Prominent Zimbabwean journalist Hopewell Chin’ono has criticised South African President Cyril Ramaphosa for what he calls pushing “tired ZANU PF propaganda” that sanctions imposed by Western powers are responsible for Zimbabwe’s economic collapse that has driven millions to migrate to neighbouring countries and further afield.
Addressing the United Nations (UN) General Assembly in New York, United States of America, on Tuesday, Ramaphosa said the sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe have a negative impact on neighbouring countries, including South Africa.
Posting on X, Chin’ono said Zimbabwe is not under a trade embargo as Zimbabwean entities can still export various products without any hindrance.
Former President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s top aide, Petina Gappah, accused Chin’ono of “misleading” people, adding “There is, and has never been, a trade embargo on Zimbabwe.”
In response, Chin’ono said only people who are pushing ZANU PF propaganda will argue that sanctions destroyed Zimbabwe’s economy.
Chin’ono said on the contrary, massive looting of public funds, plunder of the country’s natural resources, grand incompetence, family nepotism and greed are at the centre of Zimbabwe’s economic crisis. Wrote Chin’ono:
We know that sanctions against individuals in Zimbabwe are not multilateral, and anyone not doing ZANUPF propaganda knows that they are not the reason why Zimbabwe collapsed.
The reason why we mention our ability to do trade is that in rural areas Zimbabweans are lied to that the country can’t trade that is why the economy has collapsed, every Zimbabwean has seen this on TV, and of course it is a LIE!
We also know that there is no trade embargo against Zimbabwe which is why I used that example of blueberries, unlike what ZANUPF says when lying to rural people, hence the deceptive ZANUPF propaganda we always point out.
We also know that Rhodesia was under a proper multilateral sanctions regime with a trade embargo, yet it prospered because there was very minimal corruption.
It is a fact that the national hardware that we use today from hospitals, schools and roads were built during the Rhodesian days, under a proper sanctions regime and trade embargo.
That is why we ask why ZANU-PF blames targeted sanctions for its tragic failures yet it can trade and sell its minerals openly, something that Smith couldn’t do yet he built the country under a proper trade embargo.
No single referral hospital was built in post-colonial Zimbabwe except for Chitungwiza which was a Rhodesian provincial hospital and was only upgraded to a referral hospital in the 1980s.
Anyone honest knows that Zimbabwe has collapsed not because of targeted sanctions, but because of the massive looting of public funds, plunder of the country’s natural resources, grand incompetence, family nepotism and greed.
The suffering of Zimbabweans today that President Cyril Ramaphosa talked about includes the Zimbabwean women who are crossing into South Africa to give birth to Musina because the biggest hospital in Zimbabwe ONLY has one maternity theatre built by Ian Smith in 1977.
This influx of Zimbabweans into South Africa has caused tensions between South African locals and their government, which is why Ramaphosa talks about the Zimbabwean problem and points to sanctions as the driver, which is false!
Any honest reader of the Zimbabwean situation knows that it is not caused by sanctions but corruption, a lot of it!
The world knows that 2 500 Zimbabwean women die giving birth in Zimbabwe because there are no maternity theatres.
The world also knows that 70% of women who give birth at Musina Hospital in South Africa are Zimbabwean, hence President Ramaphosa’s call that his country is affected and its public services are under pressure.
Now here is the crux of the matter which I must address as a respected journalist should do, we all know that it only costs US$37,000 to build a maternity theatre.
We all know that the Zimbabwean Government lands a Landcruiser at US$400,000, although it is much cheaper than that. 3/4 of that money is looted from that 400k bill per each Landcruiser.
We also know that the Zimbabwean Government has thousands of these Landcruisers for its ZANUPF political elites.
Ministers get three cars each every cycle, chiefs get brand new cars ahead of hospitals, government bureaucrats get these Landcruisers every 2 to 3 years and keep the “old” ones.
We also know that just ONE Landcruiser would build 11 maternity theatres.
Based on these proven material facts, it is a blatant big fat LIE that Zimbabweans (particularly women running to SA) are doing so on account of targeted sanctions.
That is why I always ask how can a country that can trade fails to build a maternity theatre.
The unilateral sanctions don’t and can’t stop that!
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