Zim govt says imposing sanctions on President Mnangagwa tantamount to punishing citizens
However, the United States on Sunday said the move was "not intended to target the people of Zimbabwe".
Zimbabwe's then-Prime Minister Emmerson Mnangagwa delivers a speech at the leaders summit of the COP27 climate conference at the Sharm el-Sheikh International Convention Centre in Egypt on 8 November 2022. Picture: AFP
JOHANNESBURG - Zimbabwean government spokesperson Nick Mangwana says imposing sanctions on the country's president is tantamount to punishing citizens.
However, the United States (US) on Sunday said the move was "not intended to target the people of Zimbabwe".
The US government imposed the order on President Emmerson Mnangagwa and other senior officials for their alleged involvement in corruption and human rights abuses.
The sanctions also affect three businesses, blocking their assets in the US and barring them from unofficial travel there.
Washington said leaders in Zimbabwe are siphoning off public resources for personal gain.
The US said it took action because the illicit activities supported and contributed to a global criminal network of bribery, smuggling and money laundering that impoverished many in Zimbabwe.
However, Washington scrapped a broad two-decade-old sanctions order against the country, which was introduced in 2003.
"The changes we are making today are intended to make clear what has always been true: our sanctions are not intended to target the people of Zimbabwe. Today we are refocusing our sanctions on clear and specific targets: President Mnangagwa’s criminal network of government officials and businesspeople who are most responsible for corruption or human rights abuse against the people of Zimbabwe," said the deputy secretary of the US Treasury, Wally Adeyemo.