MDC president Nelson Chamisa faces disciplinary action if he insists on disregarding the latest Supreme Court ruling that he was not the legitimate leader of the main opposition party, former secretary-general
Douglas Mwonzora has said:

Speaking in an interview with the Zimbabwe Independent , Mwonzora said gone are the days when officials would violate the party’s rules with impunity.

He said:
The MDC is a party of rules. We respect and advocate for the rule of law and constitutionalism. We cannot accept lawlessness disguised as politics.

Gone are the days when people would break their own rules with impunity. If we fail to obey court rulings while we are in the opposition, what would happen if we are given state power?

So, if people fail to comply with the ruling, they will be taking a conscious risk and would be careless because the party will trigger its rules.

However, MDC deputy spokesperson Luke Tamborinyoka has dismissed Mwonzora’s threats, saying the ruling doesn’t mean anything to anyone.

Tamborinyoka added that the MDC will not be bound by a decision of a captured judiciary and in any case, the Thokozani Khupe and Chamisa-led MDCs held separate congresses and that settles the matter.-Zimbabwe Independent

Police have arrested 485 people countrywide for failing to abide by restrictions outlined by President Mnangagwa last week when he announced a raft of measures to halt the spread of coronavirus.

Police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi told The Herald last night that those arrested were found guilty of operating shebeens, failing to observe social distance in queues, while some motorists were also arrested for moving around aimlessly.

Asst Comm Nyathi said some of the arrested people were abusing the exemption rule on essential services, trying to bribe or lying to police details manning roadblocks.

In Harare, ZRP and the Harare municipal police mounted roadblocks on several roads where people were being asked to produce letters from employers or relevant authorities from their respective areas showing that they are providing essential services.

Most people were asked to produce a letter or concrete evidence clarifying the reasons of their visit in town or their final destination.

Police dispersed some people who were loitering in the CBD.

At Africa Unity Square, few people where seen enjoying their food in the park at mid-day, but had vanished later in the day.
Some taxis were parked along Third Street.

Supermarkets were open, but closed in the afternoon in line with the Government directive. At most service stations fuel was available and there were short or no queues at all.

Police also used a public address system to remind people to stay at home.-State media

By A Correspondent- Long-standing DSTV subscribers could soon see a revolution in their service as MultiChoice considers dropping the satellite dish and offering a streaming service similar to that of Netflix, but this will be done in phases and depending on internet connectivity in various DStv territories.

The year 2020 could bring a new standalone streaming service in place of the current DSTV offerings. This new option could be available as soon as March next year.

This means users will have to say goodbye to the dish and decoder and welcome a new, more laid-back streaming offering.

The new service will differ to the currently available DStv Now service which requires a direct-to-home link to a satellite dish.

With the shift to a more streaming-friendly approach the new service will offer a more on-demand viewing capability, allowing viewers to watch what they want, when they want, instead of simply what is already showing like the usual DStv and DStv Now offering.

It is not yet confirmed whether this will be cheaper or more expensive than the current DTSV offering.-Wires

President Emmerson Mnangagwa has deployed soldiers to takeover the enforcement of lockdown orders amid reports that the police have failed to curtail movement of people.

This was also confirmed by Presidential Spokesperson George Charamba who tweeted that the boys had been deployed to locations and suburbs to deal with those drinking beer on the street and loitering instead of following orders which requires people to stay at home.

“MaFACE angu ekumaGhetto, kindly note that pranks and drinking sprees in streets this evening will come to grief!!!! THE BOYS ARE BACK IN TOWN!!!!!!!,” said Charamba tweeting on his Jamwanda2 account.

By A Correspondent- The two words may evoke fear and devastation in minds of others, but for the Raipur-based couple, they symbolise triumph over hardships as the twins – a boy and a girl – were born during the ongoing coronavirus-enforced nationwide lockdown which has disrupted normal life.

The pandemic caused by a new virus may have brought the world to its knees, but that has not deterred a couple in Chhattisgarh to name their newborn twins as ‘Corona’ and ‘COVID’, HindustanTimes reports.

The names, they said, would remind them about all the hardships they conquered amid the lockdown, ahead of successful delivery on the intervening night of March 26-27 at a government hospital here. However, the couple said they may change their decision later and rename their kids.

I was blessed with the twins – a boy and a girl – in the early hours on March 27. We have named them Covid (boy) and Corona (girl) for now,” Preeti Verma, the 27-old mother of the newborns, told PTI.

“The delivery happened after facing several difficulties and therefore, me and my husband wanted to make the day memorable. 

“Indeed the virus is dangerous and life-threatening but its outbreak made people focus on sanitation, hygiene and inculcate other good habits. Thus, we thought about these names,” she said, giving reasons for their unusual decision.

“When the hospital staff also started calling the babies as Corona and COVID, we finally decided to name them after the pandemic,” she said.

The couple, originally from Uttar Pradesh, resides in a rented house in the Purani Basti area of the state capital.

“On late night of March 26, I suddenly experienced severe labour pain and somehow my husband arranged an ambulance operated under 102 Mahtari Express service.

“As no vehicle movement was allowed on roads due to the lockdown, we were stopped by police at various places but they let us go after noticing my condition,” Verma said.

I was wondering what would happen in the hospital as it was midnight, but fortunately, doctors and other staff were very cooperative,” she said. “Our relatives, who wanted to reach the hospital, could not make it as bus and train services were stopped due to the lockdown,” said Verma, who already has a two-year-old daughter.

The twins were born in Dr BR Ambedkar Memorial Hospital. Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the hospital, Shubhra Singh said, the mother and the newborns were discharged recently and they were in good health.

As soon as Verma reached the hospital with her husband, arrangements were made to perform a caesarean section on her as it was a complicated case, Singh said. “Within 45 minutes of their arrival, the delivery was done successfully,” the PRO said. The twins had become a centre of attraction in the hospital after the couple named them as Covid and Corona, Singh said.-Online

White farmer speaks: Mnangagwa’s administration is misleading people. The offer sparked heated debate in parliament, with legislators demanding that for it to be viable, the country’s constitution had to be changed to reverse the land reform programme.

A fortnight ago, President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government a said it was offering about 800 commercial farms as compensation to farmers who had lost their land during the violent land seizures that began in 2000 under then-President Robert Mugabe.

The SADC Tribunal Rights Watch, a group that had successfully challenged Mugabe’s land seizure in international courts, however, now says the new regulations to apparently restore farms to their owners “are misleading and provide false hope to dispossessed farmers, many of whom are now destitute.

The group, representing nearly 4,500 dispossessed commercial farmers, said the new regulations only affect ‘’indigenous’’ farmers and foreigners protected by Bilateral Investment Promotion and Protection Agreements (BIPPAs) and Bilateral Investment Treaties (BITs).

Misleading

The farmers are demanding nearly $7 billion in compensation for their properties.

Ben Freeth, the Sadc Tribunal Rights spokesperson, said the farmers will reject government’s offer because it was racist and did not offer dispossessed farmers any legal protection.

“Regrettably, this piece of misleading legislation is another attempt at window dressing to make it appear that the Zimbabwe government is going to return farms to their owners and re-establish property rights – but this is not the case,” Mr Freeth said.

“More than 40 years after Independence, one would legitimately expect that Section 56 of our Constitution concerning ‘equality and non-discrimination’ would apply with full force.

“The reality is that so-called ‘indigenous’ Zimbabweans have more rights than ‘white’ citizens who have been deprived of their homes, businesses and livelihoods, as well as compensation for their losses.”

He said the regulations also favoured foreign landowners whose farms were covered under BIPPAs and BITs as the white Zimbabweans who were violently thrown out of their farms during the Mugabe era.

“As such, this legislation is discriminatory,” Freeth said. “It also goes against the Southern African Development Community (Sadc) Treaty and the landmark Campbell Case judgment of November 2008 in the SADC Tribunal, the regional human rights court.”

The Sadc Tribunal ruled that Zimbabwe violated the regional body’s treaty by denying the dispossessed farmers access to the courts. It also said Zimbabwe’s land reforms discriminated against the southern African country’s white minority population.

“Discriminatory laws can quickly lead to institutionalising racial discrimination. We need to do everything we possibly can to test these counterproductive laws against our Constitution and international law,” said Freeth.

“Furthermore, the government cannot convince international investors from countries like the UK ̶ who are discriminated against because there’s no bilateral investment treaty ̶ that Zimbabwe is a secure investment destination when it fails to respect the rights of both international investors and its own citizens.”

Protected

Some of the dispossessed farmers were from Germany, Netherlands and Switzerland, and whose properties were protected by treaties between Harare and Western countries.

“While the regulations do not define the meaning of the term ‘’indigenous,’’ the government has consistently referred to ‘’black’’ Zimbabweans exclusively as ‘’indigenous’’ persons,” the Sadc Tribunal Rights Watch said.

“This is despite the fact that the standard definition of ‘’indigenous’’ applies to persons born and residing in a particular place or region, and is not exclusive to a particular race, gender or ethnicity.

“A significant number of the dispossessed white farmers were born in Zimbabwe and many were second, third or even fourth generation who knew no other home,” the group said. Agriculture minister Perrance Shiri said 440 farms belonging to ‘’indigenous’’ people were seized during the land reform programme.

Mr Shiri said 350 of the farmers were still on the acquired land while 90 farms had resettled people, but the Sadc Tribunal Rights Watch said only three black farmers were forced off their land.

For years, Zimbabwe has ignored rulings by regional and international courts compelling it to reverse the takeover of farms protected by BIPPAs and BITs.
The International Centre for Settlement of Investment

Disputes (ICSID) – part of the World Bank Group – in 2009 and 2015 ruled against Zimbabwe in cases involving Dutch farmers.

In 2008, the now defunct Sadc Tribunal ruled that Zimbabwe’s land reform programme was patently racist and Harare was ordered to compensate the dispossessed farmers.

“The reason that BIPPA and BIT-protected properties are now being considered for compensation is that the bankrupt government needs the support of foreign donors and international lending institutions,” the Sadc Tribunal Rights Watch added.

The EU, Britain and the US put the issue of compensation of the white commercial farmers as one of the pre-conditions for re-engagement with Zimbabwe after Mugabe’s fall in a military coup in 2017.

International lenders such as the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank have also emphasised that Zimbabwe must compensate the dispossessed land owners if it wants loans.

Mr Mugabe, who had ruled Zimbabwe since Independence from Britain in 1980, championed the land reform programme saying it was meant to correct colonial injustices.

Critics, however, say the government parcelled the productive farms to ruling party officials and supporters who had no interest in farming.

A land audit initiated by President Mnangagwa showed that a number of top politicians owned multi-farms that remained underutilised. Some of the multiple-farm owners include Mugabe family members. President Mnangagwa hinted late last year that former first lady Grace Mugabe owned at least 16 farms.

He said the farms would be taken back in line with the government’s “one family, one farm” policy. The government has also been seizing farms owned by Mugabe’s loyalists who fled into exile during the military coup.

The agrarian reforms led to the collapse of the country’s agriculture-based economy and cased mass food shortages that persist to date. Aid agencies say at least eight million Zimbabweans or half the population will need food aid this year after consecutive seasons of poor harvests.

By A Correspondent- Some nurses have resigned from Zimbabwe’s main COVID-19 isolation center, Wilkins Infectious Diseases Hospital, and moved on to private hospitals that are reportedly paying salaries in US dollars.

Nurses’ morale at the Harare City Council-run institution is at an all-time low, hence the nurses are moving to St Anne’s Hospital in Harare’s Avondale suburb and Arundel Hospital in Mount Pleasant which are paying around US$75 per day.

According to The Independent:

“People have been really trying, but after working so much we are getting peanuts.

The morale is really low. Right now, we are closed and yet to open again when the renovations are finished, but there is nothing to be excited about. We just got our peanuts.

The staff here have not been getting any allowances and have been working with limited protective clothing. Some people decided that it is better to leave and go where they are paying in US dollars. Four nurses left and only 16 remain, but three more will be going soon.”

Zimbabwe Nurses Association secretary-general Enock Dongo has appealed for the provision of more PPE (personal protective equipment) and the training for nurses on COVID-19 as it is new and not known by people.

Zimbabwe has 9 confirmed COVID-19 positive cases and this has been attributed to the low test rest which according to Health director in the City of Harare Dr Prosper Chonzi, is at 96 tests per day.

By A Correspondent- A lot of Africans on social media have expressed their anger on a viral video suggesting that Africa should be the first place where coronavirus treatments are tested.

Jean-Paul Mira, head of intensive care at Cochin hospital in Paris, and Camille Locht, head of research at the Inserm health research group, both said on French TV that there was a case for testing out the vaccines in African countries.

“If I can be provocative, shouldn’t we be doing this study in Africa, where there are no masks, no treatments, no resuscitation?” Dr Mira said on TV channel LCI.

“A bit like as it is done elsewhere for some studies on Aids. In prostitutes, we try things because we know that they are highly exposed and that they do not protect themselves.”

“You are right,” Dr Locht responded.

“We are in the process of thinking about a study in parallel in Africa.”

The comments received an angry response on social media, including from former footballers Didier Drogba and Samuel Eto’o.

“I would like to vividly denounce those demeaning, false and most of all deeply racist words,” Drogba tweeted.

“Do not take African people as human guinea pigs! It’s absolutely disgusting,” he added.

Another twitter user said “It’s 2020 in France & we still see people from Africa as subjects for experimentation. This is what normalized racism looks like.AFAIK, nobody jumped in to counter the arguments, both doctors agreed. Same, the way s.e.x-workers are considered: like objects that can be used for tests.”

“If only Africa would choose better leaders, we would not even need to worry about this happening,” another responded.-Online

Morgen Komichi has vowed that Nelson Chamisa has no power to recall him and Douglas Mwonzora from the upper house (Senate) following the Supreme court ruling last week.

The Supreme Court ruled that MDC should revert to 2014 structures immediately with Thokozani Khupe as acting president and Komichi as party chairperson tasked with calling for an extraordinary congress to replace late leader Morgan Tsvangirai.

Komichi and Mwonzora are underfire on the role they played in the Supreme Court challenge which saw Chamisa losing his Presidency to Thokozani Khupe.

Speaking to Zim Morning Post, Komichi said that if Chamisa writes a letter to recall them from Parliament, Speaker of Parliament Jacob Mudenda will only be guided by the Supreme Court judgment.

“The Supreme Court judgment supercedes political moves, if he writes a letter to recall us then Mudenda will be guided by the Supreme Court judgment which is above any political moves,” Komichi told Zim Morning Post.

However, a battle line has been drawn where most MDC Alliance councillors and legislators have vowed to stand with Chamisa.

Political analyst Tendai Chapwanya believes that the battle between Chamisa and Khupe is far from over.

“This battle is far from over this is a clear political war and the SC cannot win when it comes to politics what I can tell you is that this is the death of opposition, neither Chamisa nor Khupe will score better results come 2023,” Chapwanya said

However, Chamisa has received some backing from the party structures.

Komichi has since called for an extraordinary Congress and directed Mwonzora to start preparations.

“In terms of our constitution, we are going for an extraordinary congress for purposes of electing a substantive President.

“Any member of the Party is free to contest this position without fear of victimization. This Congress will be run by an Independent Commission which of necessity will include the ZCTU.

“The Secretary General and Senator Douglas Togaraseyi Mwonzora is hereby directed to ensure that all Congress preparations are started immediately,” Komichi said just after the Supreme Court Judgment was delivered.

— Zim Morning Post

Senator Douglas Mwonzora, Secretary-General of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) has this Thursday urged party members to accept the Supreme Court ruling on the party’s leadership crisis.

Mwonzora said that the party must convene an Extra-ordinary Congress which will put the party’s leadership crisis to finality.

His remarks come after the Supreme Court ruled that Thokozani Khupe was the legitimate leader of the party who should assume the leadership, on an interim basis, until an extraordinary congress is held within three months after the passing of the judgment.

He said that there was no need for party members and supporters to denigrate the courts only because the ruling was not in their favour adding that the issue of leadership needs to be addressed.

Mwonzora also said that it is wrong to say that there is a party called the MDC Alliance since the MDC Alliance is an amalgamation of 7 parties merely for 2018 elections.

He added that the congresses that were held by Nelson Chamisa’s MDC faction and Khupe’s MDC faction were just congresses of factions in the same party and they have been nullified by the Supreme Court.

Mwonzora also said that the constitutions of political parties are not there for decoration – they have to be upheld.

Independent|REINSTATED MDC secretary-general Douglas Mwonzora has delivered stinging criticism of his long-time nemesis Nelson Chamisa and his allies, saying they faced disciplinary action for failing to comply with Tuesday’s Supreme Court decision rendering Thokozani Khupe as the rightful leader of the party.

The Chamisa camp, most notably his deputies Tendai Biti and Welshman Ncube, mocked the ruling, saying it did not affect their structures.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled that Chamisa was not the legitimate leader of the main opposition party, in so doing affirming an earlier High Court decision.

Chamisa gained control of the party in a dramatic fashion when the now late founding president, Morgan Tsvangirai, was on his deathbed in South Africa. Tsvangirai succumbed to colon cancer in February 14, 2018. The court said the party should revert to 2014 structures, which in principle implies the firebrand youthful politician is relegated to a national council member position while Khupe — who was elected MDC vice-president at the October 2014 congress — assumes the reins.

Mwonzora beat Chamisa in the race for the secretary-general’s position at that congress.

The Supreme Court also ordered the party to hold an extraordinary congress in the next three months.

Biti said the ruling was a nullity since it had been overtaken by events.

Both Khupe and Chamisa held separate congresses last year. They also separately contested the 2018 presidential election in which Khupe performed dismally.

Biti further averred that the ruling was made in terms of the MDC-T, which Khupe led, and not Chamisa’s MDC Alliance.

“The congress of May 2019 stands and cannot be affected by any ruling and determination on a judgement affecting the MDC-T. We are MDC Alliance. The next congress of the MDC Alliance is in May 2023, not anytime before,” he said.

Ncube also dismissed the ruling.

However, Mwonzora, in an interview with the Zimbabwe Independent said the two officials were offside.

“The chairman (Morgen Komichi) made it clear that we will comply with the ruling. Then we heard some people say they will not comply and that’s rather sad because we insist it should be complied with,” he said, adding Biti and Ncube were “wrong and dishonest”.

“They are wrong and dishonest. The MDC Alliance is not a political party, but a group of seven parties, of which the principal party is the MDC. In terms of the alliance agreement, anyone who is the MDC president automatically becomes the leader of the alliance. Similarly, it means that once that person has lost the presidency of the MDC, he/she would have automatically lost the alliance leadership,” Mwonzora said.

“In the MDC alliance, the seven parties retained their statuses as individual parties. So Mr Biti’s party is the PDP (People’s Democratic Party) and Ncube’s party is MDC Green. We were therefore surprised to hear PDP people trying to comment on MDC issues. So the judgement affects one of the parties which is a member of the MDC Alliance.

The interpretation by of the (alliance) agreement by Biti is thus an awkward attempt to gain cheap political mileage by lying to the people. Biti and Ncube are very senior lawyers and they must be honest to Chamisa and to Zimbabwe,” he said.

Mwonzora added that failure to comply with the court’s decision would lead to the party instituting disciplinary action.

“The MDC is a party of rules. We respect and advocate for the rule of law and constitutionalism. We cannot accept lawlessness disguised as politics. Gone are the days when people would break their own rules with impunity. If we fail to obey court rulings while we are in the opposition, what would happen if we are given state power?” Mwonzora said.

“So, if people fail to comply with the ruling, they will be taking a conscious risk and would be careless because the party will trigger its rules.”

However, Luke Tamborinyoka, the hitherto MDC deputy spokesperson and a Chamisa loyalist, scoffed at Mwonzora’s suggestions.

“The ruling doesn’t mean anything to anyone, and Mwonzora should know that. We cannot be bound by a decision of a captured judiciary. We went into elections with our own insignia and Khupe went with her own insignia. We have had separate congresses too, indicating that we are different entities. How will such disciplinary action be effected? It’s a joke,” he said.

By Own Correspondent| Freelance journalist Nunurai Jena was today remanded out of custody on free bail to 7 May 2020 when he appeared before the Chinhoyi magistrates court to answer to charges of disorderly conduct in a public place.

Jena is accused of breaching Section 41 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act which deals with disorderly conduct in a public place, which is the main charge.

His lawyer Kudzai Choga confirmed to MISA Zimbabwe that the journalist who was not in custody following his arrest on 2 April 2020, had been remanded out of custody on free bail.

He also faces the alternative charge of contravening Section 11 (a) (b) of the Public Health (COVID-19), Prevention, Containment and Treatment (National Lockdown Order, 2020.

Background
Jena was supposed to appear in court following his arrest on 2 April 2020, but failed to make it before the courts closed at 3pm on the same day. He was then released with summons to appear in court on 3 April 2020.

Farai Dziva|The Movement for Democratic Change has urged its supporters and Zimbabweans in general to disregard a statement purportedly written by Advocate Nelson Chamisa as his response to the Supreme Court ruling.

According to the party, Chamisa has not yet spoken about the Supreme Court ruling on the opposition party’s leadership dispute.

“Please ignore the statement by President Nelson Chamisa that is currently circulating on social media.

President Chamisa will issue his statement when in due course.that statement will be issued via our
normal channels,” the opposition party said in a brief statement.

MDC president Nelson Chamisa faces disciplinary action if he insists on disregarding the latest Supreme Court ruling that he was not the legitimate leader of the main opposition party, former secretary-general
Douglas Mwonzora has said:

Speaking in an interview with the Zimbabwe Independent , Mwonzora said gone are the days when officials would violate the party’s rules with impunity.

He said:
The MDC is a party of rules. We respect and advocate for the rule of law and constitutionalism. We cannot accept lawlessness disguised as politics.

Gone are the days when people would break their own rules with impunity. If we fail to obey court rulings while we are in the opposition, what would happen if we are given state power?

So, if people fail to comply with the ruling, they will be taking a conscious risk and would be careless because the party will trigger its rules.

However, MDC deputy spokesperson Luke Tamborinyoka has dismissed Mwonzora’s threats, saying the ruling doesn’t mean anything to anyone.

Tamborinyoka added that the MDC will not be bound by a decision of a captured judiciary and in any case, the Thokozani Khupe and Chamisa-led MDCs held separate congresses and that settles the matter.-Zimbabwe Independent

Police have raided nearly 3 tonnes of vegetables from vendors at Sakubva market who were selling their produce after midnight defying calls by Government to stay at home.

Speaking to Diamond FM during disposal of the confiscated wares at City of Mutare waste dumpsite, Manicaland Police Spokesperson Inspector Tavhiringwa Kakohwa said police have been deployed across the province to enforce compliance as part of efforts in the fight against Covid-19.

He also said over 300 vendors fled the market leaving their produce upon arrival of the police following tipoff from concerned citizens.

Meanwhile Inspector Kakohwa further emphasized the need for people to comply with the lockdown conditions, saying this will go a long way in fighting the novel coronavirus. 

-State Media

As part of the National Clean-Up Campaign, the ZRP, Harare City Council and Min of Health and Child Care have moved to sanitize areas in Mbare high density suburb using water canons commonly used to disperse protestors.

“As part of the National Clean-Up Campaign, the ZRP, Harare City Council and Min of Health & Child Care get ready to sanitize areas in Mbare high density suburb using ZRP 600 litre vehicles in 30 potential hotspots in the capital,” read a post on ZBC Twitter account.

More to follow…

LOCAL medical doctors have expressed concern over the low numbers of people being tested for the deadly coronavirus in the country as the United Nations (UN) yesterday warned that Africa could lose millions of lives to the novel virus in the next fortnight if developed countries fail to assist the continent.

The UN said the virus would remain a vicious circle in the world if developed countries fail to mobilise resources and urgently provide test kits, masks, ventilators and protective suits for health workers to avert loss of millions of lives in Africa.

Zimbabwe Association of Doctors for Human Rights (ZADHR) secretary Norman Matara yesterday appealed to the international community to intervene and save the country from a catastrophic attack from the virus considering its weak health system and struggling economy.

“We wish and pray that the international community intervenes to help (curb) the spread of the disease by providing us with test kits and other protective measures to help health workers in the fight against coronavirus,” Matara said.

“The number of people being tested in Zimbabwe is worrisome. They (authorities) should copy other countries like South Africa in increasing the numbers of people being tested and that is the only solution to know and control the spread of the virus.”

Matara added: “This coronavirus has come at a time we have a weak health system. The only effective measure in Zimbabwe is to combat the spread of the disease by employing lockdown measures, which is the only cheapest way of controlling the disease for us at the moment.

“The government has not been providing enough funding for our health and this is leaving us vulnerable and if we fail to contain this, we will be wiped.”

Zimbabwe has recorded one fatality from eight confirmed COVID-19 cases.
According to the Health ministry, about 233 people out of a population of 15 million have been tested since the country recorded its first case.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa last week imposed a 21-day national lockdown, which became effective on Monday as part of efforts to combat the spread of the virus, but observers said the measure would not be effective without adequately equipping public health facilities.

ZADHR, the Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum and the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights have been challenging government to do more to combat a possible huge outbreak.

The human rights doctors said the country required a clear referral pathway, apart from back-up diagnostic kits, personal protective equipment and expertise to be able to tackle the deadly virus, which has collapsed the world economy since it was discovered in Wuhan, China last December.

About 6,6 million jobs are already at stake in the United States, the world’s economic giant, which has recorded over 200 000 cases, the highest in the world, and over 5 000 deaths.

Italy, the epicentre of the virus in Europe, has lost nearly 14 000 lives from around 115 000 infections, with Spain, another European country, recording as high as 10 000 deaths as the healthcare systems buckle under pressure.

Despite measures put in place by African governments to contain the spread of COVID-19, several countries on the continent have no capacity to roll out massive testing, risking a quick spreading of the deadly virus.

Africa has 5 786 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 196 deaths in 49 countries, with neighbouring South Africa, with over 1 300 confirmed cases, leading the pack.

South Africa has announced plans to dispatch about 10 000 field workers to roll out a mass screening programme for the coronavirus.

United Nations secretary-general Antonio Guterres said he feared millions of people would die from coronavirus in Africa if the G20 countries, which hold 80% of the global economy, did not work together to pool resources for developing African countries.

“Africa is in urgent need of test kits, masks, ventilators, protective suits for health workers. We can still prevent the worst in Africa, but without a massive mobilisation, we will have millions and millions of people contaminated, which means millions of deaths,” Guterres said in a statement yesterday.

“Africa should be the priority of the international community as the continent does not have the resources to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

“As the virus mutates, all the investment we are putting into vaccines will be for nothing because the virus will then travel from the south back to the north. So it is in the interest of countries in the north to help the south.”

Last week, World Health Organisation director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned Africa to brace for the worst, claiming statistics were too understated due to unavailability of testing kits.

“The best advice for Africa is to prepare for the worst and prepare today,” he said.

Meanwhile, government and the United Nations have launched a US$715 million humanitarian response plan for 2020, which will see off the fight on effects of drought, Cyclone Idai and COVID-19, which has claimed thousands of lives globally.

The 2020 humanitarian response plan for Zimbabwe was launched yesterday, targeting 5,6 million people with food assistance and support in the areas of health, water-sanitation-hygiene, education, protection, nutrition, shelter and camp co-ordination and management.

The plan seeks to mobilise US$715 million from the international community.

In a statement, the UN said the humanitarian response plan would play a key role in mitigating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on vulnerable communities.

-Newsday

By A Correspondent- Police in Mutare early this morning confiscated more than a tonne of vegetables that were meant to supply hundreds of vendors at Sakubva vegetable market.

The vegetable market was closed down by council last week as part of measures to curb the spread of the deadly Covid 19. Sakubva musika is the busiest market in Mutare where hundreds of people converge everyday risking infection. Acting on a tip off, police ambushed the farmers who had already set up their wares by 2am waiting for buyers.

Vegetables that were confiscated included tomatoes, cabbages, green vegetables, lemons among others. -Statemedia

By A Correspondent- Former MDC vice president Morgen Komichi has assured MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa that he will live to a ripe old age if he respects the party’s Constitution.

Komichi made the remarks in the wake of a Tuesday Supreme Court ruling which invalidated Chamisa’s MDC presidency.

Komichi, who was Chamisa’s chief election agent in the 2018 presidential election, guaranteed Chamisa that he has high chances of winning the MDC top post at the envisaged extraordinary congress as he is popular.

Said Komichi:

I call upon Honourable Nelson Chamisa to accept the court ruling and participate in the election processes.

He may actually win who knows. He is a popular guy why should he be afraid? He should actually shame the devil and he will live a long life if he respects the constitution and people will support him so much.”

However, some commentators posit that Komichi is bitter after Chamisa did not offer him protection at the 2019 congress which saw him losing his bid for one of the vice-presidential posts.

Other analysts are of the view that Komichi is unaware that he is being used by ZANU PF to destroy the MDC or at worst, his hands were greased by the ruling party to destroy the opposition.-OpenParly

Watch the live video loading below…..

By A Correspondent- Human Rights activist Pedzisayi Ruhanya has alleged that a senior MDC official was arrested in 2011 after raping a cleaner at a hotel in South Africa.

In a Twitter thread posted on Friday Ruhanya said:

“Magaliesburg is a town, 55km outside of Joburg. MDC held a retreat at Magalies Bush Lodge 2011. One of its rebels raped a cleaner who had come to prepare his room. Tsvangirai negotiated his release b4 he was deported. Hons Khupe, Bhebe have fine details.”

Ruhanya would not be drawn to mention the name of the accused person, leaving room for speculation. However, he gave a hint by adding that the said official has a litany of women abuse cases on his head.

“Surely raping a woman cleaner at a lodge and constitutionalism are not compatible. There is a litany of cases of abuse of women against this MDC rebel that he needs to spell out as he fights for constitutionalism in his party. The rule of law does not entail abuses.”

When asked why he kept the information for this long, Ruhanya said, “Got it this week from a colleague in South Africa.”

Douglas Mwonzora says his efforts to get in touch with Nelson Chamisa to discuss the Supreme Court judgement have been fruitless as the MDC Alliance leader has not been picking his calls.

Mwonzora said there are some MDC Alliance members who are trying to influence Chamisa not to accept the court ruling as they fear they will lose positions after the extraordinary congress that was ordered by the court.

“I have made phone calls to him but I have not been able to talk to him ever since the judgement came out.

“Previously I have been able to talk to him but now I have not been able to talk to him. He is not picking my calls,” Mwonzora said.

He added that he only got to know of Chamisa’s reaction to the judgement through social media posts.

“I have been however made to understand his thinking regarding this case through what he has posted on social media

“My understanding is that he is in agreement with what Professor Welshman Ncube and Tendai Biti are saying, that we must defy the court order. That is wrong,” he said.

Chamisa wrote on Twitter on Wednesday saying politics is defined by numbers, not the courts.

“People are the Supreme Court of all politics! Thank you, Jesus, for all the good people around us,” he said.

Ali Naka, a political activist and Pan Africanist who is allegedly working with Rwanda’s government has claimed that Zimbabwe’s Minister of Health Child Care, Dr Obadiah Moyo has been fired.

Naka does not divulge when and why Moyo was dismissed but the report comes amidst other reports claiming that a senior politician who is a medical doctor has tested positive for coronavirus.

He posted on Twitter and said:

Dear Zimbabweans! The military has effectively fired the Incompetent Minister of Health. He is now the fall guy. Those who appointed him have been asked to manage his Exit! 

The alleged development comes amidst accusations of incompetency which are being raised against the Minister.

Only recently, Moyo was replaced by Vice President Constantino Chiwenga as the chairperson of the Coronavirus Task Force with military personnel saying that he was useless and had lied about the country’s readiness for coronavirus.

More: Ali Naka

Edutainment group Bus Stop TV have produced another hilarious skit this time about the ravaging Coronavirus and government imposed lockdown.

Watch video downloading below:

Two Zimbabweans living in the United Kingdom reportedly died of coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, yesterday.

Socialite and accountant Gardner Madzongo and health worker Sikhanyisiwe Kaziboni are said to have succumbed to COVID-19.

While Kaziboni’s details were still sketchy last night, a family friend confirmed her death. Efforts to get comment from her family in Zimbabwe were unsuccessful.

Sikhanyisiwe Kaziboni

Madzongo, who lived in Luton, reportedly died yesterday afternoon after battling for his life in the Intensive Care Unit at Luton and Danstable Hospital, according to his friends on social media.

Eshmael Mungazi, Madzongo’s best friend, posted on Facebook that he was “feeling heartbroken’’ by the death.

Madzongo, who lived in Luton for a long time, was reportedly taken ill last week after experiencing severe respiratory problems.

According to news wires, yesterday alone, 563 people died of coronavirus infections in the United Kingdom, bringing the number of deaths in the UK to 2 352.

The number of infected people in the UK has risen26 382 while 135 are said to have recovered.

President Mnangagwa yesterday met national executive members of the Zimbabwe Chiefs Council and representatives of religious groups to update them on Covid-19 and Government’s efforts to curb the spread of the virus.

The two meetings were held separately at State House.

The President briefed the two groups on the 21-day lockdown which began on Monday.

The religious groups’ leaders were drawn from the Zimbabwe Council of Churches (ZCC), the Evangelical Fellowship of Zimbabwe, the Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops Conference (ZCBC), the Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs in Zimbabwe (SCIAZ) and the Zimbabwe Indigenous Interdenominational Council of Churches (ZIICC).

Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Harare, Robert Ndlovu, who was representing the ZCBC offered Government the use of 55 health institutions run by the church.

“We have 55 health institutions that include, hospitals, clinics and rural health centres and we offer these to Government for use in the fight against the pandemic.

“We have also cancelled mass gatherings to allow self-isolation,” he said.

Archbishop Ndlovu said Catholics in various professional fields were also fund-raising to buy protective equipment and other materials needed in the fight against the disease.

ZCC’s representative, Reverend Samuel Sifelani said they had already issued pastoral statements advising their membership on how to conduct themselves in line with recommendations from the World Health Organisation and the Ministry of Health and Child Care.

“We also have various health centres across the country and these are open for Government’s use in the fight against Covid-19,” he said.

President of the EFZ, Bishop Never Mparutsa said: “We believe the limit of 50 (number of people in a gathering) is still too high given the danger posed by the virus.

“We have been mobilising resources to assist Government and our members also run hospitals and other facilities that are available to Government. If things become tough, we are also willing to offer some of our Church buildings for use possibly as quarantine centres.”

President of the SCIAZ, Sheikh Ismail Duwa said they had closed mosques to the public and were encouraging their members to pray at home adding they had also established a Covid-19 Muslim Taskforce.

“Prior to the national lockdown, the Covid-19 Muslim Taskforce went under necessary training focusing on the novel corona virus and had commenced a countrywide outreach health, educational and awareness tours in different provinces of the country.

“All this was being guided by the Presidential directives on preventing the spread of the corona virus,” Sheikh Duwa said.

ZIICC representative Reverend Andrew Wutawunashe also offered his organisation’s facilities to Government saying the illegal sanctions imposed on the country were hampering efforts to fight the disease.

“On the basis of humanitarian considerations I would want to say sanctions must be removed.

“The situation we are in affects all of us and doesn’t consider who you are so the sanctions must be removed,” he said.

In his remarks President Mnangagwa said religious groups had a role to play in the fight against the pandemic.

“To you heads of churches and religious groups, this is the message I wish to convey to your congregants so that together we fight this pandemic. Where we are failing as Government, as secular authorities at the end of the day all of us are at the hands of God himself and his wishes and you are the only people who can intercede between us and the Lord above.

“This is why we say to you this is the challenge facing us as a nation and we have a role to play. In your case you have two roles, the physical role to play where you advise and assist the congregants and the second role is the spiritual role which guides the nation spiritually,” President Mnangagwa.

Addressing the traditional leaders earlier, President Mnangagwa said chiefs were the custodians of people in rural areas and had a pivotal role to play in educating them about Covid-19.

“In our country there is an outbreak of a disease called coronavirus or Covid-19,” said President Mnangagwa.

“We are told that this disease is highly contagious. We are being advised that people should maintain social distance and wash their hands regularly. We should wash our hands using running water and wear masks as well. We received assistance from our friends and materials are arriving in the country. Our Health and Child Care Minister (Dr Obadiah Moyo) is in charge of the distribution. We resolved that each province should have an isolation centre.”

President Mnangagwa said Covid-19 started in urban areas and no case had been recorded yet in the rural areas.

President Mnangagwa said the disease had been detected in Harare and Victoria Falls with eight confirmed cases including one death.

“The World Health Organisation recommended for a lockdown of 21 days as part of controlling the disease and after deliberating as leadership we resolved to do that here starting on March 31.

“About 60 percent of our population is in the rural areas and that is where you are as traditional leaders. All the confirmed cases that we have have been recorded in urban areas so people are running to the rural areas. We then said how can we resolve this and agreed that we should talk to traditional leaders. People in the rural areas are under your structures including the village heads and we expect you to go and teach people about this disease. Tell them that unnecessary gathering has been banned for 21 days. If there is a funeral, we are only allowing 50 people only because if one person is infected the whole family will also be infected. For the next 21 days, we hope that we may be able to contain the spread of the disease and new infections,” he said.

President Mnangagwa updated the traditional leaders on the invention of a ventilator by the Harare Institute of Technology and efforts being made to manufacture Covid-19 related material locally.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa just can’t lead by example when it comes to the fight against Coronavirus.

In the picture above, Mnangagwa is seen horribly incorrectly putting on a face mask while displaying the United Nations Humanitarian Response Plan for Zimbabwe while UNDP Resident Coordinator Ms Maria Ribeiro and Local Government and Public Works Minister July Moyo look on at State House on Thursday.

Mnangagwa had the mask just covering his mouth leaving all of his nose outside the mask which is highly not recommended by health experts.

Below are the World Health Organisation guidelines on how to wear a surgical mask which Mnangagwa should be aware of for him to use and properly lead the country.

Surgical masks loop around the ears and cover the nose and mouth. Because they aren’t fitted on the sides, they don’t provide protection from airborne germs, according to the Food and Drug Administration.
But surgical masks do stop larger droplets, splashes, saliva and respiratory secretions from spreading.

In other words, wearing a surgical mask can’t necessarily prevent a given individual from contracting coronavirus, but it could help stop people from spreading it. That is important because people who are infected can spread the virus days before symptoms show up, and some never get symptoms.

The problem is, Zimbabwe is experiencing a shortage of surgical masks, so public health organizations are stressing that medical-grade masks should be saved for healthcare providers, sick people or those caring for someone who is sick.

Below is an example of how a medical mask must be used not Mnangagwa’s way.

One more person has tested positive to Covid-19, bringing to nine the total number of confirmed cases in the country, with one death.

Of these nine, five are imported while four are local transmissions with links to the imported cases.

Government has since tested 316 people for the virus, with 307 coming out negative with the nine mentioned above testing positive and one of them eventually dying.

The Ministry of Health and Child Care said the latest case involved a 50-year old male resident of Harare who had travelled to the United Kingdom and returned home on March 21.

The patient started exhibiting symptoms and the rapid response team went to assess him from home and proceeded to take samples for testing, which came back positive.

The first case was confirmed on March 20, 2020 and involved a 38-year-old male from Victoria Falls who had returned from the United Kingdom.

So far none of his contacts has tested positive.

In its daily alert of March 30, 2020, the Ministry of Health and Child Care reported his condition to be stable and mild.

On March 21, the National Microbiology Reference Laboratory confirmed another case of a 30-year-old male from Harare who had travelled from the United States. One of his contacts, a 30-year-old male later tested positive for Covid-19.

This second case, later died in admission at Wilkins Infectious Disease Hospital, Harare, becoming the first Covid-19 death in the country.

On March 24, the laboratory confirmed another case involving a 52-year-old male from Ruwa who had travelled from Dubai.

Three contacts of this case, a 40-year-old female, a 24-year-old female and a 21-year-old male have since tested positive to Covid-19.

On March 26, Government also confirmed another case of a 24-year-old female who had travelled from the US.

Epidemiology and Disease Control director in the Ministry of Health and Child Care Dr Portia Manangazira recently said there might be need to retest some of the contacts who initially tested negative, arguing that they might have been tested too early.

“We might need to retest all those contacts who initially tested negative because we might have tested them too early,” said Dr Manangazira.

POLICE have banned the sale of alcohol in retail outlets countrywide in the wake of the 21-day national lockdown to mitigate the spread of Covid-19.

The ban was effected yesterday to minimise social disorder and allow shops to sell only “essential” products during the shutdown.

President Mnangagwa last week declared a national 21-day lockdown to curb the spread of Covid-19 that will run until April 16. The virus has infected over 980 000 people worldwide, killing over 50 000.

In Zimbabwe there are eight confirmed cases of Covid-19 and one death.

Police have been deployed in full force to take action on shops that defy the ban. A snap survey by our Bulawayo Bureau yesterday showed that shops around town had stopped selling alcohol, although the shelves and fridges were full to the brim.

National police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi said the measure came as rowdy citizens were defying social distancing measures.

“The lockdown measures were clearly stated and in light of ensuring that we fight Covid-19, there will be no sale of alcohol at any point in places like bottle stores and supermarkets. This comes as we have realised that people who buy alcohol at supermarkets are giving us challenges. They buy and drink as groups, be it either in their vehicles or places of residence thereby defying social distancing,” said Asst Comm Nyathi.

“Action will be taken on all those who will defy the order and sell alcohol at any bases. The police today (yesterday) started to take full action and will be visible on the ground throughout the lockdown.”

He urged citizens to stay indoors to protect themselves and their families.

“People should take heed of Covid-19 and put their health first and that of every citizen in the country as the pandemic is affecting all of us,” he said.

Asst Comm Nyathi said police will be closely monitoring that there are no sales of alcohol in residential areas.

POLICE have banned the sale of alcohol in retail outlets countrywide in the wake of the 21-day national lockdown to mitigate the spread of Covid-19.

The ban was effected yesterday to minimise social disorder and allow shops to sell only “essential” products during the shutdown.

President Mnangagwa last week declared a national 21-day lockdown to curb the spread of Covid-19 that will run until April 16. The virus has infected over 980 000 people worldwide, killing over 50 000.

In Zimbabwe there are nine confirmed cases of Covid-19 and one death.

Police have been deployed in full force to take action on shops that defy the ban.

A snap survey by our Bulawayo Bureau yesterday showed that shops around town had stopped selling alcohol, although the shelves and fridges were full to the brim.

National police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi said the measure came as rowdy citizens were defying social distancing measures.

“The lockdown measures were clearly stated and in light of ensuring that we fight Covid-19, there will be no sale of alcohol at any point in places like bottle stores and supermarkets.

This comes as we have realised that people who buy alcohol at supermarkets are giving us challenges.

They buy and drink as groups, be it either in their vehicles or places of residence thereby defying social distancing,” said Asst Comm Nyathi.

“Action will be taken on all those who will defy the order and sell alcohol at any bases. The police today (yesterday) started to take full action and will be visible on the ground throughout the lockdown.”

He urged citizens to stay indoors to protect themselves and their families.

“People should take heed of Covid-19 and put their health first and that of every citizen in the country as the pandemic is affecting all of us,” he said.

Asst Comm Nyathi said police will be closely monitoring that there are no sales of alcohol in residential areas.-State media

Farai Dziva|MDC National Organizing Secretary Amos Chibaya has described the Supreme Court ruling on the dispute between MDC A leader Nelson Chamisa and Thokozani Khupe as ” a high sounding nothing.”

Read full statement below :

To All MDC Alliance Leadership, Structures and Membership

The Supreme Court Judgement in light of the Party leadership comes as no surprise but remain exactly what it is, a regretable high sounding nothing.

The MDC Alliance leadership was decided and settled by the people at the 5th National Congress held in May 2019, Ascot Stadium in Gweru and that will never be changed outside the dictates of the People’s Party Congress and MDC Alliance Constitution.

The judgement remains a non event and our structures’ focus remain on programs and activities clearly scheduled in our 2020 calendar, despite relentless attempts by the captured judiciary to destabilise the Party in conivance with the illegitimate Mnangangwa and his mafia regime.

It remains irresponsible trying to earn cheap political scores and smuggle Thokozani Khupe as leader of People’s movement, her rightful place is the political dustbin in as far as the Zimbabwean political landscape is concerned.

The people of Zimbabwe are suffering because of a manmade political and economic crisis and it is our duty to free them.

Presently, the nation should be focusing on managing and effectively preventing the spread of the deadly Corona virus.

To this end, All our MDC Alliance, 14 000 branches, 210 CCC, all 13 Provinces, the entire National Leadership, members and supporters remain resolute, committed to the people’s cause and forever on guard to protect the Party and fully behind the People’s President Adv Nelson Chamisa.

Hon Amos Chibaya
The People’s National Organising and Party Building Secretary.

As MISA Zimbabwe Chinhoyi Chapter, we strongly condemn the arrest by Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) officers of a fellow journalist Nunurai Jena with Newsday and Voice of America for practising his duties with 2019 press card.

Jena is currently being held at Chinhoyi Central Police Station, Traffic Department section after he was arrested at a police roadblock for operating using a 2019 accreditation press card.

The arrest comes barely four days after Ministry of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services instructed the ZRP to accept the 2019 accreditation cards.

Journalists have continued operating without enough Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) as they seek to inform the nation on the deadly COVID-19 virus and therefore, request high levels of respect and honour.

The act by the police not only in Chinhoyi but Mutare and Gweru is a great cause of concern.

We therefore ask for coordination within the police force so that we work together in the fight against COVID-19 currently ravaging the world.

Conrad Mupesa
MISA Zimbabwe Chinhoyi Chapter Chairperson.

Farai Dziva| As the nation continues to grapple with the biting economic challenges, Masvingo based clergyman Isaac Makomichi has declared that the formation of an inclusive government that includes Zanu PF leader Emmerson Mnangagwa, MDC’s Nelson Chamisa and G-40 stalwart Saviour Kasukuwere is the lasting solution to the deepening impasse.

Makomichi has claimed that he had a dream in which he perceived the late former President Robert Mugabe’s soul was restless over the formation of an inclusive government.

Last week Makomichi pointed out that the three politicians should unite to form an inclusive government to save the country from further economic chaos . Makomichi is the leader of Calvary Prayer Group.

“I had a prophetic in which the former President spoke about the formation of an inclusive government.

The former President(Robert Mugabe) revealed in the dream he was trying to inform President Mnangagwa, Chamisa and Kasukuwere about the formation of a Government of National Unity – through dreams.

As I indicated last week President Mnangagwa’ s efforts to revive the economy should be complemented by Chamisa and Kasukuwere.”

“In the same dream President Mugabe’s spirit revealed that values and principles of the liberation struggle should be respected.

You know this is a big dream so I am still praying about it but I am sure it will transform the country’s political situation.”

South African authorities are investigating how a private plane from Zimbabwe landed at Johannesburg’s OR Tambo International Airport on Wednesday afternoon without clearance from the Department of Transport under special measures in place during the country’s 21-day lockdown which began on March 26.

The chartered flight reportedly landed at South Africa’s biggest airport at around 12.30pm with one Italian passenger, who is a holder of a South African passport on board.

In a statement, the South African Transport Ministry said the passenger and crew were held at the airport while officials sought guidance on how to handle the flight before the plane was forced to fly back to Harare several hours later.

“A decision was made that the passenger, who is an Italian national holding a South African passport , would not be allowed to enter the country. The passenger initially refused to leave, but with the intervention of the South African Police Service (SAPS), the flight left the South African airspace at 7.50pm, returning to Harare, Zimbabwe,” said the ministry.

The Transport Department, the ministry said, was working with aviation entities to review the applicable protocols to ensure only flights with the necessary approval were allowed to enter South African airspace.

“(South African) Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula has called for a full investigation into the incident.”

The plane reportedly landed back in Harare at 10pm. Transport and Infrastructural Development Minister Joel Biggie Matiza said he had not been apprised of the incident while the Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe (CAAZ) could not be reached to explain circumstances around the flight. Herald

ZANU PF President Mnangagwa yesterday violated government rules by exposing pastors to infection.

Mnangagwa called for a national executive members of the Zimbabwe Chiefs Council and representatives of religious groups supposedly to update them on Covid-19 and Government’s efforts to curb the spread of the virus.

Experts say such meetings can easily be held over video teleconferencing provided for free by  a host of internet companies such as Skype, Facebook, Google Hangout.

The development comes as every other nation in the world imposed a 2 m distance apart from each other. Mnangagwa himself has banned meetings of more than two people at any time for the rest of the month.

But Mnangagwa moved on to hold close chin -arm to arm interfaces with many preachers. He is seen below at close range with a host of them.

The state media reports saying Mnangagwa  briefed the two groups on the 21-day lockdown which began on Monday.

The religious groups’ leaders were drawn from the Zimbabwe Council of Churches (ZCC), the Evangelical Fellowship of Zimbabwe, the Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops Conference (ZCBC), the Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs in Zimbabwe (SCIAZ) and the Zimbabwe Indigenous.

Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Harare, Robert Ndlovu, who was representing the ZCBC offered Government the use of 55 health institutions run by the church.

“We have 55 health institutions that include, hospitals, clinics and rural health centres and we offer these to Government for use in the fight against the pandemic.

“We have also cancelled mass gatherings to allow self-isolation,” he said.

Archbishop Ndlovu said Catholics in various professional fields were also fund-raising to buy protective equipment and other materials needed in the fight against the disease.

ZCC’s representative, Reverend Samuel Sifelani said they had already issued pastoral statements advising their membership on how to conduct themselves in line with recommendations from the World Health Organisation and the Ministry of Health and Child Care.

“We also have various health centres across the country and these are open for Government’s use in the fight against Covid-19,” he said.

President of the EFZ, Bishop Never Mparutsa said: “We believe the limit of 50 (number of people in a gathering) is still too high given the danger posed by the virus.

“We have been mobilising resources to assist Government and our members also run hospitals and other facilities that are available to Government. If things become tough, we are also willing to offer some of our Church buildings for use possibly as quarantine centres.”

Mnangagwa greets Reverend Samuel Sifelani using a quick right kick, quick left kick approach at State House in Harare yesterday during his interface with church leaders on Covid-19 measures.

President of the SCIAZ, Sheikh Ismail Duwa said they had closed mosques to the public and were encouraging their members to pray at home adding they had also established a Covid-19 Muslim Taskforce.

“Prior to the national lockdown, the Covid-19 Muslim Taskforce went under necessary training focusing on the novel corona virus and had commenced a countrywide outreach health, educational and awareness tours in different provinces of the country.

“All this was being guided by the Presidential directives on preventing the spread of the corona virus,” Sheikh Duwa said.

ZIICC representative Reverend Andrew Wutawunashe also offered his organisation’s facilities to Government saying the illegal sanctions imposed on the country were hampering efforts to fight the disease.

“On the basis of humanitarian considerations I would want to say sanctions must be removed.

“The situation we are in affects all of us and doesn’t consider who you are so the sanctions must be removed,” he said.

In his remarks Mnangagwa said religious groups had a role to play in the fight against the pandemic.

“To you heads of churches and religious groups, this is the message I wish to convey to your congregants so that together we fight this pandemic. Where we are failing as Government, as secular authorities at the end of the day all of us are at the hands of God himself and his wishes and you are the only people who can intercede between us and the Lord above.

“This is why we say to you this is the challenge facing us as a nation and we have a role to play. In your case you have two roles, the physical role to play where you advise and assist the congregants and the second role is the spiritual role which guides the nation spiritually,” Mnangagwa.

Addressing the traditional leaders earlier, Mnangagwa said chiefs were the custodians of people in rural areas and had a pivotal role to play in educating them about Covid-19.

“In our country there is an outbreak of a disease called coronavirus or Covid-19,” said Mnangagwa.

“We are told that this disease is highly contagious. We are being advised that people should maintain social distance and wash their hands regularly. We should wash our hands using running water and wear masks as well. We received assistance from our friends and materials are arriving in the country. Our Health and Child Care Minister (Dr Obadiah Moyo) is in charge of the distribution. We resolved that each province should have an isolation centre.”

Mnangagwa said Covid-19 started in urban areas and no case had been recorded yet in the rural areas.

Mnangagwa said the disease had been detected in Harare and Victoria Falls with eight confirmed cases including one death.

“The World Health Organisation recommended for a lockdown of 21 days as part of controlling the disease and after deliberating as leadership we resolved to do that here starting on March 31.

“About 60 percent of our population is in the rural areas and that is where you are as traditional leaders. All the confirmed cases that we have have been recorded in urban areas so people are running to the rural areas. We then said how can we resolve this and agreed that we should talk to traditional leaders. People in the rural areas are under your structures including the village heads and we expect you to go and teach people about this disease. Tell them that unnecessary gathering has been banned for 21 days. If there is a funeral, we are only allowing 50 people only because if one person is infected the whole family will also be infected. For the next 21 days, we hope that we may be able to contain the spread of the disease and new infections,” he said.

Mnangagwa updated the traditional leaders on the invention of a ventilator by the Harare Institute of Technology and efforts being made to manufacture Covid-19 related material locally.- state media / Herald / additional reporting, analysis

Farai Dziva|Controversial Deputy Information Minister, Energy Mutodi has shocked the Twitter community by claiming MDC president Nelson Chamisa is worse than Coronavirus.

Political analysts have described Mutodi’s remarks as a reflection of his pronounced hatred of the youthful MDC leader.

Mutodi also has also claimed government has nothing to do with the MDC’ s factional battles.

Mutodi tweeted:
“No doubt Chamisa is worse than CoronaVirus. Has no respect for constitutionalism and definitely no country can subject itself to a dictator in this modern day and age.”

He added:”His Excellency President ED Mnangagwa has not contracted CoronaVirus as peddled by some misguided elements on the social media.

The Supreme Court is neither captured nor corruptible as alleged by Adv Tendai Biti and Prof. Welshman.”

In response to Mutodi’s comments, MDC SA province spokesperson, Innocent Nsingo said:

“Mutodi’s utterances are dangerous, how can he be so reckless? It is sad to note that Mutodi and his ilk are desperate to blame the people’s leader, Advocate Nelson Chamisa for their own shortcomings.

Zanu PF must concentrate on fighting the deadly Coronavirus, instead of attempting to score political marks at this juncture.”

Farai Dziva|MDC vice president Tendai Biti has described the Supreme Court ruling on the MDC presidency as null and void.

“The MDC Alliance participated in the 2018 Election and our candidate Advocate @nelsonchamisa
had more than 2.6 m votes .

We then went to an MDC A Congress which unanimously elected @nelsonchamisa
as our leader .

A judgment in which the MDC A was never part of can’t change that..

The MDC A is a people’s project. A massive institution backed by the working people of this country .It’s undisputed and uncontested leader is
@nelsonchamisa

There is no country in the world where a court of law can impose leadership on a voluntary association.

No court of law can defeat or set aside the people s will as expressed in Gweru-@nelsonchamisa
is our president,” said Biti.

“We reject Emmerson’s crude attempt to hijack the people’s revolution.We reject all forms of capture. We reject puppets ,enablers and corroborators.We reject fascists…”

The Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission (ZHRC) has expressed concern over the number of suspected Covi-19 cases that have been tested as of March 30.

In a statement the Commission says the number may be ‘too small’ considering the number of people who arrived in the country since the Corona it’s outbreak.

“According to the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation Television (ZBC TV) updates only 194 suspected cases had been tested by 30 March 2020. This number is too small given that there are thousands of people who arrived into the country since the outbreak, some of them from high risk countries and regions. This means that our national statistics may not be very accurate,” read the statement

Decentralisation of the testing facilities, the Commission said was another area of concern as there was slow movement.

“There is concern on the slow pace of decentralisation of testing facilities to all provinces. By now provinces should have been sharing daily updates of their tested cases and the respective results so that the nation has a holistic picture of the situation.”
ZHRC said fake products had also flooded the market thereby risking the lives of citizens.

“The market is getting flooded with “new” products that are surfacing including sanitisers, disinfectants and masks. The risk of fake and ineffective products on the market is very high thereby exposing unsuspecting members of the public to dangers of infections. All supplies must be tested by experts and only certified products should be allowed on the market,” noted ZHRC

The Commission said whilst there was an improvement on the electricity situation there was need to improve the water situation as it was dire.

“While electricity supply has stabilised in most areas the water situation is still dire. Urgent short to medium term solutions must be put in place to ensure enjoyment of the right to clean, safe and potable water. There is also need to minimise congestion at communal water points since non-observance of social distancing can lead to the rapid spread of the Corona virus.

The Commission added “Members of the public should have access to contact details of local COVID-19 response centres including health facilities for easier access to information and health services as well as for purposes of coordination during this crisis period.

“In crisis situations like what is currently obtaining, there is need to observe principles of equality and non-discrimination since specific vulnerable groups need extra care and support. The Department of Social Services should be resourced to ensure that such vulnerable households, institutions, and even communities receive critical relief assistance. This is particularly urgent since a lot of livelihood activities have been disrupted by the pandemic”

ZHRC said law enforcement agents should be guided by the human rights based approach in performing their duties, responsibilities and encouraged peaceful maintenance of law and order.