US Slaps Zimbabwe with Travel Ban Threat: ED’s Grovelling Fails Again

 Zim Now Reporter

HARARE – In a stinging diplomatic rebuke, the United States has included Zimbabwe on a list of 36 countries facing potential travel bans – exposing President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s desperate bid for American approval as a humiliating failure.

This comes just a few weeks after Mnangagwa’s rushed announcement to unilaterally remove all tariffs on US goods – a bootlicking move Washington pointedly ignored

The Hammer Falls: Zimbabwe Among 36 Targeted Nations

A classified State Department memo leaked over the weekend reveals Zimbabwe faces a strict 60-day deadline to meet stringent new US vetting standards or risk full or partial entry bans for its citizens.

Signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the memo cites "national security concerns, unreliable identity documentation, and high visa overstay rates" as justifications .

The proposed expansion – the largest since Trump’s original travel bans – targets:

25 African nations: Including Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Ghana, Egypt, Ethiopia, Tanzania, and Cameroon.

Caribbean states: Dominica, Saint Lucia, Antigua and Barbuda, Saint Kitts and Nevis.

Others: Bhutan, Cambodia, Syria, Vanuatu, and Kyrgyzstan

Table 1: Key Reasons for Zimbabwe’s Inclusion (Per US Memo)

Bootlicking Backfires: Mnangagwa’s Tariff Folly Meets Silence

The travel ban threat lands as a brutal insult after Mnangagwa’s embarrassing failed attempt to curry favor with Washington. Earlier this year, when President Trump announced sweeping global tariffs, Mnangagwa hastily declared Zimbabwe would immediately removeall tariffs on US goods – a move devoid of strategic logic

Why it reeked of desperation:

1.  Negligible Trade: US-Zimbabwe bilateral trade is minimal, making the "sacrifice" economically meaningless. Zimbabwe gains little from US trade under AGOA-like schemes, unlike Kenya or Ghana.

2.  No Reciprocal Gain: The move was unilateral, offering the US a benefit without securing any concession in return – a weak negotiating stance.

3.  Blatant Ignorance: It ignored Trump’s well-documented trade ideology – he values tariffs as weapons and negotiation tools, not gestures of submission . His public adoration of the word "tariff" underscores this.

4.  The Snub: Predictably, Washington offered no acknowledgement, no talks, and certainly no concessions. Mnangagwa’s gambit vanished into the void of US indifference.

Consequences: More Than Just Travel Hassles

Should Zimbabwe fail to meet the US demands within 60 days, the impacts extend beyond stranded students or businesspeople:

Tourism Blow: US tourists, though not the largest group, contribute significantly to high-end safaris and Victoria Falls tourism. A ban signals "unsafe" or "unwelcome," deterring others .

Academic Exclusion: Zimbabwean researchers and students face severed collaborations and denied opportunities.

Diaspora Heartbreak: Families divided, visits home impossible, remittance channels potentially complicated.

Diplomatic Humiliation: Reinforces Mnangagwa’s inability to leverage his "Engagement & Re-engagement" policy.

Table 2: Broader African Impact of Proposed US Travel Ban Expansion

 Regional Fallout and the "Africa Ban" Label

The inclusion of 25 African nations – including key US allies Egypt and Djibouti (home to critical US military bases) – has sparked fury across the continent. Critics denounce it as a discriminatory "Africa Ban 2.0," following Trump’s earlier restrictions targeting Muslim-majority and African nations reinstated on June 4th (Afghanistan, Chad, Somalia, Libya, etc.).

Ghana & Nigeria fiercely condemned the move, highlighting their robust security cooperation and deep economic/educational ties with the US now jeopardized.

Tourism Economies like Tanzania and Zambia brace for significant losses in US visitor revenue.

The African Union is likely to issue a sharp rebuke, framing this as a blanket stigmatization of the continent.

Bootlicking vs. Strategy: ED’s Path Forward

Mnangagwa’s knee-jerk tariff removal was the antithesis of strategic diplomacy. Trump’s team respects leverage, not supplication. The travel ban threat underscores this:

Weakness is Exploited: Unilateral concessions signal desperation, inviting harder lines, not concessions.

Ignored Realities: Zimbabwe lacks the bureaucratic capacity (reliable ID systems, digital records) to meet the US's 60-day demands on document security and deportation cooperation easily. Mnangagwa offered tariffs he couldn’t leverage instead of fixing core governance flaws the US now highlights.

The Only Path: Zimbabwe needs competent negotiation, not groveling. This means quietly working technical channels on document security and deportation protocols, while building regional support to challenge the ban’s discriminatory scope. Rushing to please Trump has only deepened the humiliation.

The Countdown Begins

 Zimbabwe has 60 days. Mnangagwa’s credibility, already dented by the tariff fiasco, now hinges on preventing his citizens from becoming collateral damage in Trump’s broader immigration crackdown. The era of bootlicking is over. Only cold, hard competence – or regional solidarity – might mitigate this blow.

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