Harare — THE diversity of the Zimbabwean economy has enabled the country to sustain itself under illegal sanctions that Western countries imposed as retribution for agrarian reforms to correct a colonial imbalance, the House of Assembly heard last week. Zvimba South Member of the House of Assembly Mr Walter Chidhakwa said this while contributing to a motion on the structural dislocation of the economy and challenges the country is experiencing.

"Zimbabwe is multi-sectoral and able to sustain itself in difficult times," he said.

Mr Chidhakwa said economic policies which the Government implemented after Independence that saw development of the private sector had enabled the country to withstand effects of the illegal sanctions.

He said before Independence, the economy had been structured to benefit a few whites at the expense of the majority blacks.

A characteristic of the pre-Independence policies had been the multiplicity of parastatals to service needs of the white minority, whose government led by Ian Smith had also been slapped with economic sanctions after it declared unilateral independence, he said.

"Independence brought the development of the private sector and the emergence of the black business person," he said.

Mr Chidhakwa said the Government had implemented policies to ensure development with equity which resulted in an increase in the number schools, hospitals as well as development of infrastructure such as roads and bridges.

Agrarian reforms implemented in 2000 were a follow up to the social empowerment of the black majority, which had started at Independence.

On realising that the Government was intensifying efforts to economically empower its people, Mr Chidhakwa said Western countries made frantic efforts to frustrate the moves through the Land Conference of 1997 and sponsoring the formation of the opposition MDC in 1999.

"Formation of an opposition party in 1999 was designed to forestall changes in the structure of the economy," he said.

Mr Chidhakwa said political developments since 1999 brought economic challenges the country was experiencing now as Western countries imposed sanctions that saw withdrawal of lines of credit and balance of payment support.

He noted that before illegal sanctions were imposed, the World Bank supported more than 80 percent of urban population through Urban One and Two facilities through which local authorities were able to maintain sewer and water reticulation systems.

Harare East MP Tendai Biti moved the motion calling on the Government to take urgent measures to address the economic challenges in the country.