HARARE – President Cyril Ramaphosa says the Zimbabwean crisis was weighing heavily on South Africa as he moved Tuesday to repeat his demands for the unconditional scrapping of western imposed sanctions against his country’s troubled neighbour.
In his address at the ongoing 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, Ramaphosa also called for lifting of sanctions imposed on Cuba.
“South Africa continues to call for the lifting of the economic embargo that was imposed 60 years ago against Cuba. An embargo that has caused an untold damage to the country’s economy and the people of Cuba as well.
“The sanctions that are also being applied against South Africa’s neighbour Zimbabwe should also be lifted.
“They’re imposing untold suffering on ordinary Zimbabweans, but also have a collateral negative impact on neighbouring countries such as my own country, South Africa,” said Ramaphosa.
Ramaphosa has faced criticism at home and abroad for failure to put equal weight in demanding accountable leadership in Zimbabwe.
“South Africa is suffering because of Zimbabwe. Our hospitals are overwhelmed, our inner city buildings are overcrowded and people are dying.
“Zimbabwe is suffering because of a Zanu PF dictatorship. You @CyrilRamaphosa siding with the oppressor and using their rhetoric,” South African opposition leader Mmusi Maimane has said.
Criticism against Ramaphosa follows yet another Zimbabwean election which was discredited by SADC and other election observer missions.
Sanctions against Zimbabwe were imposed by the US and western countries soon after the turn of the century in response to poll fraud, corruption, rights abuses and the violent seizure of white owned commercial land under Zimbabwe’s late former leader Robert Mugabe.
