ZIMBABWE: The US is to apply so-called "smart sanctions" to prevent President Robert Mugabe's relatives and associates taking money out of Zimbabwe ahead of the country's elections, a group of US congressmen aid yesterday, urging South Africa to do the same.
"You can expect the US to continue to ratchet it up between now and March 10th," a delegation member, Mr Ed Royce, said in Cape Town, referring to the date set for Zimbabwe's presidential elections.
Mr Royce said Washington had begun identifying individuals who would be punished under the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act, passed by the US Congress late last year.
The law allows for targeted sanctions against people blamed for political violence in Zimbabwe.
Most of such violence in the past two years, targeting opposition supporters and white farmers, has been attributed to self-styled liberation war veterans and ruling party activists acting for Mr Mugabe.
"There's concern over the vast amounts of money being taken out of Zimbabwe into our banking systems and over shopping sprees by close allies and family members of President Robert Mugabe who are spending in our country," Mr Royce said.
"The legislation states that the administration has the authority to impose sanctions and to catalogue bank accounts. The process is now continuing and I am going to encourage them to speed up that process."
Mr Royce said Washington would also impose travel sanctions on Mr Mugabe's allies who were "spending money at the expense of the people of Zimbabwe".
Their actions also affected the people of the Democratic Republic of Congo, since Zimbabwe's political elite had benefited from the ill-gotten gains of forestry activities in the central African state, where Zimbabwean troops were deployed in August 1998 to back the government against rebels, Mr Royce said.
Congressman Jeff Flake of Arizona said the US hoped that South Africa and the EU would follow its lead and target Zimbabwean leaders with sanctions.
Mr Flake, Mr Royce and three fellow Republican Congressmen said they believed President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa had taken a step in the right direction in criticism of Mr Mugabe and hoped that he would do so more strongly.
"What Mbeki has said is good, though he could have been stronger and perhaps quicker," Mr Flake said.
Meanwhile, in Harare, Zimbabwe's parliament adjourned yesterday without passing tough new labour and press laws seen as part of an orchestrated clamp-down on civil freedom ahead of presidential elections in March.
It adjourned until next Tuesday as international condemnation of Mr Mugabe and his government became more strident.
The Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Bill dropped off the agenda on Tuesday and debate over the Labour Relations Amendment Bill was delayed.
The early adjournment came as a US State Department official, Mr Lorne Craner arrived in the country to express Washington's "dismay" at the "rack and ruin" wrought by the government.
The new labour Bill proposes banning strikes and giving the labour minister authority to remove unions from the register.
The bill targets urban workers - the power base of the main opposition party, the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC). - (AFP)