President Emmerson Mnangagwa's close friend in trouble

President Emmerson Mnangagwa's close friend in trouble.President Emmerson Mnangagwa has been dealt yet another blow with US President Donald Trump on Friday adding his close ally, State Security minister Owen Ncube, to the sanctions list.

Ncube who hails from Mnangagwa’s home province of Midlands and is one of his ardent long-time supporters is being punished for alleged human rights crimes.The US accuses Ncube of being involved in the state-sponsored violence on civilians that saw several people being shot dead by soldiers, while many others sustained injuries from beatings and other forms of brutalisation by the military and other suspected state agents.

There were also incidents of abductions and torture reported since Ncube was appointed State Security minister.US secretary of state Michael Pompeo said on Friday the US had credible information that Ncube was involved in gross violations of human rights under his ministry.The announcement coincided with the anti-sanctions march held in Zimbabwe on Friday with the support of Sadc.

The event was, however, a huge flop owing to poor subscription despite the government providing free transport and offering free goodies such as chicken and chips meals and T-shirts.Mnangagwa addressed a largely empty 60 000-seater National Sports Stadium and called for the unconditional removal of sanctions..“We are deeply troubled by the Zimbabwean government’s use of state-sanctioned violence against peaceful protestors, and civil society, as well as against labour leaders and members of the opposition leaders in Zimbabwe,” Pompeo said.“We urge the government to stop the violence, investigate, and hold officials responsible for human rights violations and abuses in Zimbabwe.”.

Ncube, popularly known as “Mudha”, will no longer be allowed to enter the US, according to a statement by Pompeo, as the world’s super power intensifies its restrictive measures on Mnangagwa’s government despite a push by Sadc countries for the lifting of the controversial measures.“Today (Friday), the Department designates Owen Ncube under Section 7031(c) of the FY 2019 Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act (Div F, P.L. 116-6),.as carried forward by the Continuing Appropriations Act, 2020 (Div. A, P.L. 116-59) due to his involvement in gross violations of human rights,” Pompeo said.

“Section 7031(c) provides that, in cases where the Secretary of State has credible information that foreign officials have been involved in significant corruption or a gross violation of human rights, those individuals is ineligible for entry into the United States and may be publicly or privately designated as such by the Secretary of State.”The US slapped Zimbabwean officials and companies with sanctions in 2001 under the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act (Zidera).The regional bloc,

Sadc, at their last summit in Tanzania declared the 25th of October as the day to unite and campaign for an end to sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe by the US and the Western countries.Mnangagwa and his Zanu PF party blames the sanctions imposed by the US in 2001 and renewed by US President Donald Trump early this year for the economic woes that have brought Zimbabwe to its knees