Caiphas Chimhete
15 July 2007
THE United States government will this year deport all children of senior government and Zanu PF officials once legislation designed for this specific purpose is signed by President George W Bush, the outgoing US ambassador told The Standard in an exclusive interview last week.
Ambassador Christopher Dell said the processing of the deportations was already at an "advanced stage".
Dell, who recently foretold the imminent collapse of President Robert Mugabe's regime due to the economic crisis, said the deportations were likely to take place before the end of the year.
"This (it will happen) year. Watch out in the next few weeks," he said.
It is estimated that more than 300 children of government and Zanu PF officials are enjoying "First World" health services and education abroad.
In contrast, their counterparts, mostly children of poor, often unemployed and marginalised Zimbabweans, are dying in hospitals because of an acute shortage of drugs.
Others, fortunate enough to be in school, attend classes in tobacco barns or under trees.
Dell, the feisty diplomat threatened with expulsion from Zimbabwe by Mugabe himself, leaves the country today after the end of his tour of duty.
He is expected to take up another posting in Afghanistan this month.
Dell said the decision to deport children of ruling party's bigwigs now awaited Bush's Presidential proclamation.
"It's a decision the President has to make. It requires the Presidential power of a proclamation," Dell said.
The envoy, in his three years as the US ambassador, has provoked Mugabe into openly warning him of dire consequences for his blunt criticism of the government's intolerance of dissent.
Dell could not say whether or not the Bush administration had already identified the children, but sources said they already had the names, residential addresses and universities the children attend.
"What is left is for Bush to give the go-ahead by signing the law and they will pounce on them," said the source. "The authorities (Zanu PF officials) know it and they are panicking."
The confirmation of the looming deportations come at a time when "Fair Deal", a campaign by Zimbabweans in the Diaspora to identify and help facilitate the expulsion of the chef's children, is said to be gathering momentum.
The campaign - an initiative launched by Zimbabweans in the USA, Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Europe - is designed to boost the "smart sanctions" imposed on Mugabe and his colleagues.
In a report earlier this year, the International Crisis Group (ICG) recommended that in order to put pressure on Mugabe to solve the Zimbabwe crisis, the European Union and the USA could apply travel sanctions on the family members and business associates on the travel list.
It also recommended that the EU and the USA could cancel visas and residence permits of family members of senior government officials.
Meanwhile, the Combined Harare Residents' Association (Chra) last week asked the European Union (EU) to place commissioners running the affairs of Harare on the travel ban list alongside Zanu PF officials.
Acting CHRA chairperson, Israel Mabhoo, said the commissioners should "be punished for their involvement with a rogue regime that thrives on subverting the people's constitutional rights".
Mabhoo said the letter would also be delivered to the ambassadors of the USA, Australia and New Zealand in Harare, urging them to apply the travel restrictions.
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