By Nomusa Garikai- By having one of the lowest per capita confirmed covid-19 cases and deaths in the world, this Zanu PF government is already boasting about it as proof its competence in containing the virus.
This is all very well if it is true; there is growing evidence that Zimbabwe’s corona virus situation is far worse than the official report suggest.
“As at 14 August 2020, Zimbabwe had 5 072 confirmed cases, (up by 82 new cases) including 1 998 recoveries and 128 deaths,” stated the Ministry of Health and Child Care daily update report.
Compare this with a detailed report in the New Zimbabwe on the same day, 14 August 2020.
“80 people that work at Munhumutapa Building, the building that houses president Mnangagwa’s offices reportedly tested positive for COVID-19,” reported New Zimbabwe.
“A source privy to the developments told the publication that, Public Service Commission even sent 85% of its staffers on quarantine after the novel coronavirus hit the government department’s offices in Harare.
“The matter came to light in a memo seen by the publication from PSC Secretary Ambassador Jonathan Wutawunashe to other staff members which reads in part:
“In view of the continued increase in the number of COVID-19 cases within the civil service, the Commission has been left without a choice but to further reduce the number of essential staff. Reduce the number of essential service staff to 15% of the current members coming to work. Reduce the number of people who use public transport since local community transmission is on the increase PSC reportedly also sent memos to ministerial heads advising them to reduce the number of workers in their offices and introduce remote working.”
So 80 workers in one government building, Munhumutapa Building, alone had tested covid-19 positive; how is it then possible that the whole country had only 82 covid-19 new cases?
The other day 26 workers in Zanu PF HQ tested positive of covid-19. This suggests that covid-19 tests are being ramped up in those areas where Zanu PF ruling elite frequent to reduce the chances of the elite getting the virus.
The covid-19 positive cases from Munhumutapa Building, Zanu PF HQ, etc. are not being included to the national total but at least the tests are being done and those with the virus sent into isolation. There is nothing to suggest that the regime is doing any tracing and tracking of the Munhumutapa Building and Zanu PF HQ covid-19 positive workers, the initial tests were to protest the chefs and the rest are not important.
Indeed, the most effective way Zanu PF has managed to keep the country’s corona virus figures down is by conducting very few tests. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has been calling on all governs to “Test, trace and track!” Zimbabwe has conducted one of the lowest per capita covid-19 tests in the world!
Whilst SA had done 3 million covid-19 tests by the end of July 2020. Zimbabwe with 1/4 the population of SA should have done 750 000 tests in the same period. Zimbabwe had done only 145 000 tests or 20%.
SA has 579 000 confirmed confirmed cases and , it is highly probable that Zimbabwe has 144 000 (1/4 that of SA) cases instead of the official figure of 5 000!
So, for every one covid-19 case send into isolation there were as many as 30 others with the virus who continue to roam freely in the community spreading the virus all because the regime ignore WHO’s advice, common sense really, to test aggressively.
At the outbreak of the corona virus pandemic Zimbabwe’s economy was already in total meltdown and its health care service had long all but collapsed. Zanu PF has not had any discernible strategy to stop the virus outbreak in the country and, once the virus was within the border, to contain it.
By failing to test aggressively and thus failing to implement some of the common sense precautions such as isolation, Zimbabwe has allowed corona virus to spread far and wide.
Zimbabwe’s corona virus figures should therefore be 1/4 those of SA, at the very best. Zimbabwe’s official covid-19 figures are certainly off the mark, it is nonsense to report of 82 new cases country wide when one government office has just reported 80 cases. The official figures are 30 times below the expected and by the time the pandemic finally blows over the difference will probably be tens if not hundreds of thousands of times below the real figures.
There is no doubt that Zanu PF is rigging the corona virus statistics. If the nation was to carry out thorough investigation into Zimbabwe’s corona virus story the report will uncover “numerous errors, lack of transparency, traceability and verifiability”; just as the EU 2018 Election Mission said the election!
The purpose of rigging the July 2018 elections was to keep Zanu PF in power. The purpose of rigging the corona virus figures is to bury, metaphorically and literally too, Zanu PF’s blundering incompetence in the handling of the pandemic. In both cases it is the ordinary Zimbabweans who have paid dearly in lost treasure and human suffering for the bad governance and in hundreds of thousands of human lives for corona virus.
Corona virus has also destroyed the economy not just of Zimbabwe but the world over. The economic recovery will be hard work for all but near impossible for a country like Zimbabwe with a corrupt and incompetent government like Zanu PF.
Zanu PF has rigged everything else but rigging economic recover has proved a bridge too far. Unless the people finally get their act together and implement the democratic reforms necessary to stop the curse of rigged elections there is a lot more weeping, gnashing of teeth and burying the dead ahead for Zimbabwe.