New sanctions list includes children

t includes all cabinet members, their spouses and children. The US government also added the former and current directors of the Central Intelligence Organization, the army and the police. Reserve Bank Governor Gideon Gono, usually regarded as relatively moderate and reform-oriented, was also put on the list. State Security Minister Didymus Mutasa, who is also responsible for food security in the economically and politically distressed Southern African nation, said the sanctions affect the ordinary man in the street because the assistance we were getting from bilateral agreements and from world bodies like the World Bank have been stopped. US officials, including Ambassador to Zimbabwe Christopher Dell, have taken issue with Harare’s contention that the US-led sanctions are responsible for Zimbabwe’s economic collapse. Dell recently told a Zimbabwe audience that mismanagement and corruption were to blame. The White House issued a statement saying the sanctions will continue to be expanded until Zimbabwe restores democratic norms and the rule of law. Some of the notable names on the updated list include, Ignatius Chombo’s two wives, Marian and Ever. Chombo’s third wife Nannette Silukuni is not on the list. Also new on the list is Governor of the Reserve Bank Gideon Gono and his wife Hellin, Rudo Grace Charamba spouse of George Charamba, Patrick Chinamasa’s family which includes wife Monica and son Gamuchirai, the aggressive wife of the Defence Forces General Jocelyn Chiwenga and the Chairman of Zimbabwe Electoral Commission George Chiweshe. A White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said, “This action is not aimed at the people of Zimbabwe, but rather at those most responsible for their plight. The failed political and economic policies of the Robert Mugabe regime have succeeded in devastating Zimbabwe.” – VOA/SW Radio Africa, a full list of those facing sanctions is on www.thezimbabwean.co.uk