Harare, Oct 23 (TIWN) Sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe by the West led by the United States and Britain continue to impede economic progress in the country and the southern African region as a whole and should be lifted, Stergomena Tax, Southern African Development Community (SADC) executive secretary, said on Wednesday.

Speaking ahead of SADC's Anti-Sanctions Day scheduled for October 25, Tax said the sanctions continued to have a far-reaching ruinous impact on Zimbabwe and the region, Xinhua news agency reported.  "The sanctions have caused suffering among Zimbabweans and continue to have far-reaching effects on Zimbabwe and the entire SADC region," Tax was quoted as saying by state news agency New Ziana.  "The Zimbabwe Democracy Recovery Act (ZIDERA) as was passed by the US Congress in 2001 and its subsequent amendments is particularly harmful to the economy of Zimbabwe and welfare of Zimbabweans," she added.  At its annual meeting in Tanzania in August last year, SADC agreed to collectively lobby for the removal of sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe and designated October 25 as the day when each member country carries out activities to denounce the sanctions.