Mugabe's minister held at Gatwick as part of EU-wide travel ban

A senior member of the Zimbabwean government was seized at Gatwick airport last night as he tried to board a New York-bound flight in contravention of a Europe-wide travel ban on the African nation's rulers.

Joshua Malinga, the ruling Zanu-PF Party's deputy secretary for disability, now faces deportation. He is one of 52 people subject to a EU travel ban that was only passed on Tuesday in response to President Robert Mugabe's land policies that are leading the country towards famine.

Wheelchair-bound Mr Malinga and his disabled wife were taken to a hotel for the night. It is believed they were due to attend a disability conference in New York. He insisted he believed the EU travel banapplied only to senior party members. "I did not think that would include me," he said from his hotel room.

"I am travelling to New York because I am a leader of Disabled People's International. That's a worldwide movement. I don't know what that has to do with Zimbabwe's government."

There has been concern at the violent suppression of Mugabe's opponents but Mr Malinga said: "I don't know that the party I belong to has that monopoly of violence."