailing progress and development, more lethal, near and within our national purview.