Zanu-PF not sweating over Trump's travel ban on Zimbabwe

Zanu-PF has brushed aside the United States' partial travel restrictions on Zimbabwe, saying the ruling party is unfazed by President Donald Trump's move to tighten entry requirements for travel and immigration.

Zimbabwe is among 12 African countries affected by the new US measures, which the African Union has criticised as a setback for the continent. The restrictions have reignited debate about Washington's posture towards Africa since Trump returned to the presidency in January.

Speaking to journalists at Zanu-PF headquarters in Harare, party spokesperson Christopher Mutsvangwa said Zimbabwe would not lose sleep over decisions taken by the US government regarding who enters its borders.

"Americans elect a government and out of the election of their government it governs them according to their sovereign wishes as Americans. What they decide to do about entry or exit to their country is their business," Mutsvangwa said.

The proclamation has raised fresh questions about US-Africa relations, which critics say have taken on a more hardline tone under Trump's administration. For Zimbabwe, the move is seen by some observers as a potential reversal of the tentative thaw in relations with Washington after years of tension.

Relations between the two countries have remained strained since the early 2000s, when Zimbabwe implemented its fast-tracked land reform programme, triggering sanctions and diplomatic fallout with the US and other Western nations.

Mutsvangwa described the latest travel restrictions as retrogressive in the context of a globalised economy built on international trade and cooperation.

"What we would hope for is that a modern economy like America is tolerant of the globalised nature of the pace of human civilisation," he said. "The world is becoming a global village and free movement of people, as much as possible, encourages that interaction among people."

He warned that restrictive immigration policies driven by fear or exclusion could undermine global progress.

"If countries become paranoid or xenophobic it is a retrogressive step. We do not, as Zimbabwe, prescribe what other countries should be doing with their immigration policy," Mutsvangwa added.