FINANCE minister Mthuli Ncube says the government is doing all it can to get sanctions removed as he blamed the West for failing to recognise the progress that has been made by Zimbabwe in implementing political and economic reforms.

Zimbabwe has been under sanctions from the United States of America, Britain and the European Union for two decades. The sanctions were imposed soon after the country embarked on the fast-track land reform programme.

The western countries cited human rights abuses by the Zimbabwe authorities against political opponents as they imposed the sanctions on a number of business entities and political figures within the Zanu PF administration.

“We are not responsible for sanctions. Someone just has to lift them. We are trying our best. We have done political reforms. We have done economic reforms. We have even structured a deal to pay the (displaced white commercial) farmers for improvements on land. All those things are part of the matrix of political reforms which are linked to the sanctions agenda. Frankly we have really worked hard on this issue but the sanctions are still here,” Ncube told The Daily News breakfast forum in Harare on Thursday.

“I don’t think this is a failure on our part but it is a failure on the other side to recognise, in my view, the progress that we have made. I think we have made very good progress in the last four years. But I am hopeful that one day they will be removed. We will continue on this path of reforms. That hopefully will improve our relations with our colleagues outside,” Ncube added.