Posted on 04/14/2002 4:42:30 AM PDT by Clive
Zimbabwe Standard
Date posted:Sun 14-Apr-2002
Date published:Sun 14-Apr-2002 "It is only the children who will be sacrificed in the process. There is no justification to the whole issue"
By Chengetai Zvauya
While Zanu PF officials who have been included on the list of persons banned from travelling to the United States and western Europe have dismissed the personal sanctions as irrelevant, some of their spouses are crying foul, saying the move will adversely affect them and their families.
The targeted sanctions affect Zanu PF officials, their spouses and children, and this is what has irked women who were interviewed by The Standard.
The women said the move was particularly unfair as it would affect their children who are studying overseas. Most government ministers and senior Zanu PF officials have kids studying overseas.
Last week Ijeoma Dabengwa, the daughter of Zanu PF politburo member, Dumiso Dabengwa, was refused re-entry into the US as she was returning there for a masters degree in business studies.
Tsitsi Sekeramai, the wife of the defence minister, Sydney Sekeramai, told The Standard she was worried about her children who were going to be affected by the travel ban. "It is only the children who will be sacrificed in the process. There is no justification to the whole issue. However, it is the powers that be who determine everything and we cannot do anything about it," said Mrs Sekeramai. She was quick to add that the travel ban would not affect her personally as she normally travelled within southern Africa only. "I have never travelled abroad, hence these sanctions will not affect me in any way. If you check my passport you will discover that I have travelled regionally," she said.
Sharlotte Msipa, wife of the Midlands governor and resident minister, Cephas Msipa, said while she did not know if her family had been put on the sanctions list, she nevertheless thought the move was unjustified. "It's the order of the day and we can't do anything about it. I do not know whether the children will be affected as well," she said.
Chipo Makoni, the wife of finance and economic development minister, Dr Simba Makoni, was quick to dismiss the sanctions as she rarely travelled. "It really does not affect me because I rarely travel to those parts of the world. I have not put myself to look at it or get involved in it," she said.
The US slapped travel bans on Mugabe and officials from his party and their associates for their role in perpetrating crimes against humanity in Zimbabwe. Similar action has also been taken by the European Union and Switzerland.
It looks good on them.
The spouses are complaining that their grown children cannot get expensive university education in the US while thier spouse's thugs are starving small children and excluding children from primary schools in rural Zimbabwe by reason only that their parents did not support Zanu PF.
Oh, boo--hooo, pass me the tissues...
Yes, there are children who are being sacrificed and it's not your well fed darlings.
Hunger and starvation are the lot of children in Zimbabwe. What do you say to THAT ???
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