- Mines ministry says sanctions stifle investment and beneficiation.
- Statement backs Mnangagwa and SADC call for removal.
- Ministry says it remains open to partners who respect sovereignty.
- US imposed targeted sanctions on 11 individuals in March 2024.
ZIMBABWE’S Ministry of Mines and Mining Development has called for the removal of Western sanctions it describes as illegal, saying they stifle mining investment and undermine efforts to process minerals locally.
In a statement marking SADC Anti-Sanctions Day on October 25, the ministry said it was joining President Emmerson Mnangagwa and the Southern African Development Community in calling for the immediate and unconditional removal of the measures.
“These sanctions severely damage Zimbabwe’s economy by stifling mining investment, restricting access to critical equipment and international finance, and undermining mineral beneficiation and value addition,” the ministry said.
It said this ultimately hurts the livelihoods of ordinary Zimbabweans.
The ministry said the development of Zimbabwe’s mineral resources is a sovereign right. “No external coercive measure will deter the Ministry from pursuing sustainable growth, local beneficiation, and equitable benefit-sharing,” it said.
It called on the international community and global investors to “reject the politicisation of economic tools” and said it remained open to dialogue with partners “who respect Zimbabwe’s sovereignty.”
The ministry said it remained committed to a “transparent, compliant, and investor-friendly mining environment” in line with Vision 2030, the government’s goal of upper-middle-income status by 2030.
Mnangagwa also called for the unconditional removal of sanctions in an address marking the day. “Sanctions not only punish our country, but the entire SADC family,” he said.
SADC established the day in 2019 to press for the removal of sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe after its land reform programme.
The United States passed the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act in 2001. In March 2024, Washington ended a Zimbabwe sanctions programme in place since 2003 and imposed targeted sanctions on 11 individuals, including Mnangagwa and Vice President Constantino Chiwenga, citing alleged human rights abuses and corruption.
Zimbabwe earned about $5.73 billion from mineral exports in the first half of 2026, Deputy Minister of Mines Caleb Makwiranzou told investors in Perth in September.
