A LIVID President Emmerson Mnangagwa, pictured, yesterday slammed the West for imposing sanctions on Zimbabwe and trying to bulldoze smaller nations at the United Nations (UN).
This comes as the United States (US) and its allies, the United Kingdom (UK) and the European Union (EU), have renewed their two-decade long trade and arms embargo on Zimbabwe for alleged violation of human rights and lack of reforms.
It also comes as Mnangagwa’s administration has managed to canvas the support of Sadc and the African Union (AU) to lobby for the removal of the sanctions.
Speaking at State House yesterday during a swearing-in ceremony for Zimbabwe’s Ambassadors-designate Victor Matemadanda (Mozambique) and Albert Chimbindi (UN), Mnangagwa said these superpowers accused Harare of human rights violations when in fact they perpetrate far worse infractions in their own backyards.
“One weapon which the big boys use is the question of human rights. They ignore human rights violations in their own countries, but go around talking about human rights violations in developing countries, when there are worst human rights happening in the jurisdictions of these major countries.
“We in Zimbabwe, suffered under human rights of oppression for decades, and we had to go to war in order to have democracy in our country, so we cherish it, no one can lecture us on our democracy, so he (Chimbindi) must be aware,” Mnangagwa said.
He also slammed the US and its allies for turning the Group of Seven (G7) into an exclusive club where they undermine developing countries.
“The first group of big boys is the G7, who say they have the seven biggest economies in the world, whether that is true or not, but that’s what they say.
“They meet as a group of seven; they determine what development thrust the world must follow and what influence they must have in the development of the entire world.
“Then beyond the G7, there is the G20. Now, the G7 will now expand and look at other nations or economies, which they think are coming up, and should not be allowed to be free. So, they are harnessing and expanding the group of seven into the group of 20,” Mnangagwa said.
Due to the sanctions imposed on Harare, Mnangagwa said his administration had now focused on harnessing the country’s domestic resources and finding new partners.
Since Zimbabwe’s relations soured with the West, Harare’s foreign policy is now focused on the East with Russia and China becoming the country’s biggest allies.
“As Sadc, we stand together on issues of that nature and AU, but to my ambassador, he must not be bulldozed by the big boys, because they have worse human rights violations in their own jurisdictions,” Mnangagwa thundered.
Speaking after a meeting with Foreign Affairs minister Frederick Shava in Harare last month, the EU said the bloc had reminded the government of Zimbabwe that it had committed to adhere to its constitutional and international human rights obligations.