US Announces Sanctions Against Son Of Zimbabwean President Ahead Of Africa Summit

(CTN News) – In advance of a conference of African leaders in Washington, DC, the United States has ordered sanctions against Emmerson Mnangagwa Jr., the son of Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa.

A press statement from the US Treasury Department on Monday included sanctions on three other people and two companies in addition to Mnangagwa Jr.’s punishments.

“The Zimbabwe sanctions programme targets people who violate human rights undercut democratic institutions, or encourage corruption.

The press statement indicates that neither the Zimbabwean people nor the nation of Zimbabwe, nor the financial industry in Zimbabwe, are the targets of US sanctions.

A day before US President Joe Biden is supposed to hold a meeting of African leaders in Washington, DC, to discuss concerns like climate change and food hunger; the sanctions are set to go into effect. Participants are anticipated to number 50 or more African leaders.

According to the US Treasury, Sanctioned individuals were associated with businessman Kudakwashe Tagwirei and his Sakunda Holdings organization.

Tagwirei is accused of leveraging his fortune to build connections with powerful government figures, get access to state contracts, and trade hard cash for opulent commodities like pricey automobiles. He received a penalty in 2020.

The restrictions prohibit Americans from doing business with people who have been identified and freeze their US assets.

In 2003, after being sanctioned by the administration of then-President George W Bush for “undermining democratic processes or institutions in Zimbabwe,” Mnangagwa Srfather, ‘s the president of Zimbabwe, had his own US assets frozen.

A statement released Monday claimed that Mnangagwa Jr. had been in control of Tagwirei-related businesses held by his father.

Sanctions were also imposed on Tagwirei’s wife, Sandra Mpunga, Sakunda’s top marketing and PR officer, Nqobile Magwizi, and Tagwirei’s business associate, Obey Chimuka in addition to Mnangagwa Jr.

Both Fossil Contracting, which specializes in civil engineering, and Fossil Agro, which manufactures agricultural chemicals, are owned by Chimuka. Tagwirei and his company, both companies, also received sanctions.

The Treasury’s undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, Brian Nelson, said in a statement on Monday that “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 benefit.”

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