Mugabe's ally fails to access money from UK for the second time

FORMER Midlands Governor Dr Cephas Msipa has for the second time this year been made to feel the effects of sanctions while grieving.

The Gweru-based nationalist had his money returned to the United Kingdom after he was made to wait for hours on end to be cleared for him to access the cash.

The money was sent to Dr Msipa by a family friend following the death of his younger brother, Thomas Msipa.

Thomas Msipa died at his home in Sunninghill, Bulawayo in the early hours of Monday just after taking a bath.

Dr Msipa, a Zanu-PF Politburo member, was together with 20 other party officials, removed from the sanctions list by the European Union early this year.

However, the process of completely removing Dr Msipa and his colleagues from the sanctions list appears to be taking longer than anticipated as every time the nationalists have transactions linked to the UK, they always face challenges.

Said Dr Msipa: "It appears the imperialists are quick to place our names under sanctions but slow to remove them. I arrived at the Western Union offices at OK Supermarket in Bulawayo in the morning (Friday). The officials were courteous and they told me to sit down while they processed my transaction. They said it won't take long but I ended up spending hours"

He added: "I spent the greater part of Friday waiting to be cleared at the Western Union offices. The staff apologised as they told me that they had to clear my name with their bosses in the UK. Their bosses were saying my name was still on the sanctions list."

Dr Msipa said the Western Union officials phoned him yesterday telling him that his money had since been returned to the sender in the UK.

He said they told him that his name was still on the sanctions list and they had to return the money.

"They told me that as far as they are concerned, I am still on the sanctions list. Everyone knows this is not true.

"I was cleared early this year. Our people should know that the sanctions are evil and a nuisance. They should go because they are retrogressive," said Dr Msipa.

He said repeated efforts to inform the Western Union staff that he was long removed from the sanctions list were in vain.

Dr Msipa said he experienced the same problem in April following the death of his wife.

The money sent to him then could not be accessed as the UK authorities froze Dr Msipa's account alleging that he was still under sanctions.

Meanwhile, Dr Msipa's brother, Thomas Msipa, was accorded a senior citizen burial and was buried on Thursday at the Lady Stanley Cemetery in Bulawayo.

He was 75.

"I will greatly miss my brother. I was, however, impressed by the unity shown by Bulawayo people. Their love transcends political divisions. People came in their numbers and speaker after speaker spoke highly of my late brother. They said he was a peace loving and generous man who always had time for everyone.

"He had no known enemies as he was a man of the people. We also knew him as a unifier and loving person in our family. When I was in prison for political reasons during the colonial era, Thomas would come to visit me every week without fail. He was a special brother to me," said Dr Msipa.

He said Thomas worked at a number of schools as a teacher and headmaster in Kwekwe, Gweru and Bulawayo, among other places.

Thomas served as a headmaster for 20 years at Helemu Primary School in Njube suburb before retiring.

Dr Msipa said his brother is survived by his wife, Rubie, nine children and several grandchildren.