Zimbabwe’s Deputy Minister of Information Energy Mutodi today said there was nothing wrong with the country’s richest man Strive Masiyiwa supporting President Emmerson Mnangagwa in the fight against sanctions.
Masiyiwa has been under fire for calling for an end to sanctions on Zimbabwe imposed by the European Union and the United States 16 years ago but have been having a harsh exchange with Jonathan Moyo over cyberbullying.
He has called for the sanctions to be removed so that Zimbabwe can move forward.
Proponents of sanctions say they do not affect ordinary Zimbabwe because they are targeted at only 141 individuals and entities. Zimbabwe’s problems are due to the mismanagement of the economy by the ruling Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front.
But several business leaders including former president of the Confederation of Zimbabwe industries, Busisa Moyo, and publisher Trevor Ncube, have backed Masiyiwa arguing that no one in business supports sanctions.
They all argued that it was a fallacy to say that sanctions only affected the 141 designated nationals and entities but ordinary Zimbabweans.
Masiyiwa stressed that sanctions hurt business saying: “I have documents and emails from bankers and investors. I tried so hard to persuade some of them, often suggesting that they are not interpreting the sanctions correctly.
“In my case I was forced to go to China to secure loans to support our Zimbabwean businesses. But this was not always ideal. I have spoken about it publicly on many occasions even in the US and China itself.
“It is not right that we as business should have to work under such conditions, when all we want is to create jobs and livelihoods for ordinary people,” he said.
Mutodi today said: “There is nothing wrong with Strive Masiyiwa supporting President Mnangagwa in the fight against sanctions. Zimbabweans must know when to fight & when to unite. We need everyone’s voice in the fight against sanctions including the opposition & Prof JN Moyo.”
One of Masiyiwa’s critics Rutendo Matinyarare says he supports Strive 200% in the fight against sanctions.
“My only concern is how genuine is he coz HE sits on the #CouncilOnForeignRelations & #RockefellerFoundation, HIS bosses instituted those sanctions. So why then can’t he lobby his handlers for the removal of sanctions?” he asks.
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