Cape Town – The United States has imposed fresh sanctions against individuals in Zimbabwe, including the son of President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
The move came a day before President Joe Biden hosted a summit with African leaders in Washington.
The US Treasury Department said in a statement on Monday that it was slapping corruption sanctions on Emmerson Mnangagwa Jr and three other individuals as well as two entities.
The Treasury said those targeted by Monday’s sanctions were tied to businessman Kudakwashe Tagwirei, who was designated by Washington in 2020 for providing support to the leadership of Zimbabwe.
US sanctions against individuals in Zimbabwe. https://t.co/Gt2O6eoOJm
— Sophie Mokoena (@Sophie_Mokoena) December 13, 2022
“We urge the Zimbabwean government to take meaningful steps towards creating a peaceful, prosperous, and politically vibrant Zimbabwe, and to address the root causes of many of Zimbabwe’s ills: corrupt elites and their abuse of the country’s institutions for their personal benefit,” said Under Secretary of the Treasury Brian E. Nelson.
“The goal of sanctions is behaviour change. Today’s actions demonstrate our support for a transparent and prosperous Zimbabwe,” he added.
In addition to Mnangagwa Jr, Monday’s sanctions targeted Tagwirei’s wife, Sandra Mpunga, Nqobile Magwizi, and Obey Chimuka, along with the firms Fossil Agro and Fossil Contracting.
All of them were connected to Tagwirei and his Sakunda Holdings company.
Follow African Insider on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
Picture: Twitter/@GeJuristas
For more African news, visit Africaninsider.com
Composed by Betha Madhomu
