By Jane Mlambo| With Zimbabwe recording eight COVID-19 cases in one day for the first time, President Emmerson Mnangagwa has hinted at a possible lockdown extension as the country is not yet out of the woods.

In a story carried in the state owned Herald, Mnangagwa announced that his government will prioritize lives ahead of the economy, adding that he will balance the needs for economic growth and lives of the people.

“We as government and as the president, decided that with this challenge, what do we do, balancing the needs for economic growth and the lives of the people, as well as saving lives.

“I came to the conclusion that if citizens die, we cannot resuscitate them but the economy can die and can be resuscitated. Now or in the future, it doesn’t matter as long as people are alive, we can always have conferences where we say let’s resuscitate the economy but I have never seen conferences where people are discussing how to resuscitate the dead, so our bias is towards the preservation of life,” said Mnangagwa.

Zimbabwe’s second lockdown is expected to end on Sunday with various stakeholders complaining of distress owing to partial operation of the economy.