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Statement From Linda Masarira-Kaingidza
LEAD President

In 2001, the United States (U.S.) adopted the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act (ZIDERA) and imposed targeted sanctions against selected Zim babwean officials and institutions it viewed as established and serving to buttress the preferred position of the targeted individuals.

To influence a change in attitude and behaviour of the Mugabe regime, particularly in the area of democracy, human rights and the rule of law, in 2002, the European Union (EU) went on to impose sanctions that it officially referred to as restrictive measures against Robert Mugabe and some of his allies.

It’s been almost two decades. Our honest and clear evaluation is that these sanctions are yet to achieve their set goals. Instead, there are daunting records of their miserable impact on the rights and well-being of ordinary and otherwise innocent civilians that include the most vulnerable to my heart, employees, children, women and those living with disabilities.

The Labour, Economists and Afrikan Democrats (LEAD), which party I’m founded in is a collective. LEAD is a labour party formed as a result of mounting problems facing the workers and their beneficiaries. Over the past years we have seen a systematic disenfranchisement of these workers in Zimbabwe by agents of capital and neo-colonialism. As LEAD we see the imposition of sanctions by the west on Zimbabwe as a direct attack on the very worker they are purported to have been instituted to benefit.

I am not going to waste time discussing the merits or demerits of the said sanctions. My message and that of my party and many Zimbabweans in particular is clear. We as the people of Zimbabwe are grateful to the western powers for trying to help us but it’s time we ask them to give us a chance to find our own way forward as a people.

Since the imposition of sanctions in 2001, and due to poor governance the conditions of workers in Zimbabwe have continued to deteriorate. The questions we have is who called for sanctions? Who has been much affected? why are we individuals failing to trade at certain international scales?why do we have a dead private and public sector? why has the government failed to counter sanctions?Are we not in this situation because of a countries political standing and these sanction?” who exactly is responsible?.

Anyone living in Zimbabwe right now will agree with me that unemployment in the country has risen to unprecedented levels. Prizes of basic commodities are soaring beyond the rich of even the best paid of our people. The only form of employment left is that of civil service and commercial work. Most of our industrial areas have turned into ghost towns. The whole country has been turned into a flea market. Even the heavens seem to have sanctioned us. As for the past decade we have barely managed a decent harvest. The dignity of work is fast deteriorating and with it is also going the dignity of the respect of human rights that include education, health, infrastructure developed and more.

Every year our various education institutions are releasing thousands of graduates into a jobless market. When one goes around the streets of any city in Zimbabwe the fellow they meet selling tomatoes at a street corner is degreed or certificate holder.

Now, if these potrayed to be saviours, sanctions worked they surely should have helped our case by now. No wonder why the people had decided to go to the streets to show the outside world that they are no longer amused by the persistence of these abortive sanctions. I say the “people had” because I no longer feel it is still a people’s demonstration.

As a party we were encouraging our members and the general public to join the march but we are now feet heavy.

The Zimbabwe government machinery seems to have hijacked the people’s cause. We now hear of people being bussed from as far as Muzarabani to come and take part in this march. We hear of school children and the civil servants being force-marched by state agents to come and take part in this march against sanctions by this purported to be new government of ZANU PF. In an African democratic society, and as LEAD we do not condone this political stance.

Government in highjacking has even gone a step further to declare the 25th of October a public holiday. What a betrayal of the people’s revolution. This is exactly what happened in November 2017.

We as the people and workers are tired of being used for political gains. The whole essence and purpose of the march by the people for themselves is lost. We are disheartened. This now a Zanu pf campaign rhetoric. It is no longer of the people. We hoped the West and the outside world were going to hear us. Now our noble cause as workers is going to be perceived as a Zanu pf cause. I am tempted to ask the workers not to join the march and let the politicians do the marching.

Why are Zimbabwean workers continually used for political expediency? Why are Zimbabwean workers continually being used as pawns in the battle of the rich? If you ask me this is now a public show between Zanu Pf and MDC. While Zanu pf is busy bussing innocent and vulnerable workers to take part in a fruitless march in order to set a political narrative, the MDC on the other hand is busy sending its scouts throughout the country to take photos of the said buses sending them to the west also to portray their own political narrative.

In conclusion my plea is to the workers, their families and children. My plea is that if you are incapacitated to go to work you still are incapacitated to take part in a cause that will not yield anything positive for you. Let the MDC and Zanu pf leadership, together, take a bold step and go to the west to ask for the removal of the sanctions.

I call upon the workers to use the 25th of October economically by making sure they spend it vending for their families.

LEAD’S message to both MDC and Zanu PF is clear. If you have nothing for the worker please don’t pretend. We are not pawns. We are human beings. We demand respect.

To the west my message is simple. Thank you very much for trying. Please leave us alone if you have no better solution for our cause.

I thank you.

Linda Masarira-Kaingidza
LEAD President

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