The president of Zimbabwe, Emmerson Mnangagwa, has suspended all tariffs on goods from the United States, a few days after the White House imposed an 18 per cent rate on imports from the African country.
On 5 April, Mnangagwa wrote on social media platform X: ‘The principle of reciprocal tariffs, as a tool for safeguarding domestic employment and industrial sectors, holds merit. However, the Republic of Zimbabwe maintains a policy of fostering amicable relations with all nations, and cultivating adversarial relationships with none.
‘In the spirit of constructing a mutually beneficial and positive relationship with the United States of America, under the leadership of president Trump, I will direct the Zimbabwean government to implement a suspension of all tariffs levied on goods originating from the United States.
‘This measure is intended to facilitate the expansion of American imports within the Zimbabwean market, while simultaneously promoting the growth of Zimbabwean exports destined for the United States’.
Zimbabwe’s main trading partners are South Africa, the United Arab Emirates, and China, but it does export tobacco and rice to the United States.
The rates include a flat 10 per cent levy, along with additional rates tailored to match each nation’s tariffs on the United States.
Tariffs on African countries included 50 per cent on Lesotho, 32 per cent on Angola, 18 per cent on Zimbabwe, and 10 per cent on Sudan.
A top White House economic adviser, Kevin Hassett, said on 6. April that more than 50 countries had contacted the Trump administration to initiate negotiations over tariffs.
On 4 April, Trump wrote in a post on social media platform Truth Social: ‘Just had a very productive call with To Lam, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, who told me that Vietnam wants to cut their Tariffs down to ZERO if they are able to make an agreement with the U.S.
I thanked him on behalf of our Country, and said I look forward to a meeting in the near future’.
Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Ho Duc Phoc’s office said in a statement on 4 April that Vietnam will continue to push for more purchases coming from the United States and will hold meetings on how to handle the new U.S. tariffs.
In Zimbabwe, Mnangagwa took over as president after the country’s longtime leader, Robert Mugabe, was ousted in 2017.
Mnangagwa, who was reelected president in August 2023, uses the political slogan ‘Restructure, Reform, Rebuild’ and is seeking to repair the Zimbabwean economy after years of decline under Mugabe.
But the ruling ZANU-PF party has been accused of corruption and human rights abuses.
Last year, the Biden administration canceled sanctions that had been imposed on Zimbabwe since 2003 and replaced them with new measures that targeted specifically Mnangagwa, his wife, Auxillia, and nine other individuals.
Wally Adeyemo, deputy secretary of the Treasury at the time, said, ‘The United States remains deeply concerned about democratic backsliding, human rights abuses, and government corruption in Zimbabwe’.
In a statement on 4 March, 2024, the Office of Foreign Assets said Mnangagwa was ‘involved in corrupt activities, in particular those relating to gold and diamond smuggling networks’.
It also stated, ‘Mnangagwa provides a protective shield to smugglers to operate in Zimbabwe and has directed Zimbabwean officials to facilitate the sale of gold and diamonds in illicit markets, taking bribes in exchange for his services’.
