UK lifts sanctions on 4 officials, defence company

Ivan Zhakata

Herald Correspondent

In a major diplomatic shift, the United Kingdom (UK) has officially lifted sanctions on four senior officials and the state-owned defence company, Zimbabwe Defence Industries (ZDI).

The move reflects a broader realignment in Western policy toward Zimbabwe.

The individuals removed from the sanctions list include the Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution for Midlands Province, Owen Ncube; Cde Isaac Moyo, former Director General of the Central Intelligence Organisation; Cde Godwin Matanga, former Police Commissioner-General; and Minister of Sports, Recreation, Arts and Culture, Anselem Sanyatwe.

In a statement, the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said: “These delistings are part of a regular review of our sanctions regime . . . we acknowledge recent developments and actions taken by international partners.”

The UK’s decision comes on the heels of a similar move by the European Union in February 2025, when it delisted ZDI from the sanctions list.

The United States also eased pressure, lifting several designations in March 2024 as part of a recalibrated approach to Zimbabwe. In February this year, the European Union (EU) removed Zimbabwe Defence Industries (ZDI) from its list of sanctioned entities but has maintained its arms embargo on the country.

Zimbabwe has remained unequivocal in its call for the unconditional removal of the illegal sanctions that were imposed unilaterally by the UK and its allies in the early 2000s as punishment for the land reform programme that corrected colonial land inequities.