Mines Minister Obert Mpofu denied UK visa

By Lance Guma
23 June 2009

The British Embassy in Harare has refused to grant a travel visa to Mines Minister Obert Mpofu, who wanted to attend an investment conference in London this week. The ZANU PF MP is one of a number of senior party officials under targeted financial and travel restrictions by mostly western countries, who slapped the measures on in response to gross human rights violations by Mugabe’s regime.

The embassy in Harare does not traditionally comment on visa issues and it was left to the state owned media to run the story. Commenting on the denial of the visa a ZANU PF official told the Reuters news agency; ‘The minister did not get a visa and in our view all this does not make sense, except to confirm that some people in London are pursuing their fight against ZANU-PF. They are trying to undermine the inclusive government with this sort of attitude.’

Mpofu confirmed he was denied a visa saying; “Yes, the visa was denied. We are not excited at all. It’s the kind of attitude that we get from these people,’ But he referred all questions to Acting Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara, who it’s reported was tasked by Robert Mugabe to deal with the travel ban issue. It’s not clear how Mutambara is meant to deal with the issue when its neither him nor his party who imposed the travel bans.

Since the formation of the coalition government in February ZANU PF has been waging a concerted campaign to have the targeted sanctions removed. But in the absence of fundamental political reforms the United States, European Union and others, have insisted the measures will remain in place, for the time being. Tourism Minister Walter Mzembi, who is also from ZANU PF and accompanied Tsvangirai to the United States, was barred from meeting President Barack Obama at the White House. The move infuriated Mugabe’s party who accused the US of bias towards the MDC.

Another row later erupted after Industry and Trade Minister Welshman Ncube threatened to pull out of the European ‘re-engagement’ tour last week if ZANU PF ministers were not given travel visas. The European Union had refused to give visas to Foreign Affairs Minister Simbarashe Mumbengegwi and Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa, both from ZANU PF. The EU later agreed to a temporary visa waiver for the two saying; ‘The decision is meant to promote human rights and good governance in Zimbabwe and to re-engage Zimbabwe with the EU.’

The state-owned media has tried to portray Tsvangirai’s overseas trip as an assignment from Mugabe to get targeted sanctions removed.
Stung by this negative publicity Tsvangirai’s office last week published 40 000 copies of a four-page glossy newsletter setting out exactly what the Prime Minister is doing on his tour.