ZANU PF advocates for law barring citizens who "invite" sanctions from running for public office

ZIMSPHERE

HARARE – In a recent National Assembly debate, Pupurai Togarepi, the chief whip of Zimbabwe's ruling party, ZANU PF, has advocated for the introduction of legislation that would bar citizens who "invite" sanctions against the country from running for public office.

Pupurai Togarepi 

Togarepi criticized the current laws of Zimbabwe as being "too soft" for allowing individuals he referred to as "sell-outs" and "Judas Iscariots" to participate in elections, thereby undermining the country's sovereignty. 

His comments were made during a discussion on the impact of economic sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe by the United States and Britain.

"As a country at war, it is unfortunate to have some of our people supporting sanctions, going to these places to ask for sanctions," Togarepi said. 

He reminded the House of a previous motion that proposed those who seek sanctions should be excluded from the country's governance.

Togarepi questioned the democratic process that allows individuals who are "sponsored to destroy Zimbabwe" to participate in elections. 

He expressed concern over the presence of "surrogates of imperialism" in the electoral process, sponsored by the same entities imposing sanctions.

"We have people who died for the freedom of Zimbabwe. Some who have no limbs, some who could not even have kids, others whom we do not even know where they were buried trying to liberate this country," Togarepi said, expressing his disdain for those who approach "the same colonisers to say destroy this population, destroy these people to give life to themselves because they are sell-outs. They are sell-outs, they are Judas Iscariots."

Togarepi also called for an end to investment from Western countries in Zimbabwe. He criticized the continued imposition of sanctions by "self-imposed policemen of the world" and argued that those who sanctioned Zimbabwe should not be allowed to profit from the country's resources such as lithium, gold, and diamonds.

The United States imposed sanctions on Zimbabwe in the early 2000s through the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act (ZDERA) over alleged human rights violations. 

The U.S. Government passed ZDERA after Zimbabwe embarked on a Land Reform Programme that was marred by violence.

Since the formation of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) in 1999, ZANU PF has consistently accused opposition political parties of calling for sanctions to be imposed on the country to facilitate regime change.