Two companies and three high-ranking Zimbabweans, including and connected to the Zimbabwean President’s son Emmerson Mnangagwa jnr. are among the entities newly sanctioned by United States Treasury Department on Monday. The department also unsanctioned 17 individuals comprising heavyweights from the previous Robert Mugabe government.
The move comes on the heels of the Zimbabwe anti-sanctions campaign commemorated across African regional bodies in October. According to reports, the U.S. Treasury maintains that the sanctions are targeted at individuals and have no effect on the Zimbabwean economy or the general public.
Emmerson Mnangagwa Jnr. is sanctioned for his role in running his father’s businesses, as well as, maintaining the business interests of prominent Zimbabwean mogul Kudakwashe Tagwirei and his company Sakunda Holdings.
Mr. Kudakwashe Tagwirei who was sanctioned by the U.S. in 2020 for corruption is accused of using his wealth to cultivate relationships with high-level officials in exchange for inflated state contracts and access to hard currency. His wife has not been spared, together with Nqobile Magwizi and Obey Chimuka all connected to the same Zimbabwean firms; Sakunda Holdings, Fossil Agro, and Fossil Contracting.
The 4 individuals and companies connected to them were accused of facilitating and providing support to the Zimbabwe government, undermining democracy, corruption, and high-level graft. In effect, all assets belonging to the targets which were in the United States and its jurisdictions were immediately frozen.
The announcement came on the eve of the US-Africa Summit as President Joe Biden prepared to welcome over 50 African Heads of State and government. Among the invited is President Emmerson Mnangagwa who is already under financial sanctions for alleged human rights abuses and is unable to travel to the United States.
“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 the undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, Brian Nelson.
