Industrialists have described Sadc’s decision to declare October 25, 2019 a solidarity day against illegal sanctions on Zimbabwe as historic, and requested the day be declared a national holiday.
Zimbabwe National Business Council president Mr Langton Mabhanga said, “Sadc’s decision is plausible and historic. We have now been vindicated as a country that the Third Force is at work.
“Our economic trajectory has been under siege because of sanctions. Our call to President Mnangagwa as business is that October 25 this year must be a public holiday so that there is effective coordination of activities nationally and regionally.”
Mr Mabhanga said sanctions had the potential to scuttle Government’s Transitional Stabilization Programme.
Confederation of Zimbabwe Industry immediate past president Mr Sifelani Jabangwe said industry was on record saying sanctions were hurting ordinary people.
“… they must remove sanctions and that would be good for business. We will be able to access finance and get investment. The call by Sadc for the West to remove sanctions is quite noble, we are quite humbled.”
Another industrialist said there was need for Sadc to come up with reciprocal measures against the West to counter their sanctions.
“Firstly, Sadc and the African Union should be quite vocal in denouncing the sanctions during the forthcoming United Nations General Assembly to be held in New York and impress upon the global body to have them removed,” said the industrialist.
“Secondly, if that is not heeded, as a continent we need to come up with measures to counter them, one of which is to escalate our engagement with the East such as China and Russia which has demonstrated goodwill in working with us.”
During the summit held recently in Dar es Salaam, Sadc summit comprising Heads of State and Governments tasked the secretariat to escalate the lobby with the African Union chairperson, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, who will be expected to raise the issue at the upcoming 74th United Nations General Assembly in September.
