THE United Kingdom has removed two ministers and the Zimbabwe Defence Industries (ZDI) from the sanctions imposed on the country over human rights abuses at the turn of the century.
The development followed a similar move by the European Union, which de-listed the ZDI from its sanctions regime in February this year, although the bloc renewed its existing Zimbabwe economic restrictions framework.
The US also removed a number of individuals from sanctions in March 2024. In a statement yesterday, the UK said it was removing from its sanctions list Sports minister Anselem Sanyatwe, Midlands Provincial Affairs minister Owen Ncube, former police Commissioner-General Godwin Matanga and ZDI.
“The revocations follow a similar move by the European Union in February 2025, when it de-listed its last remaining entity (ZDI) while renewing its existing Zimbabwe sanctions framework. The US also removed a number of designations in March 2024,” the UK statement said.
The United States and Britain imposed sanctions on several individuals and businesses linked to global gold smuggling and money laundering networks, with Zimbabwean businessman Kamlesh Pattni at the centre of the operation this year.
The sanctions, announced on International Anti-Corruption Day, targeted Pattni and 27 others implicated in illicit gold trafficking that has contributed to corruption and undermined the country’s economic integrity.
The move was led by the US Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, which accused Pattni of bribing officials, using trusted proxies to conceal ownership and creating an elaborate web of businesses to mask his illegal activities.
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