HARARE, Oct. 25 (Xinhua) -- Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa said Friday Zimbabwe is fed up with illegal Western sanctions and wants them to be unconditionally removed as soon as possible.
The president was speaking at an inaugural anti-sanctions event in the capital Harare.
His speech came after Zimbabweans from all walks of life, led by the First Lady Auxillia Mnangagwa, earlier marched from an open space in the city center to the National Sports Stadium during which they denounced the ruinous sanctions and called for their immediate removal.
The European Union and the Unites States imposed sanctions on Zimbabwe nearly two decades ago after Harare embarked on the land reform program during which the country re-possessed land from minority white farmers for redistribution to landless indigenous Zimbabweans.
The event at the sports stadium was marked by an array of entertainment activities, including anti-sanctions poems from school children, a soccer competition between the country's two biggest soccer teams while a musical gala will run from Friday till Saturday morning.
The anti-sanctions day, declared a public holiday by the Zimbabwe government, was set aside by the Southern African Development Community (SADC) for member states to stand in solidarity with Zimbabwe and collectively call for the lifting of the embargo.
"The unjustified and oppressive illegal sanctions continue to cause untold suffering to the ordinary people of our great country.
"Today, we arise and collectively say: Enough is enough! The illegal sanctions are an albatross to the development, well being and prosperity of the people of Zimbabwe. Sanctions must go, remove them now," Mnangagwa said.
He said the sanctions had become a cancer which was affecting every sector of Zimbabwe's economy.
"Like a cancer, the sanctions know neither color, nor creed, age, gender and affect the rich and vulnerable, as well as the young and the old alike," he said.
Mnangagwa thanked SADC, the African Union and other progressive countries outside Africa for continuing to stand by the country during the difficult years under sanctions.
He said Zimbabwe will never regret taking back its land, vowing that the land reform program was irreversible.
He also denied the Western mantra that the sanctions were smart and targeted, saying they were affecting the country's development potential through denied access to foreign funding and markets.
"For nearly 20 years, we have lived under the unbearable weight of these illegal sanctions. Their impact on our daily lives is immeasurable and the consequences are dire," he said.
The country's capacity to develop and modernize its agriculture, mining, energy, health, and transport infrastructure had been affected by the sanctions, as well as its capacity to meet Sustainable Development Goals, Mnangagwa said.
"The sanctions have directly perpetuated the cycle of poverty in the country. The bottom line has been the erratic supply of some basic products and the reduced quality of life of most of our people," he said.
He appealed to Western ambassadors accredited to the country to report truthfully about the positive developments in the country and help their countries to respond positively to the developments in Zimbabwe.
He said Zimbabwe will not continue to mourn but mitigate against the harsh effects of the sanctions by accelerating socio-economic reforms to boost economic growth.
