US imposes assets freeze on Ncube, Sanyatwe

TAURAI MANGUDHLA

The United States Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) yesterday designated Zimbabwe’s State Security Minister, Owen Ncube and the country’s Ambassador to Tanzania, Anselem Sanyatwe for their alleged involvement in human rights abuses, including directing an attack on peaceful demonstrators and political opponents.

The designation comes barely a week after US extended targeted sanctions imposed on some Zanu PF officials on allegations President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s regime had accelerated its persecution of critics and economic mismanagement in the past year, during which security forces have conducted extrajudicial killings, rapes, and alleged abductions of numerous dissidents.

Government last week dismissed claims by the U.S government that the security forces were responsible for human rights violations.

Sanyatwe and Ncube were also publicly designated for alleged gross violations of human rights by the Department of State in August and October 2019 respectively, which blocked Sanyatwe and Ncube from entering the United States.

“As a result of Treasury’s designation, all property, and interests in property of these individuals that are in the United States or in the possession or control of U.S. persons must be blocked and reported to OFAC.

OFAC’s regulations generally prohibit all dealings by U.S. persons or within (or transiting) the United States that involve any property or interests in property of blocked or a designated person,” OFAC said in a statement.

OFAC said it has concurrently removed sanctions on ousted former Zanu PF Mashonaland East chair Ray Kaukonde, the late Zanu PF Masvingo provincial minister Shuvai Mahofa, the late Matabeleland North provincial Minister Sithokozile Mathuthu, and the late former Senate deputy president Naison Ndlovu, all of whom were previously designated pursuant to Treasury’s Zimbabwe sanctions authorities.

“Political and military leaders in Zimbabwe have repeatedly used violence to silence political dissent and peaceful protests,” said Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Justin Muzinich, adding “The Trump administration will hold accountable corrupt Zimbabwean elites for their repressive and violent rule.”

Sanyatwe, in his former role as the commander of the Zimbabwean National Army’s Presidential Guard Brigade, is accused of allegedly activating and deploying troops to multiple parts of the capital city to quell demonstrations.

Sanyatwe is also accused of allegedly ordering the army to crack down on protestors soon after the July 2018 harmonised elections in an operation that killed at least six individuals and injured many.

OFAC accuses Ncube, “in his role as the Minister of National Security with the support of other Zimbabwean government officials, of ordering the Zimbabwean security services to identify, abduct, and mistreat individuals accused to be supporters of a Zimbabwean opposition group”. In addition, while in his position, “the government of Zimbabwe has at times used so-called ferret teams to abduct and beat individuals deemed to be a threat to the ruling Zanu PF”.

Zimbabwe has been calling for removal of all sanctions. Last year Zanu PF held a march denouncing sanctions.

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