ZANU PF says it will not lose sleep over the United States’ partial travel restrictions on Zimbabwe as Donald Trump moves to tighten entry requirements for travel and immigration.

Zimbabwe is among 12 African countries facing partial travel restrictions from the US, a move described by the African Union as a blow to the continent.

Addressing the media at the party headquarters in Harare, ZANU PF spokesperson Christopher Mutsvangwa said Zimbabwe is not perturbed by Trump’s latest proclamation on travel restrictions.

“Americans elect a government and out of the election of their government it governs them according to their sovereign wishes as Americans. What they decide to do about entry or exit to their country is their business,” said Mutsvangwa.

Trump’s proclamation has raised questions over the US’s stance on Africa as a continent, which has been viewed as hardline since he assumed the presidency in January this year.

The move is arguably a step back in the thawing of relations between Zimbabwe and the US, which have been frosty since the early 2000s when Zimbabwe embarked on a fast-tracked land reform programme.

Mutsvangwa said the move is retrogressive in a globalised economy anchored on trade between countries.

“What we would hope for is that a modern economy like America is tolerant of the globalised nature of the pace of human civilisation. The world is becoming a global village and free movement of people, as much as possible, encourages that interaction among people.

“If countries become paranoid or xenophobic it is a retrogressive step. We do not, as Zimbabwe, prescribe what other countries should be doing with their immigration policy,” said Mutsvangwa.