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Last Updated: Friday, 8 November 2002 |
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Zim hits back on sanctions
Herald Reporters
ZIMBABWE yesterday imposed retaliatory
sanctions against Britain while London introduced visas for
Zimbabweans travelling to the United Kingdom in response to
the growing number of people entering the country on unfounded
claims of political asylum.
In a statement, the
Government said the decision to impose the sanctions was taken
to safeguard the country’s sovereignty, secure its national
interests, peace and stability.
The sanctions are with
immediate effect.
The Government will also freeze with
immediate effect, all local assets associated with or
traceable to the listed persons.
In addition, the
Government downgraded the United Kingdom from category "A" to
category "B" of its visa regime with effect from today.
"This means all persons travelling to Zimbabwe on
British passports will require visas either in advance through
Zimbabwe’s diplomatic missions or at the port of entry," the
Government said in the statement.
A total of 23
members of the British Cabinet including Prime Minister Tony
Blair and his deputy Mr John Prescott are now banned from
travelling to Zimbabwe.
At least 70 junior ministers
and heads of government departments cannot also enter
Zimbabwe.
Members of Britain’s opposition Conservative
shadow cabinet and leaders of other opposition parties have
also been slapped with travel restrictions.
Others
affected by the sanctions are members of organisations that
have been campaigning for the isolation of Zimbabwe and those
which Britain has been using as conduits to fund the
opposition MDC.
Five patrons of the Zimbabwe
Democratic Trust (ZDT) — Sir John Collins, Lord Hurd, Lord
Steel of Aikwood, Lord Taylor and Malcolm Rifkind have been
banned from visiting Zimbabwe.
Three members of the
board of governors of the Westminster Fund for Democracy — MP
Ernie Ross, MP Michael Moore and MP Michael Trend have also
been slapped with the sanctions.
The ZDT and the
Westminster Foundation are two of the organisations that
Britain has been using to fund the MDC.
Seven members
of the European Parliament Parties – Chris Pattern, John
Corrie, Nirj Deva, Jacqueline Foster, Glenys Kinnock, Neil
Parish and Geoffrey Van Orden – are also banned from
travelling to Zimbabwe.
Nine workers of two radio
stations SW Radio Africa and Voice of the People, which have
been broadcasting propaganda against Zimbabwe, have also been
slapped with the travel restrictions.
Among the nine
are Zimbabweans and former ZBC radio and television
personalities John Matinde, Gerry Jackson, Georgina Godwin,
Simon Parkinson, Mandisa Mundawarara, Violet Gonda and Tererai
Karimakwenda who are all with SW Radio Africa.
Graeme
Counsel completes the list of the station’s workers banned
from entering Zimbabwe while Lodewijk Bouwens of Voice of the
People is also restricted from visiting the country.
Britain, other European Union members, the United
States, New Zealand and recently Australia, have imposed
travel sanctions on senior Government and Zanu-PF officials as
well as businessmen and bankers.
On the other hand,
Britain announced yesterday that Zimbabweans intending to
travel to the UK are now required to have visas.
London also admitted for the first time that a lot of
Zimbabweans were entering the UK after making unfounded claims
for political asylum.
"It (the visa requirement) is a
response to the large and growing number of Zimbabweans
seeking to enter the UK contrary to immigration rules, failing
to return at the end of visits or making unfounded claims for
political asylum," reads a letter by the British High
Commission to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Zimbabweans wishing to enter into the United Kingdom
would now have to fork out an extra $72 000 for a six month
visa from tomorrow.
British High Commissioner to
Zimbabwe, Mr Brian Donnelly, told journalists at a press
conference that even those on transit would have to buy a
direct transit visa at $54 000.
There were no visa
requirements for Zimbabweans who entered the UK in the past.
But even having a visa is not a guarantee for one to
have their way into the UK since the final say rests with the
immigration officers at the country's entry points.
Mr
Donnelly said the move was necessitated by the increasing
number of Zimbabweans who were being turned away at British
airports.
"We want to make life as easy as possible
for genuine Zimbabwean visitors," said Mr Donnelly. "But the
final arbitrator will be the immigration officer so the visa
is not a guarantee."
But Mr Donnelly struggled to
explain why a transit visa was needed if one proved that they
possessed all the documents required by the country they were
visiting.
Mr Donnelly said there was nothing sinister
on the visa requirements since people from other African
nations also required visas to visit the UK.
Mr
Donnelly said genuine visitors would be those who had means to
sustain themselves while in the UK without seeking employment
and could afford the airline ticket.
The British used
the black market rate to come up with the visa fees since the
international visa fee for those entering in the UK is at 36
pounds.
The official rate for the British pound is at
$88, which means the visa should have been pegged at $3 168 if
the official rate was used.
But the British used the
rate of one pound to $2 000 to come up with the visa fees.
The visa requirement was earlier announced by the
British Home Secretary, Mr David Blunkett in the UK.
The application for the visas would be lodged with
FedEx that would take them to the British High Commission for
processing.
"There is no need to visit the High
Commission in person," said Mr Donnelly. "Straight forward
applications will be dealt with within seven days."
"If there is a query, you will be invited for an
interview at the High Commission. FedEx will deliver your
passport with a visa to your home address if your application
has been successful."
Mr Donnelly said those who did
not require a visa to UK included those who were legally
settled in there and have been away for less than two years.
Those previously granted leave to enter or remain in
the UK for a period of more than six months and who were
returning for the same purpose before that period expired were
also not required to have the visa.
This also applied
to those who had a certificate of entitlement to the right of
abode in the UK.
Those who had already made
arrangements to visit the UK were granted a two-week grace
period.
Mr Donnelly said at least 60 000 Zimbabweans
visited the UK last year, with 2 115 being asylum seekers and
only 115 being granted asylum.
He said at least 852
Zimbabweans were turned away from the UK in the first three
months of this year.
A return ticket to London now
costs more than $1 million and it would be difficult for
ordinary Zimbabweans intending to visit the UK to raise the
extra money for the visa.
But Mr Donnelly said the
fact that those people could afford the expensive airline
ticket meant they could also afford the visa.
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