/ 16 December 2010

US drops sanctions on Zim’s Zapu leader

The United States has removed Zapu leader Dumiso Dabengwa from a sanctions list as well as party stalwart Thenjiwe Lesabe, a media report said.

The United States has removed Zapu leader Dumiso Dabengwa from a sanctions list as well as party stalwart Thenjiwe Lesabe, the Zim Diaspora website reported on Wednesday.

Zapu’s director for communication and marketing Methuseli Moyo was quoted as saying the removal from the sanctions list was a sign of international approval of the party.

“The delisting of the duo is a big seal of approval on our party and its leadership, in our view. The development confirms that the American government, and indeed the entire international community recognises Zapu’s fight for democracy in Zimbabwe, and that our party is part of the solution to our country’s political problems, Moyo was quoted as saying by the website.

The pair would now be able to travel to the United States and Europe without hindrance.

Moyo criticised Zanu-PF’s “cocktail of investor-unfriendly laws under the guise of indigenisation, which in fact is meant to further enrich the leadership of that party”.

“It is these sanctions that are hurting the people of Zimbabwe, and not the targeted sanctions against members of Zanu-PF,” Zim Diaspora quoted him as saying. – Staff reporter