(Last Updated on August 26, 2013 by Editor)
HARARE — A new threat is looming for international companies in Zimbabwe after President Robert Mugabe threatened unspecified action against companies from western countries in retaliation over the continuous imposition of targeted restrictions.
Mr Mugabe, who was speaking at the burial of a former high-profile air force commodore, Mike Karakadzai, in Harare on Sunday said: “Time will come when we will say, well, tit-for-tat, you hit me, I hit you.”
Mr Mugabe had earlier chided the US and Britain for maintaining sanctions against him and his inner circle of Zanu (PF) officials and some state-owned companies.
He said if the sanctions remained in place, his government could move in to impose controls or sanctions on companies from the two countries.
“They should not continue to harass us, the British and Americans. We have not done anything to their companies here, the British have several companies in this country, and we have not imposed any controls, any sanctions against them,” Mr Mugabe said.
Barclays Bank and Standard Chartered Bank are some of the companies that have operations in Zimbabwe which are British-owned.
UK Foreign Secretary William Hague called for an “independent investigation” of the elections, suggesting no let-up in western pressure on Mr Mugabe.
Foreign companies in Zimbabwe have already been forced to cede majority shares to black Zimbabwean groups under a controversial indigenisation drive.
Mr Mugabe is due to address the United Nations World Tourism Organisation general assembly on Monday.
His threat came as tourism players and experts from across the world gathered in the resort town of Victoria Falls for the tourism indaba, which Zimbabwe is jointly hosting with Zambia.