British Embassy says sanctions do not target ordinary Zimbabweans

By Violet Gonda
4 June 2009

The British Embassy has responded to an article published on Tuesday by the state controlled Herald Newspaper, which claimed the UK government had to ‘airlift’ destitute British pensioners from Zimbabwe because western sanctions had destroyed the economy. The Embassy said it was disappointed that The Herald continues to ‘peddle gross distortions and misinformation’.

The newspaper article titled; Sanctions Hit Local British Pensioners, said: “The Western-imposed economic sanctions have hit pensioners hard, prompting the British government to airlift the first five of its 500 elderly citizens resident in Zimbabwe, whose pensions and investments were wiped out by the ravages of hyperinflation.”

The UK government denied this exercise was an ‘airlift’ and said it was a resettlement scheme - a voluntary programme intended to help older and vulnerable British people who could no longer support themselves in Zimbabwe and who are unable to move to the UK without assistance.

The said they are fully committed to helping the inclusive government implement democratic and economic reforms, but cautioned that “The Herald’s obsession with bogus issues is not the road to the future.”

The British denied there were economic sanctions against the people of Zimbabwe, adding that the current EU measures target 243 individuals and organizations - those responsible for the worst human rights abuses, corruption, hate speech and political violence – under the previous regime.

A statement by the embassy said: “These measures have no adverse effect on ordinary people. The economic collapse of Zimbabwe and its infrastructure is the result of the ruinous policies of the previous regime.”

The Herald criticized the British programme saying ‘the repatriation showed shocking double standards as it showed that London was acknowledging the ruinous nature of the sanctions, yet it was keen to maintain them against black Zimbabweans.’

However, the embassy said it was offensive and inaccurate to say that British policy is racially motivated. This year the UK is running its largest ever aid programme to Zimbabwe, worth $74 million.

The statement added that the British has helped support ordinary Zimbabweans to: “Avert widespread hunger through the provision of timely food aid; support over 2 million people to grow more food and improve their harvest yields; enable 1 million people get access to clean water and home based care for the chronically ill; assist 700,000 urban poor with food vouchers, shelter and access to education; treat people with HIV and reduce the rate of infection.’

Observers said without press freedom, Zimbabwe will continue to have this kind of misinformation being paraded about. Political commentator Professor John Makumbe said: “Some of us are quite disappointed that after the formation of the inclusive government there are still serious restrictions on the media and unfortunately the MDC is failing to push for a liberal media environment in Zimbabwe.” He also said Zimbabwe is very good at shooting itself in the foot and said it is shocking that the administration is going around ‘begging’ western governments for money, but at the same time continues to insult the same people it is begging from.