United States President Trump’s administration has reportedly said that it is committed to working with President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government, adding, however, that Zimbabwe should “stop relying on the US dollar and instead introduce its own currency”.

According to The Independent, the US Acting Assistant Secretary for African Affairs Don Yamamoto said: “Today it (Zimbabwe) imports food; its financial institutions are not in great shape. They have to go into the US dollar. That’s good and bad; I mean, it stabilises, but it’s bad because Zimbabwe should have control of its own finances. It shouldn’t be dependent on United States or outside. And those are some of the reforms that we recognise need to be done immediately in short-term and also long-term.”

Yamamoto said this last week in Washington DC during a press briefing on the US strategic priorities.

He said that the US was ready to work with Zimbabwe on economic and political reforms so as to help put the country in the right direction.

This came as president Mnangagwa remained under US sanctions for his activities as Robert Mugabe’s deputy and enforcer.

Mnangagwa, who was sworn in on November 24, was sanctioned in response to what the US called acts “to undermine Zimbabwe’s democratic processes or institutions” and “acts of violence and other human rights abuses against political opponents”.

Mnangagwa was accused of leading a violent crackdown on opponents in the 2008 presidential election.

He has, however, vowed a “new, unfolding democracy” in Zimbabwe after Mugabe’s resignation under military and ruling party pressure.