Mugabe to boost propaganda through research on sanctions

By Tatenda Dewa | Harare Bureau |

The Zanu PF government led by President Robert Mugabe appears set on boosting its propaganda ahead of the 2018 general elections by commissioning research on the effects of the European Union restrictive measures adopted in 2002.

The European Council took to the measures to restrict travel by Mugabe and his close lieutenants and operations of companies linked to his government, which was internationally condemned for widespread property and human rights abuses.

Over the years, though, the EU has shaved off those on its targeted list and resumed direct engagement with Harare in late 2014.

Government, through the Higher and Tertiary Education ministry headed by Jonathan Moyo, recently called for proposals on the sanctions research.

The call that was advertised through the media at the weekend indicated that government was prepared to pay $150,000 to the successful consortium of local and international researchers to carry out the study.

The money would be drawn from the Zimbabwe Manpower Development Fund (ZIMDEF) that falls under Moyo’s ministry.

“A comprehensive report with full results of the study will be required by the ministry within 12 months following receipt of the funding,” read the advertisement.

The ministry, in the advert, said the study would give a “coherent answer” to the question on the impact of the “sanctions” on Zimbabwe.

“The economic sanctions, which have been imposed on Zimbabwe by western countries following the country’s land redistribution programme, have so far been described mainly from a political perspective,” the ministry said.

“This has led to varying views being expressed depending on one’s political inclination. In reality, the core characteristics of these sanctions were initiated by the temporary withdrawal of Zimbabwe’s credit lines by the World Bank in 1997,” it added.

Government estimates that the restrictive measures cost the country more than $42 billion and wants the qualitative research to provide grounded perspective on the economic, trade, financial, technological, cultural, academic and diplomatic impacts of the measures.

Since the early 2000s, Mugabe and the ruling Zanu PF have used the measures as a ready source of propaganda, claiming that they were imposed to promote regime change and had led to massive impoverishment of Zimbabwean citizens. Nehanda Radio