SOUTH African President, Cyril Ramaphosa, is expected in the country next month to discuss bilateral issues including sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe.
Ramaphosa, who has been fighting in Zimbabwe’s corner against sanctions imposed by the West, is expected to lead a high-powered delegation on the 12th of march which is expected to help Zimbabwe on its recovery agenda.
Speaking on South African television network, eNCA, South Africa’s International Relations and Cooperation Minister, Lindiwe Sisulu, said sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe should have been lifted by now to give the landlocked country a fighting chance.
“We are preparing for a bi-national meeting with Zimbabwe on March 12, 2019. Our President (Ramaphosa) will lead the delegation to Harare. I thought by now sanctions imposed on Zimbabwean Government and its people would be lifted to enable the country to start afresh after all the challenges they have gone through,” she said.
“We call on EU and particularly the United Kingdom (UK) to give the Government and the people of Zimbabwe a chance to change their situation by urgently lifting the sanctions. Without lifting the sanctions, the Government of Zimbabwe will never be able to address its economic challenges, and this is compromising the political gains achieved since the coming in of the new President.”
President Ramaphosa has in the past called on the West to remove sanctions on Zimbabwe as they are detrimental to its economic growth.
Speaking at a World economic forum gathering in Davos, Switzerland earlier this year, the South African leader said while South Africa is in negotiations with Zimbabwe to find solutions to its challenges, the world must help the situation by lifting sanctions placed on the country.
Zimbabwe has been saddled with sanctions meant to force the Government to respect the rule of law and enact a number of reforms.
The EU imposed sanctions against former President Robert Mugabe’s government in 2000 and has since then maintained the restrictive measures.
United States President last year renewed the decade long sanctions under a new bill, ZIDERA meant to achieve the same.
