Citizens Against Economic Sanctions (CAES) Zimbabwe has strongly rejected ongoing moves in the United States Congress to repeal the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act (ZIDERA) under what it describes as “stringent and politicised” conditions.
The organisation warned that the proposed repeal, reported to be tied to demands for Zimbabwe to settle billions in compensation related to former commercial farmers and clear arrears under US-defined terms, amounts to continued economic coercion.
In a statement released yesterday, CAES said such conditionality undermines Zimbabwe’s sovereignty and perpetuates external control over the country’s access to international financial institutions such as the International Monetary Fund and World Bank.
“What is being presented as a repeal is, in fact, an extraction,” said CAES National Secretary for Information and Publicity, Cllr Simphiwe Vuyelwa Mguni.
“It is Washington demanding payment before it returns what it has unjustly withheld for over two decades’ access to credit, development finance, and economic dignity.”
Enacted in 2001, ZIDERA has been the legal framework used by the United States to block Zimbabwe’s access to multilateral funding, citing political and economic reforms. CAES argues that the law has inflicted widespread suffering, stifled development, and punished ordinary citizens.
Mguni said the current proposals in the US Congress are not about restoring economic justice but are instead about repackaging sanctions in a more palatable form.
“To now turn around and demand compensation from Zimbabwe before lifting restrictions is not only morally bankrupt but also a grotesque inversion of justice. This is not generosity. It is leverage disguised as largesse.” she said
She added that any serious repeal of ZIDERA must be unconditional and accompanied by genuine debt relief and development support, rather than new conditions that replicate past hardships under a different label.
CAES called on African regional blocs, including SADC and the African Union, to demand full transparency regarding any legislative moves by the United States and to stand firm against attempts to manipulate Zimbabwe’s economic recovery.
“If there is to be any conversation about compensation, it must begin with the United States paying reparations to the people of Zimbabwe for the years of economic destruction caused by ZIDERA,” said Cllr Mguni.
The organisation further urged the Zimbabwean Government to prioritise partnerships that protect national interests and avoid being drawn into agreements that benefit a “narrow set of private or foreign interests”.
The developments come at a time when Zimbabwe is actively pursuing debt clearance and re-engagement with international financial institutions, efforts which CAES insists must not come at the cost of national dignity or public welfare.
