The tightening of sanctions targeted at President Emmerson Mnangagwa and his inner circle by the United States exposed the lies that are continuously being fed to Zimbabweans that the government’s re-engagement efforts are working.
Washington announced last week that it was terminating its 2003 Zimbabwe sanctions programme and replacing it with more targeted punitive measures against 11 individuals and three entities it accused of corruption and human rights abuses.
Mnangagwa became the first sitting head of state to be sanctioned under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act that was enacted in 2016 and allows the US government to sanction foreign government officials implicated in human rights abuses and corruption anywhere in the world.
He was sanctioned alongside his wife Auxilia, Vice President Constantino Chiwenga, Defence minister Oppah Muchinguri and his advisor Kudakwashe Tagwirei, among others.
In addition to the sanctions, the US said it was withdrawing its support for Zimbabwe’s debt resolution programme that is being led by the African Development Bank.
On Friday, the American government also accused Zimbabwe of harassing, detaining and deporting several of its nationals who were in the country to do work for the US Agency for International Development (USAid).
USAid said Zimbabwe’s commitment to democratic reform was “hollow”. Mnangagwa condemned the fresh US sanctions as illegal and used very strong words in his first public reaction to the new measures.
The exchanges between Harare and Washington in the last week did not reflect countries that are close to finding each other after two decades of hostilities.
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They were contrary to repeated claims by government officials that Mnangagwa’s reengagement efforts are paying off.
The government that came into power has spent millions on lobbyists to try and influence a policy shift by the US, but there is no longer any doubt that the money has gone to waste.
When he succeeded the late Robert Mugabe six years ago, Mnangagwa set himself targets to end Zimbabwe’s isolation which was largely caused by rigged elections and violation of human rights.
He even claimed Zimbabwe was witnessing a “new and unfolding democracy”.
The state of affairs in Zimbabwe today, however, tells a different story as democracy is under siege.
Zimbabwe’s continued isolation is due to the failure by Mnangagwa and his administration to deliver on reforms that they themselves promised.
Instead of the propaganda about re-engagement with the international community, the government should be taking practical steps to deliver on economic and political reforms.
