By A Correspondent- Following President Mnangagwa’s directive for the public to take appropriate measures to prevent COVID-19 infections in Zimbabwe, the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) secretary has directed everyone entering courthouses countrywide to have their hands cleaned using alcohol-based hand sanitizers.

Acting chief magistrate Munamato Mutevedzi and JSC deputy secretary Tendai Msipa began the sanitizing process at the Harare Magistrate’s Court, saying it was a nationwide program. Upon entry, everyone was receiving potions of the alcohol-based hand sanitizer while high contact surfaces like staircase rails and dorr handles were disinfected regularly.

While this development is welcome, The Rotten Row Courts operate mostly without running water and this has resulted in unhygienic ablution facilities.

The ablutions are usually very dirty and there’s no running water to wash hands after using them. These toilets pose as a health hazard as the thousands of people who visit the courts are left vulnerable to diseases that thrive in such environments.