When the blind can now see; a case of Stanely Gama.
Nevanji Munyaradzi Chiondegwa
Stanely Gama is a journalist, a former editor of the Daily News when it was rabidly anti-government and ZANU PF and very much pro-opposition.
He does not like ZANU PF and in fact is still very much in the thick of things as far as trying to remove it is concerned.
However, the ending of this year has come with great surprises as he and Hopewell Chin’ono have changed their tune on Sanctions.
Stanely Gama spent close to 20 years defending sanctions, standing against the ZANU PF government and all who support it materially or otherwise.
He is a man who had and still stands by that decision to cast aside the journalistic veneer of neutrality and push for the removal of ZANU PF.
He has worn a political jacket but like I said, 28 December, we woke up to a surprise as we had on 13 December when both he and Chin’ono took to microblog Twitter to denounce the evil sanctions regime on Zimbabwe, imposed by the imperial USA government.
The former sanctions defender’s Twitter thread was provoked by the latest addition of four more Zimbabweans onto to the US sanctions list.
The four are Emmerson Mnangagwa Jnr, the son of of the President ED Mnangagwa, Sandra Chimuka, the wife of business mogul, Kudakwashe Tagwirei, business man, Obey Chimuka, public relations executive Nqobile Magwizi.
Gama wrote, “Debate has been raging on the sanctions imposed by the US on individuals in Zimbabwe. I took an interest in the debate after the US govt recently added 4 individuals on their list. The US explained that the 4 were close associates of already sanctioned businessman Kuda Tagwirei.”
The four were added on the basis of the United States of America claiming that they are accused of human rights abuses and undermining democratic processes through their association with Sakunda Holdings.
Reports coming is say more business people will be added to the targeted sanctions list.
Gama then writes, “But I don’t agree that imposing sanctions on the individuals will have the desired impact. INSTEAD, SANCTIONS ARE AFFECTING THE ORDINARY PPLE( emphasis mine) more & this( effect on the ordinary people) will get worse as elections approach.”
He continues to say, “Surely Emmerson Jnr is not a director at Sakunda & does not make decisions there. Does he need to be on sanctions? Chimuka’s companies may have to retrench thousands of workers after this decision & it is the ordinary worker who is likely to be affected not Chimuka.”
One does not need to be a rocket scientist or nuclear physicist to see and understand what Gama is saying.
He is exposing the dublicious nature of the US sanctions. He is showing that what he has defended all along and what he has tried for nearly 20 years to make people believe has been fake.
The sanctions are not about the people but definitely are against the people. Everyone knows that Emmerson Jnr and Chimuka will not be stopped from eating eggs or driving cars simply because they have been sanctioned. They however will have to lay off some of their workers who will end up in the streets being told that there are no sanctions. These people are the ones who will suffer.
Gama further says, “I doubt Magwizi works at Sakunda & does not make an decisions at Sakunda. Sandra is Tagwirei’s wife & these sanctions will not really affect her. Even Tagwirei himself I don’t think the sanctions really affect him but his businesses and thousands of his workers.”
Of course Sandra Mupunga and Kuda Tagwirei will not suffer, their house will not disappear, they will not suddenly find themselves jobless and penniless, they will suddenly fail to pay rentals or utility bills. On the contrary, they may even start living better lives.
However, they will lay off staff, who will definitely fail to pay for the things the Tagwireis will continue to enjoy. These are the ordinary people on the streets that Gama refers to.
These are the Zimbabweans that depend on Tagwirei and Chimuka who will find themselves unemployed.
He further exposes the lies in the US claims by saying that he did not see how these individuals were promoting human rights abuses on ordinary Zimbabweans unless there is another explanation.
He of course true to character instead of seeing how the sanctions placed on the individuals he mentioned and on the country have affected the economy disingenuously blames it on ZANU PF, claiming, unreasonably that it has presided over the country’s economic chaos leading to high unemployment.
How he claims that after stating that Chimuka and Tagwirei will lay off workers is a debate for another day.
Gama must have been doing a lot of reading on sanctions and their effect but does not want to come outright and openly declare them at fault.
He says that sanctions have also promoted serious corruption as unscrupulous senior government officials loot in the name of sanctions busting. Well, even the US and this writer have long said that sanctions increase corruption.
Gama, sanctions busting is corruption and it is a result of sanctions. Remove sanctions and eliminate sanctions busting, thus corruption! And Gama, you are right, “The US must reconsider!”
In a further exposition of the lies and the false nature of US actions, Gama signs off by further exposing the two-faced nature of the US in how it adds or removes people from its sanctions list.
He says, “What also baffles me is that there are certain people who have in the past been accused of funding human rights abuses in Zimbabwe. They have been accused of funding gross human rights abuses against opposition supporters in 2008 but are now darlings of the West. We know they are complicit in what happened in 2008 and in due course we shall expose them for who they are. Why has the US not sanctioned them?”
Call it a Eureka moment or maybe the case of the blind now seeing, what some of us have long and consistently said, Gama has now seen. It is gratifying to be right and to be on the side of the people. Of course he might be late to the party, but all the same, welcome Gama and lets fight for the people!
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