The government of Zimbabwe says that the removal of sanctions imposed on the country by Western powers will enable it to expedite the compensation of white commercial farmers who lost land during the land reform programme.
Writing in the influential Foreign Policy magazine, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Subisiso Moyo also touched on “some tragic and lamentable incidents [that] have taken place since” President Emmerson Mnangagwa came to power. He wrote:
Lifting the Mugabe-era U.S. economic sanctions that prevent full international engagement would remedy this problem.
Free to enjoy the full benefits afforded by global engagement, Zimbabwe—with its rich mineral resources and land, a highly educated workforce, and solid infrastructure—would thrive. And with it would come a bigger budget to expedite land reform.
… Some tragic and lamentable incidents have taken place since this administration came to power. Yet those incidents should not be read as government intent nor obscure the country’s progress. We cannot change the past, only our future.
The six deaths that followed post-election clashes between security forces and protesters is one such event. Immediately, the government instituted an international commission of inquiry headed by former South African President Kgalema Motlanthe and the international human rights lawyer Rodney Dixon.
Moyo said that even though nobody was prosecuted for the August 1 killings, those responsible will be punished. He wrote:
The fact that nobody has yet been prosecuted does not mean that the recommendations have been dismissed. To be absolutely clear, those responsible will be held accountable. Meanwhile, other changes are in motion.
Moyo further argued that the removal of sanctions will help the government strengthen the protection of human rights and avert further abuses.