Lethargy on Reforms, Grand Corruption and Human Rights abuses seriously undermining Zimbabwe’s re-engagement thrust: US President

[MDC Information Department]

Lethargy on Reforms, Grand Corruption and Human Rights abuses seriously undermining Zimbabwe’s re-engagement thrust: US President

The Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) takes note of President Trump’s statement to the United States (US) Congress on the

continuation of the National Emergency with respect to Zimbabwe Foreign Policy issued on March 4, 2020. The statement is an indictment on

the Harare regime’s attempts to reengage the international community and a clarion call for reforms, an end to corruption and respect for human

rights abuses.

The statement notes that Zimbabwe had “ample opportunity to implement reforms that could set the country on a constructive path, stabilize

the Southern Africa Region and open the door to greater cooperation with the United States’

The statement further notes that ‘the Zimbabwean government has arguably accelerated its persecution of critics and economic

mismanagement in the past year, during which security forces have conducted extrajudicial killings, rapes and alleged abductions’.

The statement by the US President comes a few weeks after the EU Council resolutions and the International Monetary Fund statement that

all called for reforms, an end to corruption and state sponsored human rights abuses.

The MDC has consistently argued that Zimbabwe’s re-engagement with the international community is a function of our domestic policy. The

actions of the regime on the domestic arena have huge ramifications on its relations with the rest of the world. The Mnangagwa regime has

consistently engaged in actions that are not in line with the Constitution of Zimbabwe, regional statutes and international law. Yet the regime

has shamelessly lied to the whole world that it is implementing comprehensive reforms and committed to the reform agenda. These actions

include the killing of the 6 unarmed civilians on August 1 2018, the 17 extrajudicial killings, cases of rape, abductions in January 2019,

continued persecution of human rights defenders and opposition members, banning of peaceful protests and grand corruption.

The MDC has also argued that engaging lobbyists such as Ballard, Mercury LLC and Avenue Strategies for huge millions of taxpayers’ dollars

as the Harare regime has done will not yield any positive results. It will further impoverish the struggling Zimbabwean citizenry.

The MDC reiterates that only action on the reform agenda is more likely to help our beloved country in its re-engagement efforts with the

international community.

Gladys Kudzaishe Hlatywayo
MDC Secretary for International Relations
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