Zimbabwe: Journalism in an Era of Economic Sanctions

In October 2023, Zimbabwe's Vice President, Constantino Chiwenga announced that Zimbabwe has lost more than US$150 billion in revenues due to sanctions imposed by the European Union, United States, and other countries since the early 2000s. "Since 2001, we estimate that Zimbabwe has lost or missed over US$150 billion through frozen assets, trade embargoes, and export and investment restrictions from potential bilateral support, development loans, IMF and World Bank balance of payments support and commercial loans,” Chiwenga told an anti-sanctions rally held in Harare on 25 October 2023. The question of sanctions and their impact on Zimbabwe's economy remains a controversial subject across the country. Late last year, an economics professor at Zimbabwe's National University of Science and Technology, Stevenson Dhlamini also told the VOA that the government's claim of financial loss due to sanction has been consistent and accurate over the years. “The cumulative effect of the sanctions by the US, EU, and the UK do have a cumulative impact that could be to that level of financial loss,” Dhlamini told the VOA. However, another senior economist with the Labor and Economic Development Research Institute of Zimbabwe, Prosper Chitambara disagrees with Dhlamini, saying instead that multiple factors have affected the country’s economy, and not just the sanctions. “How do you separate the effects of sanctions from the effects of corruption, or from the effects of external shocks or climate-induced shocks” Chitambara asked. In this episode, Africanist Press shares a conversation with young Zimbabwean journalists on the state of the media in Zimbabwe, and the challenges they face as journalists in an era of economic sanctions in the country. The discussion was moderated by Africanist Press editor, Chernoh Alpha Bah in Gweru, Zimbabwe. This episode is part of a new Africanist Press Series on Zimbabwe that examines the impact of economic sanctions on various sectors of the population, and how communities and individuals in the country have developed independent initiatives in response to everyday challenges.