Former Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs deputy minister, Obert Gutu, has said Zimbabwe could be Paradise if sanctions that were imposed on Zimbabwe by the West are removed.
In Twitter posts seen by Pindula News, Gutu who is a National Peace and Reconciliation Commission (NPRC) commissioner said:
SANCTIONS AGAINST ZIMBABWE MUST FALL
Just imagine Zimbabwe without illegal sanctions! It would be real PARADISE. Lift all forms & types of illegal sanctions against Zimbabwe & let this beautiful country flourish!
Gutu also said diaspora vote should be granted only after all sanctions have been removed in order to “give all political parties unfettered access to campaign in the diaspora.”
Although President Emmerson Mnangagwa pledged in 2028 to extend voting rights to millions of Zimbabweans based abroad, that has not happened.
The government has cited several “reasons” to explain why Zimbabweans in the diaspora won’t be voting.
In June 2022, Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, Ziyambi Ziyambi told Parliament that Zimbabweans based in the diaspora will not be able to vote in local elections in the foreseeable future saying Section 160 of the country’s constitution does not provide for the diaspora vote.
The government sometimes says it is not financially equipped to allow the diaspora to vote but critics say authorities in Harare are afraid that the citizens scattered all over the world would vote for the opposition.
Gutu’s remarks come ahead of the Anti-Sanctions day commemorated annually on the 25th of October to pile up pressure on the United States to remove the restrictive measures on Zimbabwe.
The West imposed sanctions on Zimbabwe at the turn of the millennium following the fast-track land reform programme which was characterised by gross violation of human rights.
Gutu’s remarks drew criticism from Zimbabweans in the diaspora, human rights and political activists who argued that Zimbabweans living abroad did not attract sanctions on the southern African country.
Ousted Ntabazinduna chief and chairperson of MyRight2Vote, Nhlanhlayamangwe Ndiweni, said the international standard of democracy allows the diaspora to vote. The UK-based former traditional leader told NewsDay:
Gutu’s comments, by linking diaspora vote with targeted sanctions spoil the efforts to have diaspora voting. He is holding the Zimbabwe diaspora hostage to the sanctions issue. This year the UN human rights commission in Geneva rejected the link between sanctions and diaspora votes.
Human rights watchdog, Coalition for Citizens Advocates secretary-general Wilbert Ndiweni said there must be no condition for those in the diaspora to vote because it is their constitutional right to be allowed to vote.