Economic terrorism and the regime change agenda in Zimbabwe

Bernard Bwoni

Economic terrorism often refers to activities by a country, a group or individuals that are deliberately meant to cause economic disruption and destabilisation. These activities are the design of and carried out by a foreign country to sabotage the economic activities of another country to render that country dysfunctional. The case of Zimbabwe clearly demonstrates the damaging effects of economic terrorism. The opposition in Zimbabwe was funded to initiative and engage in these acts of economic sabotage against Zimbabwe. The idea behind these acts was to disable Zimbabwe economically, to demoralise the general populace, to make the country ungovernable to make way for an illegal regime change agenda. The purpose is to induce the internal collapse of the state, to create chaos and confusion, to disrupt economic activity to the point of stagnation thereby creating a conducive environment for public protests. These are the same tactics being employed by the opposition in Zimbabwe and their handlers offshore. The Zimbabwe economy has been under constant pressure and attack from groups, individuals and countries that want to and continue to manipulate the economic situation to effect regime change in the country. The economic warfare against Zimbabwe continues and it merits the attention of those entrusted with the national security affairs of the country. President Mugabe has repeatedly lamented the damaging effects of this economic attack against the country to effect the illegal regime change. Zimbabwe was slapped with illegal economic sanctions and the country has been reeling under the effects of ZDERA 2001 and the European Union economic sanctions. The opposition in Zimbabwe with the backing and financial muscle of their funders launched this systematic and strategic economic war against Zimbabwe. This war continues with opposition and their supporters continuing to engineer and make attempts of an economic warfare against the country.

Aside from the death, depravation and destruction caused by these unwarranted economic sanctions, it is important to consider economic damage caused by the persistent negative representation of Zimbabwe by those who continue to want to see the economic difficulties persist to effect this regime change. There is a group of some very misguided Zimbabweans in London who call themselves Zimbabwe Vigil who gather to sing weekly outside the Zimbabwe Embassy. They have constantly harassed visiting Zimbabwe government officials and disrupted any government engagement efforts with the West. The same group is currently plotting to stand outside the venue of the Conference in London to be attended by the Minister of Finance Cde Patrick Chinamasa, RBZ Governor Dr Mangudya, Senior Officials and Policy Makers from Zimbabwe at the beginning of July 2016. The visiting officials from Zimbabwe will be engaging with potential investors and funders and they will be explaining plans and priorities for the rebuilding of Zimbabwe’s economy. These Zimbabwe Vigil people have been making frantic efforts on social media platforms and their proposed picket line outside the venue at the conference to dissuade investors and as they put it in their own words “to tell prospective investors the real reasons why Zimbabwe has run out of money and why the world should be sceptical about any assurances given by the likes of Finance Minister Chinamasa, Minister of Macro Economic Planning and Investment Obert Mpofu, and Mike Bimha, Minister of Industry and Commerce”. This is unfortunate that it is Zimbabweans who are busy de-campaigning the country and trying to block any potential investors to Zimbabwe for their own self-serving ends. Zimbabwe has been working hard in its efforts to reengage with the West and financial institutions like the IMF and World Bank to unlock substantial new funding for economic growth, revival and development. Those efforts are being hampered by such groups as this Zimbabwe Vigil and other groups partaking in this economic terrorism.

It is unfortunate that groups such as these will try to paint a negative picture of Zimbabwe in Western capitals to strengthen their standing and access funding in their efforts to economically sabotage Zimbabwe. They constantly sing and prance outside the Zimbabwe Embassy in London, spreading the negative gospel about Zimbabwe to repel business and investment into the country. Anything positive about Zimbabwe is not good for their own personal prospects of funding and immigration status in the UK. They persistently send the wrong message to those who want to come into the country to do business, to visit and to invest. There are many Westerners who are keen to come to Zimbabwe for pleasure and business and groups like Vigil’s economic terrorism against Zimbabwe blocks and deters such people. They have become persistent and perennial whingers who seem to derive some sadistic pleasure from dishonestly painting Zimbabwe in a negative light and dissuading business from coming into the country to help improve the lives of many. For groups like Vigil it is nothing to do with anything, but primarily self-preservation. The world has become way too interdependent and interconnected and it is regrettable that the voices of such misguided individuals will be heard and their dishonest portrayal of Zimbabwe will put off many potential visitors and businesses. This Zimbabwe Vigil negativity has far-reaching and damaging effects on the country as a whole and this is the economic warfare that Zimbabwe government has to deal with. It just boggles the mind what some individuals are prepared to do for a simple stamp in their passports and a bit of pocket money.

The purpose has been to cause an economic crisis with the intended aim of a regime change in Zimbabwe by the many actors driven by a combination of their sinister motives. It is unfortunate that there is no legislation (clear) on such acts of economic sabotage against the country. There are many such instances whereby individuals, groups and some private media have gone ahead publishing articles and making statements with the clear intention of creating panic and even disrupt the day to day economic activities of Zimbabwe. There are people who are busy telling blatant lies to discourage business from coming into Zimbabwe for the sole purpose of their own self-seeking motives to cause instability and wreak havoc on the Zimbabwe economy to effect regime change. There are some simpletons who do it for stamps in their passports of course. The end outcome is the same though, the destabilisation of Zimbabwe economically. Their motives are every bit as cunning and represent a real and present danger to the economic stability of Zimbabwe. These are existential and immediate threats to the national security of Zimbabwe. Such acts of economic sabotage against the country have far-reaching implications for the country as a whole and it is the ordinary citizens who suffer the most. Those who inflict the damage are not the real victims of such acts, they get their stamps in their passports, and the rest will feel the impact on the ground in Zimbabwe while groups like Vigil prance aimlessly outside the embassy in London.

The groups like Vigil and many other individuals who continually discredit Zimbabwe and block investors from coming to the country for their own selfish ends are deliberately committing deliberate acts of economic terrorism against the country. There is no value whatsoever in putting the country down under fraudulent claims of human rights violations. The many so called activists, pastors and other such peoples are all part and parcel of this matrix of internal and external economic threat against the country.