The country will continue its fight despite the partial lifting of sanctions by the United States earlier this year, Frederick Shava said in his final statement as foreign minister.
"We want a total removal of sanctions on Zimbabwe because they are illegal. So we are going to have a campaign in Zimbabwe to clamor the issue of the removal of sanctions on the 25th of October. [...] So until all sanctions are removed in Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe will be relentless in pushing for the removal of sanctions," he said.
Speaking at a media briefing, Shava confirmed that Zimbabwe will hold a strong anti-sanction campaign on October 25, in conjunction with the Southern African Development Community’s Anti-Sanctions Day. Since 2019, this day has been designated to show regional solidarity with Zimbabwe against the decades-long sanctions.
The campaign will coincide with the ruling ZANU PF party’s National People's Conference, set to take place in Bulawayo from October 22 to 27, with many anti-sanction events scheduled during the conference.
In March, US President Joe Biden issued an executive order ending a sanctions program against Zimbabwe that had been active since 2003. Despite this, he imposed new sanctions on 11 Zimbabwean individuals, including president Emmerson Mnangagwa, and three entities, citing their alleged roles in corruption and human rights violations under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act.