MDC denies Tsvangirai in Australia lobbying for sanctions

By Tererai Karimakwenda
28 August 2007

Continuing their media campaign about non-existent sanctions on Zimbabwe, the state controlled media reported Tuesday that MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai “is in Australia where he is celebrating the hurting sanctions that Australia and other Western countries have imposed against Zimbabwe.” The government has been promoting the notion that the deterioration of the country’s economy is due to these sanctions, instead of taking responsibility for the failed policies, corruption and mismanagement by the Mugabe regime.

Professor Elphas Mukonoweshuro, the MDC secretary for international affairs, denied the reports in the state’s Herald newspaper that Tysvangirai was celebrating sanctions. First he clarified the sanctions issue, saying: “There are no economic sanctions on Zimbabwe of a mandatory nature. What is there is simply a travel ban by the countries that do not welcome Mr. Mugabe and his associates, as a demonstration of their disapproval of his human rights policies in particular, and domestic programme in general.”

As for the idea that Tsvangirai was celebrating, Mukonoweshuro said this was not true. He explained that the MDC leader was in Australia to visit Zimbabweans in their structures and brief them on the situation on the ground back home. He added: “These are also black Zimbabweans mind you, who left this country on account of Mr. Mugabe’s policies.”

As for the government’s accusations that Tsvangirai lobbies the international community for sanctions against Zimbabwe, Mukonoweshuro said there are no statements by the MDC leader or the party’s policies in general that support what he referred to as “that warped view”. He added: “What is happening is that countries throughout the world, through their own internal legislative processes of which we have no control over, decide to determine what kind of relationship to have with Zimbabwe. And that’s not an MDC programme.”

In Australia, Tsvangirai also told reporters that getting rid of Robert Mugabe is not necessarily the solution to the Zimbabwe’s problems. He explained that there is a political culture of abuse and corruption that needs to end in order for there to be a democracy. He is quoted saying: "So removing Robert Mugabe may suit our own egos but certainly it does not remove the political culture. Removing Robert Mugabe may not necessarily mean we have created democracy”.