Zimbabwean Economic Refugees Burdening SADC, Says Ramaphosa

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said that Zimbabwean economic refugees escaping poverty at home caused by sanctions imposed on Harare by western countries are putting pressure on regional countries such as South Africa, Namibia, and Botswana.

Ramaphosa said this while responding to a question on the challenges of migration during a joint media conference with visiting Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez. He said:

The one issue we have often raised, which is another dynamic to this situation (of migration) is that of sanctions that have been applied, especially on our continent.

Sanctions applied, for example, on Zimbabwe are having a negative impact not only on Zimbabwe’s economy but also on a number of countries in SADC (Southern African Development Community).

They are also having a negative impact on us (South Africa) because as the sanctions weaken Zimbabwe’s economy, Zimbabweans are forced to migrate and come to our own country and other countries in the sub-region.

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They flock to Botswana, they flock to South Africa, to Namibia and they exert enormous pressure on us.

Ramaphosa appealed to western countries to remove the sanctions to enable Zimbabwe’s economy to rebound so that it provides economic opportunities for its people. He said:

So we are saying those sanctions should be lifted and we should be able to bolster the economies of these countries so that people can have less of an incentive to leave their countries to go to other countries because their economies would be glowing.

Once again, we call on the various countries that have applied sanctions on African countries, particularly Zimbabwe, to lift those sanctions so that the economy of that country can get back on its feet and it can be what it used to be.

In that way, Zimbabweans who have left Zimbabwe will find it a great incentive to go back to live normal lives in their country.

The United States of America and Britain recently said that Zimbabwe’s economic challenges were caused by endemic corruption and not by sanctions. | The East African