By Own Correspondent| President Emmerson Mnangagwa continues to misfire and showing little understanding of the magnitude of the coronavirus problem as he has gathered his party politburo members for a meeting at the Zanu PF headquarters.

Mnangagwa this week reviewed downwards to a maximum of 50, the number of people allowed to gather as part of measures to combat the coronavirus that has so far claimed one life in Harare.

He also banned beerhalls, pubs, gymnasium and many other meeting places but surprisingly the politiburo is meeting today.

Last week soon after issuing a ban on public gatherings, Mnangagwa held a rally in Manicaland which was attended by thousands of party supporters.

He further flew out of the country to attend the inauguration of Namibian President, a move viewed by many as showing his lack of seriousness in dealing with the pandemic before the world.

By A Correspondent- The City of Harare is taking precautions to decongest workplaces revealing that some of its staff will now work from home save for critical workers.

The City advised that the changes are effective Thursday, 24th March 2020, and will continue indefinitely subject to the developments in future as the nation grapples with what looks set to be a pandemic of huge proportion.

“Council with effect from Thurs 25 March decongest workstations. Critical service delivery employees to report for duty. Some management staffers will work from home.

“Support staff given special leave. District offices remain open with skeletal staff until further notice,” said the City of Harare in a statement.

Zimpapers and other large organisations have since announced similar procedures of operation, while banks have also had to shut down branches across the country to curtail the spread of the pandemic.

By Wednesday mid-day (GMT + 2), coronavirus had infected over 428,000 people across the world, with 19,100 deaths. About 109,000 have recovered from the infections, while the rest are still ill.

See latest coronavirus statistics HERE.

Zimbabwe currently has three confirmed cases of the coronavirus, but cases are expected to rise as some who were exposed are yet to be tested or to realize they are at risk.-StateMedia

Mpilo Central Hospital and United Bulawayo Hospitals are now only attending to emergency cases while all admitted patients who can cope will be discharged, measures which will remain in place until Covid-19 is no longer a threat. 

All non-emergency operations are also being cancelled while the elderly have been advised to limit their visits. 

Mpilo Central Hospital Clinical Director Dr Solwayo Ngwenya yesterday said they were trying to decongest the hospital as there were fears of the virus spreading in the country.

Three positive cases have already been reported in Victoria Falls and Harare. One patient has since died while the Government is yet to provide details on the third patient who was mentioned in a national update yesterday.  

Dr Ngwenya said the elderly should by all means stay away from hospital grounds and confine themselves to their homes as they were vulnerable to the virus due to a weakened immune system associated with aging.

He urged the elderly running out of chronic illness medication to try and send relatives to hospital for supplies.

“The situation is bad and as way of protecting our patients and the rest of the public, we are trying to control the numbers at our hospitals. We will now be attending to emergency cases only and have closed the Outpatient Department. All non-emergency operations are suspended with immediate effect. This virus is deadly and we realise that people seem to be very relaxed as if they assume to be immune from it. The public must practice social distancing and avoid public spaces unless if it is necessary,” said Dr Ngwenya.

“We will have to discharge all our stable patients as we try to lower the numbers here in the hospital. Everyone with serious flu like or Covid-19 like symptoms must not come to the hospital or go to a clinic. They must call the rapid response team on their hotline to avoid possible infection of other people as they are in transit to hospital. The Covid-19 team will come to you. 

“The world is faced with the fast spreading Covid-19 pandemic and everyone is at great risk of catching this highly infectious disease. Mpilo Central Hospital must take measures to reduce the risk of spreading the deadly virus.” 

Asked what constitutes an emergency, he said: “A lot of situations, incidents and conditions can constitute an emergency. However, we advise patients that if someone is feeling unbearable discomfort, or excruciating pain, or can see that they are taking care of a person who has taken very ill, then that is an emergency. Emergencies can be accidents, burns, asthma attacks, strokes, diabetes related collapsing and coma, very low or very high blood pressure or sugar levels and many more. This list is not exhaustive but the bottom line is that if it’s an emergency you will be treated.” 

Dr Ngwenya said those that are not very sick and cannot be listed under emergency cases will not be attended to at the hospital and said they can only come after the Covid-19 situation had been contained. 

He advised such patients to receive care at home until the hospital can attend to them.

 “Our Out-patients departments are closed till further notice. All elective operations are cancelled till further notice. We should enforce the One (1) visitor per patient as continued in SI 77 of 2020. We should encourage people not to make unnecessary visits to the hospital. 

“All suspected cases of Covid-19 and their accompanying relatives should be assessed by the Rapid Response teams from Mpilo Central Hospital and Bulawayo City Health Department. Protective clothing for staff is reportedly on its way and soon the Government will send us supplies. Meanwhile, practice personal hygiene and social distancing.” 

When Chronicle arrived at the hospital, scores of people, patients and accompanying relatives were being turned away as hospital staff informed them that the outpatient and causality departments had closed to the public and were only attending to emergency cases.

“We have been here since 8am. it’s now way past lunch time. We have not been served and are sitting in benches. We need our medication for hypertension and diabetes and we cannot opt for the pharmacies in town because it is too expensive. We hope that they attend to us today since they are saying tomorrow, they will not be taking any patients,” said Gogo Esther Mdlongwa (74). 

United Bulawayo Hospital Chief Executive Officer Mrs Nonhlanhla Ndlovu could not be reached for comment yesterday on the phone. When Chronicle news crew arrived at the hospital, she was said to be in a meeting. However, the hospital was also limiting patients and advising the public that it would only attend to emergency cases only as a result of the Covid-19. 

The UBH has also implemented the one visitor per patients per day programme policy and kas also reduced visiting sessions to one 30-minute visit per day. 

Meanwhile, travellers are still accessing Zimbabwe and South Africa via Beitbridge Border Post pending the finalisation of a border operational plan but the number of travellers has been going down since last week.

As of yesterday, people were seen going to either sides of the border and some of them said they wanted to join their spouses in either country since schools had closed.

The assistant regional immigration officer in charge of Beitbridge (Zimbabwe), Mr Nqobile Ncube said traffic started declining at the port of entry as many travellers started complying with travel and preventative measures from regional countries. He said they were waiting for a comprehensive operation plan that will spell out the cut off period of access by human traffic at the border. “As you are aware there has been a Presidential declaration on the new border operations and everyone is willing to understand when it takes effect and also how and who exactly is affected by that declaration,” he said.

-State Media

Your Excellency President Xi Jinping, I am writing this open letter to plead with you for the People’s Republic of China to assist the people of Zimbabwe to attack COVID19 with aggressive and targeted tactics in a manner similar to how you successfully fought the pandemic.

I am making this plea to you directly as the nephew of President Mugabe who worked directly with him as a senior national official of ZANU PF within the Central Committee and the Politburo for 15 years from 2003 till when he left ZANU PF and government in 2017.

I was a Member of Parliament for 8 years. I also served as a Government minister for 5 years serving as Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Development, as Cabinet Minister of Youth, Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment, and finally as Cabinet Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare .

I hope and pray that my appeal will find favour with you based on the very special relationship you had with President Mugabe and how President Mugabe regarded the People’s Republic of China highly. President Mugabe always described the relationship between China and Zimbabwe as that of all weather friends. Can you please honour and remember President Mugabe by directly assisting the people of Zimbabwe in their hour of special need.

Your Excellency, can the People’s Republic of China assist the people of Zimbabwe to implement the recommendation made in a tweet by the Director-General of the WHO, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, on 23rd March 2020 when he said, “We need to attack the coronavirus with aggressive and targeted tactics – testing every suspected COVID19 case, isolating and caring for every confirmed case, and tracing and quarantining every close contact”. Whilst Zimbabwe may have the basic physical infrastructure and some of the people to be able to start on such a programme, the nation still requires specialist equipment, processes and systems for it to be effective.

Your Excellency, I would like to appeal to you for The People’s Republic of China to help in establishing and equipping 73 testing centres through-out Zimbabwe in 4 zones of the Metropolitan Province of Bulawayo, 6 zones of the Metropolitan Province of Harare, and the country’s 63 rural districts. The testing centres can be housed in physical infrastructure that currently house either the Government’s Composite District Offices or the local authority and council offices.

These areas are manned by senior level district officials from several government departments such as District Medical Officers and District Nursing Officers, as well as District Joint Operations Command (JOC) officials such as District Police Officers (DisPol) and DIOs from intelligence.

With adequate training, safe conditions of service, such as personal protective equipment, and decent remuneration, I am confident that these fine Zimbabwean men and women will make an appreciable difference.

With the district as the focal point for intervention, it is also necessary to institute and establish interventions at both higher and lower levels. At the higher level and in line with the WHO Director-General’s recommendation,

I would like to appeal for the People’s Republic of China to assist in establishing isolation, care and treatment centres for all confirmed cases in each of Zimbabwe’s 10 provinces. Zimbabwe has physical infrastructure which include Public Service Training Centres in some of the provinces, as well as teacher training centres, technical college and/or universities buildings.

This infrastructure can be rapidly pivoted to form the core and basis for isolation, care and treatment centres. Similarly, senior level provincial officials, including Provincial Joint Operations Command (JOC) officers, can assist in coordinating the operations of both the provincial isolation, care and treatment centres and the district testing centres within their respective provinces. I am requesting for the People’s Republic of China to assist in retrofitting infrastructure, equip the 10 isolation, care and treatment centres, and train the necessary staff.

Finally, Your Excellency, I am appealing to you for the People’s Republic of China to assist in establishing mechanisms for tracing and quarantining every close contact in each of Zimbabwe’s 1,958 local authority wards. I suggest that local infrastructure such as schools in those wards be used as the core and foundation of the ward quarantine centres. Public sector personnel such as nurses, police officers and even teachers and agricultural extension officers can assist in tracing and quarantine processes. Should there be need for extra personnel within the wards, officers who were retired can be recalled to assist based on their extensive knowledge of the communities, local conditions and local terrain. Such retired officials include retired nurses, teachers, village health workers, community development officers and ward coordinators.

As Zimbabwe’s former cabinet minister responsible for Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare, I am certain that provided with appropriate education and training, requisite tools and conditions of service including personal protective equipment, and reasonable allowances and remuneration, Zimbabwe has fine men and women who will stem the coronavirus.

I thank you in anticipation, Your Excellency.

Asante Sana. Iwe Neni Tine Basa. Umsebenzi lo Umkhulu.

By A Correspondent- Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA) workers at the Robert Mugabe International airport  have downed tools following the death of broadcaster Zororo Makamba who was diagnosed with coronavirus.

In a statement on Tuesday, the workers said Makamba used  the airport and was served by the ZIMRA staff which exposed them to the virus.

The workers said they will only report for duty when measures are put to mitigate them from any more danger.

Read the full statement below:

By A Correspondent- Health and Child Care minister Obadiah Moyo has said government will not force President Emmerson Mnangagwa into self-quarantine following a trip to Namibia at the weekend.

Meanwhile, Information Ministry Permanent Secretary, Nick Mangwana has dismissed as false, reports circulating on social media that Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube has gone into self-isolation following his controversial trip to Norway and Belgium early this month.

Ncube was in Europe despite a ban on foreign travels by President Emmerson Mnangagwa for government officials in a bid to curb the coronavirus spread.

However, Mangwana dismissed claims that Ncube had gone into self-isolation as a precautionary measure.

“He is not,” Mangwana told NewZimbabwe.com Tuesday.

“He is actually in Cabinet (meeting). However, some officials from the ministry are in precautionary self-quarantine because they had been in contact with the late Zororo Makamba.”

Some officials in the Ministry of Finance last week came into contact with the now late Makamba at the ministry’s offices.

He at Wilkins Infectious Diseases Hospital on Monday from coronavirus after his return from the US.

However, Mangwana said he could not shed more on the Finance Ministry officers now under self-quarantine as this was against their health privacy status.

“I can’t give that information without their consent as it pertains to individual health issues,” he said.

Zororo, son to prominent businessman and former Zanu-PF top official, James Makamba, is also understood to have visited a number of places and met different people including government officials, a class of media students at the Midlands State University’s Harare campus and BancABC officials, among other places in Harare.

More to follow….

By Jane Mlambo| Manicaland Senator Douglas Mwonzora has called for unity of purpose in fighting the novel coronavirus saying that politicization of the pandemic will not help the situation.

Posting on Twitter, Mwonzora said most people seemed not to take enough precaution to deal with the pandemic.

“Drove through Harare CBD yesterday. Sadly most people dont seem to be taking enough precautions to deal with Covid 19. The pandemic is too serious and calls for all people to unite in fighting it. Politicization of the disaster is clearly unhelpful,” said Mwonzora.

Medical doctors have questioned the rationale of gazetting Wilkins Hospital as a referral hospital for all COVID-19 cases saying the centre has no capacity.

Zimbabwe Doctors for Human Rights (ZDHR) Spokesperson Dr Matara in a Twitter thread raised the red flag over an alleged of neglect which befell a COVID-19 patient who visited Parirenyatwa with clear symptoms but could not be served as the hospital had to refer the patient to Wilkins which did not act with speed befitting a referral centre.

Below is the full thread….

1. The argument that Wilkins Hospital has no capacity to continue acting as the main referral centre for suspected and confirmed COVID-19 cases has been put beyond reasonable doubt. Forget the Zororo saga, I make reference to two events that happened yesterday.

2. Patient was seen at Parirenyatwa isolation tent in the afternoon. Very sick, Temp 39.7, had dyspnea, saturating @80%, referred to Wilkins. The city of Harare said no free ambulance. Parirenyatwa can’t take him in, protocol is they cant take suspected infectious cases. The patient was left for almost 6 hours.

Wilkins calls in the evening, say even if the patient was to walk or get private transport, they can’t take him in since they have poor lighting. Eventually said they would send ambulance around 2000hrs.

3. The patient was seen at Pari again. Possible contact, works on the till at a local food outlet. Had respiratory symptoms, shortness of breathing, Flue symptoms, sore throat, uses public transport to go home, Wilkins just refused to take in patient, said: “it’s after 6, we have poor lighting.”

The city of Harare is refusing the UN protocol of diagnosis, saying govt hospitals should treat, Gvt hospitals are saying we are not mandated, capacitated, or trained to manage infectious diseases. The patient is there and sick, and is caught in the middle.

As @SibandaSibbs puts it here the decision to have major tertiary hospitals like Parirenyatwa referring serious cases to primary care centres like Wilkins was made without insight. IMO it queries the credentials of those who made such decisions.

Harare City Council challenges anyone with information on council officials at Wilkins Hospital who demanded money and equipment from the Makamba family. We state categorically that our staff never made any such demands and that they did all they could to save Zororo‘s life.

The Mayor, cllrs and management join the Makamba family in mourning Zororo. One life lost is too many. We however feel there are desktop commentators with no idea what the inside of Wilkins looks like who are commenting based on false information.

Ladies and gentlemen lets focus our energies on what we can do as a nation to manage the further spread of COVID -19. Name calling and pouring out anger will just keep us in one place. Together we will perish if we do not proffer solutions.

Councillor Jacob Mafume chipped in as the Harare City Council Human Resources Committee chairperson saying Wilkins Hospital had a full staff complement.

As the chair of Human Resources , I can confirm ,the staff are there , and they are working ,reporting for duty & we thank them for that .It is a difficult time for them.They have been trained and are training other towns &government departments.They need support and equipment.

We take the criticism with the good faith it has been made .Any loss of life regrettable and we need to pull together to fix what needs to be fixed at Wilkins and other center across the country.We need equipment sooner rather later.

Health Minister Zweli Mkhize has updated the confirmed number of Covid-19 infections to 709, a 28% increase from Tuesday. The number of Covid-19 cases in South Africa has increased by 155 more cases within 24 hours, health minister Zweli Mkhize said on Wednesday morning.

The biggest increases in reported cases since Tuesday are in Gauteng (64), Western Cape (61), KwaZulu Natal (11) and Free State (15), he said in an interview on SABC.

The minister said the concentration of cases around Mangaung in Free State was a worry, and the Red Cross was helping the health department trace people who had been at a church gathering attended by five travellers from overseas who tested positive for the disease.

“This is an area of great concern,” he said, describing Mangaung as an emerging epicentre.

There are also clusters of Covid-19 in Sandton, Ekurhuleni, Tshwane and Cape Town, he said.

The main source of the disease remained travellers from European countries, but there was as growing number of cases of internal transmission, he said.

Speaking to the SABC on Wednesday, he said the Free State jumped because of 30 confirmed cases from a church in Bloemfontein. However, Gauteng has remained the epicentre of the outbreak.

The Jerusalem Prayer Breakfast hosted by the Divine Restoration Ministries in Bloemfontein saw five Covid-19-infected foreigners from the US, Israel and France taking part. Government is still looking for some of the 300 people who were there.

ACDP leader Kenneth Meshoe, ACDP MP Steve Swart and pastor Angus Buchan attended, and all three have been tested.

President Cyril Ramaphosa’s spokesperson, Khusela Diko, said Meshoe was among the leaders of political parties represented in Parliament who had met Ramaphosa in Cape Town last Tuesday.

Meshoe would therefore also have been with the leaders of other major parties, including the EFF’s Julius Malema and interim DA leader John Steenhuisen.

“We are looking at refining the definition of those who get tested for coronavirus,” said the health minister, adding that there were no doubt many more infections in the country. He conceded that the cost of the test was “very high”, at about R1,400 in the private sector, and that the delay in testing was being caused by having to move testing samples around the country to private labs.

Government was negotiating with private labs to lower the cost of the tests, with the minister saying it was unacceptable for anyone to be “profiteering” during a health crisis.

He clarified that the latest figures were from about 8pm on Tuesday.

“The [testing and results] delay has shortened. We’re trying to reduce the lag. The other issue is that the numbers of people who test is from the numbers of people who go to the doctor to test, and how fast the labs can test.” He added that the policy was not to test people on demand.

“We’re doing tests on the basis of symptoms.”

Government had already clarified this month that people wanting a test despite not showing any symptoms would have to pay for it themselves.

The minister was encouraged by the fact that five patients had gone from positive to negative within a short space of time and the country was yet to record its first coronavirus-related fatality. He also said most patients were showing signs of recovery, and only two people were in ICU in hospitals.

Three doctors had tested positive.

About 80% of people contracting the virus would only ever exhibit mild symptoms and would be able to self-isolate and recover successfully at home. He cautioned that treatment would have to be guided by the patient’s doctor.

“There is no cure for this virus. We can only treat the symptoms. Most people will not need any treatment.” He added that there was no evidence that ibuprofen worsened patients’ conditions, while he was aware that people were using chloroquine and other antivirals, though it was too soon to have definitive information on what was being truly effective.

As for a vaccine, numerous countries were making strides in developing one, though it was unlikely to be available anytime soon. Minister of Higher Education Blade Nzimande said on Tuesday that South African researchers had started on creating a vaccine, but it could take as long as 18 months.

The health minister told the SABC he was not aware of a “second virus” starting to kill people. The question may have related to reports of a death in China caused by the hantavirus. He said that the country was entering the regular flu season, which would complicate the health sector’s efforts to battle Covid-19.

He added that it was essential that people be prevented from taking public transport, including taxis, trains and buses, during the 21-day lockdown.

“For the three weeks, people who must move must not be moving in the way we normally do.”

Globally, there were more than 420,000 recorded globally on Wednesday morning, with nearly 19,000 fatalities and about 110,000 recoveries.

– Citizen

HARARE West legislator Joana Mamombe (MDC Alliance) says the Minister of Health and Child Care Obadiah Moyo must be arrested for misleading the nation that Government was ready to handle coronavirus, yet the official mortality so far has been 50% for Zimbabwe, far above the global average of less than 4%.

Zimbabwe has had two confirmed cases of COVID-19 infections, of which the second case, television personality Zororo Makamba, died Monday afternoon at Wilkins Hospital in Harare.

The medical facility is run by the City of Harare, which is controlled by the opposition MDC led by Nelson Chamisa.

Writing on social media, Mamombe called for Moyo to be punished: “The Minister of Health & Childcare, Mr Obadiah Moyo must be arrested for misleading this nation that the government is prepared to deal with Covid-19. He should also resign,” Mamombe fumed.

Correspondent|Several Zimbabwean banks have seen closures at some of their branches, while others are no longer accepting physical documents, as the southern African country ramps up preventive measures against the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.

Zimbabwe has so far confirmed two cases of Covid-19, with one having already succumbed to the virus.

Stanbic Bank, a unit of South Africa’s Standard Bank, was one of the first to announce preventive measures, telling customers on Monday that paper-based transactions would no longer be accepted.

“In the interest of public health, and with immediate effect, please be advised that we will only be accepting payments via Business Online.  

“All other bank instructions and letters must be sent on email and accompanied by the attached email indemnity form, which must be completed and signed by the authorised signatories,” read a notice send to customers by the Bank.

Cabs, a subsidiary of Old Mutual Zimbabwe, announced similar measures, telling its customers that hard copy instructions would not be accepted until further notice.

“Due to the Covid-19 outbreak we shall not be accepting hard copy instructions, all communications and instructions are to be sent as soft copies going forward. We will advise once it becomes safe for us to accept hard copies,” read a note from Cabs.

Other banks are taking precautions further, with First Capital Bank (FCB), formerly Barclays Bank, temporarily closing at least four branches.

“To protect Clients & Staff from spread of Covid-19, we are reducing our Branch Network by temporarily closing Belmont,B/ Dale, Harare St, First St from 24/03/20,” read a note from FCB.

Stanbic also temporarily shut down its Victoria Falls and Hwange Branches, while Nedbank has announced the closure of six of its branches.

Zimbabwe’s first case of Covid-19 was recorded in the resort town of Victoria Falls, in the north-west of the country.

Head Corporate Affairs at Stanbic Bank, Palmer Mugavha, said the decision was testament to the fact that the bank would put human life “ahead of any potential to earn profit”.

President Mnangagwa has also announced measures to combat the pandemic, including the closure of bars and other entertainment establishments.

POLICE have said they will arrest any persons who violate new regulations aimed at stopping the spread of Covid-19.

Government has come up with a number of measures, including the gazetting of Statutory Instrument 77 of 2020 that provides for up to 12 months imprisonment for people who gather in crowds of more than 50 people.

Government has also announced a blanket ban on gatherings around recreational facilities such as night clubs, bars, beerhalls, movie houses, swimming pools, gymnasiums and sporting activities until further notice. So far one person has succumbed to Covid-19 in Zimbabwe and globally 16 000 people have been killed.

During an anti-crime campaign held yesterday led by Officer Commanding Bulawayo Central District Chief Superintendent Marshal Dube, who was in the company of the Bulawayo Provincial Spokesperson Inspector Abednico Ncube, police said any persons or business people, including bars and churches who do not heed the new regulations face arrest.

“We urge the peace-loving people of Bulawayo to comply with the new laws that have been put out by Government. As police we will ensure that such laws are followed and that any offenders are arrested. We will work to ensure that people comply for the protection of the public as we cannot risk law abiding citizens from being infected with the virus because of rogue elements,” said Insp Ncube.

Police also urged school pupils to stay at home this holiday. Schoolchildren should avoid coming into the CBD as the country is practicing social distancing, police added.

Schools closed yesterday and the Central Business District, particularly the area around the City Hall was full of pupils, some from boarding schools.

As is the norm, some pupils were going around the city, making merry, others picking fights, despite calls for social distancing that have been made by Government.

Speaking during the campaign, Insp Ncube said it was important for police to convey the message on social distancing to schoolchildren as they were the most defiant age groups.

He said the notorious Vuzu parties that take place during school holidays were also a potential threat as pupils may infect each other with Covid-19 at the infamous gatherings.

“We call upon youths to heed the call to stay at home. Schools have closed today and it was a noble decision by the Government and this move is meant to protect them. Now that schools have closed, they must stay at home. They have absolutely no business galivanting round town at such a time. This is a very different situation and we know that usually boarding school pupils will want to spend time in the city centre catching up with friends and all sorts of things. However, this time we urge everybody to stay at home and avoid all sorts of visits. Practice social distancing for your own safety and protect yourself as well,” said Insp Ncube.

“We also call upon parents who drag children to town for no reason not to do so at such a time. You find a mother struggling with three children to get into a Zupco bus, not coming from a doctor or anything, but from shopping. People must be sensible enough to stay at home and we must work together to decongest our streets and protect our children. Even adults who do not have much business in town must stay at home.”

He said in residential areas, police were urging parents and guardians to ensure that children remain within the confines of their yards.

Insp Ncube said allowing children to play on the streets poses the risk of infection. “The situation that we find ourselves in requires us to carry ourselves around in a befitting manner,” said Inspector Ncube.

Police also warned motorists on theft from car cases.

Motorists were urged to secure vehicles and ensure that they leave no valuables in parked cars.

Police said women and girls to avoid the threat of sexual assault, including rape, by desisting from boarding pirate taxis.

People must use public registered public service vehicles. “Theft from motor vehicles are now worrying. We also have growing cases of robberies, especially from these mshikashikas, the pirate taxis. We urge people to, especially women and girls to board registered public service vehicles and urge motorists to secure their cars and keep their valuable properties with them and not leave them in parked cars,” said Insp Ncube.

State Media|HUMAN traffic at some of the country’s border posts was still flowing as the directive to restrict access to all traffic except cargo and returning residents as directed by the President on Monday night was slowly coming into effect.

Although it was business as usual at Chirundu, Kariba and Beitbridge border posts, officials revealed that they were waiting for directives to effect a shutdown.

Forbes Border Post in Mutare was only allowing access to haulage trucks.

Yesterday travellers were going to either side of the border. Others were travelling to get basic commodities pending the lockdown in South Africa tomorrow.

The assistant regional immigration officer in charge of Beitbridge (Zimbabwe), Mr Nqobile Ncube said traffic has started declining at the port of entry.

“What you have seen on the ground is an accurate picture and is a result of the compliance measures being implemented by our Government and its neighbours,” said Mr Ncube.

“Since last week we have been recording a decline in inbound traffic with many travellers taking heed on the need to minimise the unnecessary travel and additionally the travel ban on those coming from the condition’s hotspots is effective on the ground.”

Visitors into Zimbabwe via Beitbridge Border Post have since dropped to around 5 000 daily.

Officials at Chirundu also indicated that they were waiting for further instructions

“People are coming in and going in as usual with health checks, but traffic has drastically reduced,” said one of the officials.

The official said they were seeing a decline in numbers of travellers, which he attributed to social media reports that the port had been closed.

Officials said they were waiting for communication from head office to close the border.

At Forbes Border Post Border officials were serving five truckers at a given time. This made movement of trucks very slow.

The Mbare Fresh Produce Market, Mupedzanhamo and other public markets with huge traffic can be closed any time if there is need to do so as a way of stopping the spread of coronavirus in the country, President Mnangagwa has hinted.

Government spared them in a raft of new measures announced by President Mnangagwa on Monday night to prevent the spread of coronavirus, but introduced screening at points of entry.

Fielding questions from journalists at State House on why the two markets were not closed, President Mnangagwa said: “The process is likely to follow, but for now we have decided to have health personnel around the area to monitor and make sure that people coming in or out of those places are screened.

“If need arises that we close Mbare (green market) and other markets, we will do so. But this is the first phase of our action to restrict free movement.”

President Mnangagwa said Government was taking resources from several areas to ensure that it enhanced health operations.

“Where there is no water, we will have the District Development Fund drilling boreholes in those areas,” said President Mnangagwa.

“We have informed the Minister of Health and Child Care to give us his bill to purchase so we should be able to purchase the needs to fight this pandemic.”

Clarifying on the issue of unnecessary movement in the country, President Mnangagwa said Government was not policing the movement of people, but encouraging people to minimise movements.

President Mnangagwa said it was important for people queuing for fuel to be disciplined and remain in their cars while those lining up for roller meal and other basics to observe the World Health Organisation social distance guidelines.

Said President Mnangagwa: “The pandemic today challenges all our normal chores, habits and behaviours, and we all now have to adapt a new, unusual social culture. The worldwide spread of this baneful virus has been rapid and surprising.”

In a press statement yesterday, the Zimbabwe Chamber for Informal Economies Association failed to understand the logic behind President Mnangagwa leaving the markets open demanding that government provides the requisite health equipment to fight the virus if the markets remained open.

“Whilst we appreciate the call by Government not to close informal markets for now so as not to put survival of many informal economy workers/traders’ and their families at serious risk, we are deeply concerned about the state of preventive measures through these market places. This includes need for spraying all market places, provision of sanitizers, masks and gloves to traders at these market places,” said Wisborn Malaya the Association’s Secretary General.

The Association hinted that the most logical thing that Mnangagwa could have done was to totally close the markets on order to protect its members.

“On a high note the best approach will be total lock down for a period with provision of emergency food subsidies to the traders,” said Malaya.

State Media|Zororo Makamba, the son to businessman Mr James Makamba, was buried yesterday.

He succumbed to Covid-19 on Monday, becoming the first such death in the country.

Zororo was buried next to his sister, Chiedza, at the family’s Blueridge Farm in Mazowe.

Confirming the burial on his Twitter handle yesterday, Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Secretary Mr Nick Mangwana said Zororo was buried in line with all public health protocols followed inburying victims of coronavirus.

WHO guidelines dictate that victims of coronavirus must be buried within 24 hours.

“Mr Zororo Makamba was laid to rest today (Tuesday). All protocols in handling departed loved ones who pass on from infectious conditions were followed. May he rest in glory.

“His legacy will live on. He made 21 episodes of State of the Nation, which we will preserve and archive for posterity,” said Mr Mangwana.

The late Zororo launched his media career at ZiFM Stereo, where he hosted many current affairs programmes.

He then moved to television.

His most celebrated show was “Tonight with Zororo”, which aired on MNet’s Zambezi Magic.

He was also a producer and presenter of the weekly web-based political show, “State of the Nation”, which was produced by Eleven Dogs, a digital company he co-founded.

Zororo won several accolades including a National Arts and Merit Award (NAMA) and Best Male Achiever at the Zimbabwe Youth Achievers Awards.

The Ministry of Health and Child Care said Zororo had a previous medical history, which made him more vulnerable to Covid-19.

It is not clear where he picked up the infection from, but he started exhibiting signs and symptoms of coronavirus a few days after arriving from New York, the United States.

From the US, Zororo connected through South Africa.

The US and South Africa were already battling Covid-19 at the time of Zororo’s travel.

A few days after arriving in Zimbabwe, he started exhibiting signs and symptoms of coronavirus leading to his admission at Wilkins Infectious Diseases Hospital where he died Monday.

Zororo was the second person in Zimbabwe to be confirmed as having contracted the coronavirus.

State Media|As Zimbabwe confirms its third Covid-19 infection, the infection has been declared a formidable epidemic disease in terms of the Public Health Act, allowing the Minister of Health and Child Care to make sweeping regulations to control the spread of the disease and to have designated medical officers order the compulsory testing, quarantining, isolation and treatment of anyone who is exposed to infection or is confirmed as infected..

The new Public Health (Covid-19 Prevention, Containment and Treatment) Regulations 2020 were gazetted on Monday and are valid until May 20, although they then may be extended a month at a time.

The regulations follow the confirmation last night by the Health Ministry that one of the 15 tests done yesterday came out positive. Those tested were mostly contacts of the second confirmed case and first death, Zororo Makamba, who was buried yesterday after succumbing to Covid-19 coupled with a pre-existing condition on Monday.

The new regulations partly overlap with orders already given by President Mnangagwa following the declaration of a state of national disaster, such as the ban on gatherings over the set limit. The Health Minister, after consulting the President and accepting Presidential directions, can issue the legal orders that enforce any Government action on gatherings, curfews, closure of premises and the like.

But they go into great detail for new powers given to the Chief Health Officer, who is the professional Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health and Child Care, the director of health services in every local authority, district health officers and every medical officer of health. These enforcement officers, who issue the instructions, are to be assisted by police officers, peace officers and members of municipal police forces who are explicitly given the authority to enforce the instructions from the medical professionals.

The medical enforcement officers may order compulsory medical examinations, including taking samples for testing, order compulsory treatment, order the sequestration or disinfection of baggage and personal effects, order the evacuation of any building for up to 24 hours where those exposed to the risk of infection may have gathered, and can order the compulsory detention, isolation or quarantining of anyone for 48 hours or until they have been formally cleared to be free of infection if this takes longer to do.

Once people are confirmed to be infected, they can be further quarantined for up to 14 days within their homes, a hospital or a place of isolation. If they are so quarantined the medical officer ordering the detention must ensure these infected people have access to or are provided with the basic necessities to maintain an acceptable standard of nutrition and hygiene and can be released temporarily under specified conditions.

Those who escape from where they have been ordered to be detained, isolated or quarantined, even if this is their own home, can be arrested without warrant.

The Health Minister can approve sites to be used for isolation and quarantine for those suspected or confirmed to be infected with Covid-19.

All those who disobey instructions from the designated health officers for testing, quarantine or isolation can face a stiff fine and a year in jail.

A second batch of clauses in the regulations gives the Health Minister, in consultation with the President and conforming to Presidential directions to: impose restrictions on public traffic and movement through curfews, close schools in any local authority, and close places and worship and restrict church gatherings, restrict or regulate places of entertainment, recreation and places where alcohol is served. This has already been done.

In the event of death the minister, acting again with the President, can make any inquiries into the cause, order post-mortems and exhumations, prohibit funerals in special circumstances until a medical officer has granted a certificate, and regulate burials.

To ensure that people cannot be infected by any other articles, the minister can regulate, restrict or ban removal of merchandise or articles in or out of any area, can facilitate the disinfection of any article by providing plant and equipment, or if necessary order that article’s destruction, authorise local authorities to inspect premises and fix sanitary or other defects likely to further the spread of Covid-19, and order the evacuation, closing, alteration or even demolition of premises which, if occupied, could render more difficult the eradication of Covid-19.

The health officers enforcing the regulations have to have certificates signed by the town clerk or other chief executive officer and must show these if anyone questions their orders.

As Zimbabwe confirms its third Covid-19 infection, the infection has been declared a formidable epidemic disease in terms of the Public Health Act, allowing the Minister of Health and Child Care to make sweeping regulations to control the spread of the disease and to have designated medical officers order the compulsory testing, quarantining, isolation and treatment of anyone who is exposed to infection or is confirmed as infected.

The new Public Health (Covid-19 Prevention, Containment and Treatment) Regulations 2020 were gazetted on Monday and are valid until May 20, although they then may be extended a month at a time.

The regulations follow the confirmation last night by the Health Ministry that one of the 15 tests done yesterday came out positive.

Those tested were mostly contacts of the second confirmed case and first death, Zororo Makamba, who was buried yesterday after succumbing to Covid-19 coupled with a pre-existing condition on Monday.

The new regulations partly overlap with orders already given by President Mnangagwa following the declaration of a state of national disaster, such as the ban on gatherings over the set limit. The Health Minister, after consulting the President and accepting Presidential directions, can issue the legal orders that enforce any Government action on gatherings, curfews, closure of premises and the like.

But they go into great detail for new powers given to the Chief Health Officer, who is the professional Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health and Child Care, the director of health services in every local authority, district health officers and every medical officer of health.

These enforcement officers, who issue the instructions, are to be assisted by police officers, peace officers and members of municipal police forces who are explicitly given the authority to enforce the instructions from the medical professionals.

The medical enforcement officers may order compulsory medical examinations, including taking samples for testing, order compulsory treatment, order the sequestration or disinfection of baggage and personal effects, order the evacuation of any building for up to 24 hours where those exposed to the risk of infection may have gathered, and can order the compulsory detention, isolation or quarantining of anyone for 48 hours or until they have been formally cleared to be free of infection if this takes longer to do.

Once people are confirmed to be infected, they can be further quarantined for up to 14 days within their homes, a hospital or a place of isolation.

If they are so quarantined the medical officer ordering the detention must ensure these infected people have access to or are provided with the basic necessities to maintain an acceptable standard of nutrition and hygiene and can be released temporarily under specified conditions.

Those who escape from where they have been ordered to be detained, isolated or quarantined, even if this is their own home, can be arrested without warrant.

The Health Minister can approve sites to be used for isolation and quarantine for those suspected or confirmed to be infected with Covid-19.

All those who disobey instructions from the designated health officers for testing, quarantine or isolation can face a stiff fine and a year in jail.-State media

The Zimbabwe Medical Association would like to inform the nation that the COVID-19 is upon us.

It
is imperative that we set aside political, ethnic and racial prejudices and collaborate to ensure that
we conquer this pandemic.

a) To the Government:
The profession applauds the efforts being exerted by government to ensure that the country
effectively tackles this pandemic.

However, more needs to be done to ensure no loss of lives
Availing of PPE: There is need for the government to immediately ensure that Personal
Protective clothing (PPE) is availed to all frontline personnel.

Availability of drugs: Experiences in other countries indicate that Chloroquine and Lopinavir
are essential drugs in the treatment of the disease. Government needs to ensure that these
drugs are availed to all designated COVID-19 care centres.

During this difficult period it
might be difficult to import these drugs. The profession calls on government to urgently
licence local manufacturers to produce these drugs for the local market (VARICHEM, CAPS ,
DATLABS need to be capacitated to enable them to produce these drugs locally)
There is also need to ensure that Oxygen is readily available at all designated care centres
Designated Care centres:

We recommend that either Parirenyatwa Hospital or Harare Hospital in Harare and either UBH or Mpilo Hospitals be designated COVOD-19 Care Centres.

It is our considered opinion that these centres need minimal refurbishment to ensure that
basic ICU equipment is functional. The other central hospitals to remain open for other
medical emergencies which are not COVID-19 related.

Make public places Safe: There is need for government to ensure that there is minimal
movement, non-essential public spaces closed and all borders sealed for visitors. There is
need for a minimum 14 day lockdown. This recommendation ought to be implemented
sooner rather than later.

Doctors are willing to help all provided appropriate Protective personnel Equipment is
availed and appropriate support i.e food , communication rest room etc..are provided as
they will also be quarantined once they get into contact with patients

b) To the Corporate World
Never before has corporate responsibility been need to safeguard humanity. Our
recommendation is the establishment of a Corporate Social Responsibility Committee with
ZiMA that will determine how and where to channel resources to clinically and appropriately
respond to the needs of COVID-19 patients and medical personnel.

We recommend considering a shut down and running on skeleton staff for essential
services.

Those that produce alcohol and ethanol products are urged to immediately mass produce
hand sanitizers for mass distribution in every suburb at cost recovery basis.

The pandemic offers opportunities for local corporates to produce goods to substitute
imports
c) To the private health funders and medical Aid societies
None of us has ever experienced such a pandemic.

We immediately call for health insurers
to urgently consider practice of tele-medicine.

We recommend that funders ensure adequate personnel to authorise procedures during
these trying times.

d) To health facilities
PRECAUTION, PRECAUTION, PRECAUTION
Rationalization of available equipment to COVID response Medical facilities e.g lending key
equipment such as ventilators, drip stands and oxygen tanks to designated COVID -19
facilities.
Put in place SOPs for COVID-19 risk assessment.

e) To health practitioners
Healthcare workers are encouraged to stay safe by ensuring that they assess risk factors
before treating patients or entering into facilities
Ensure that there is adequate PPE in both private practices
Continue to give routine care safely in order to preserve lives for those with pre-existing
conditions.

Protect yourselves and your immediate family members
The profession needs to work on case management protocols
There is need to mitigate further spread by stopping all elective cases and discharging non
critical patients.

f) To the general public
PRECAUTION, PRECAUTION, PRECAUTION: We urge the public to take COVID-19 threat
extremely seriously before it is too late.

Those with immuno-suppression, HIV, Cancer, Diabetes, Hypertension, Arthritis, who have
been using Ibuprofen, Cardio vascular conditions etc and those above the age of 50 are
advised to immediately go into self-isolation.
Mental health and health anxiety.

Get correct information from authentic sources
Avoid social media overload
Get therapy for worming mental disorders
Avoid unnecessary travel
Wash hands with soap under clean running water often
Avoid congregating as much as possible.

Stay at home until you need hospitalization.
DR. S.M. CHIRISA
ZIMA SECRETARY GENERAL

Farai Dziva|MDC deputy president Tendai Biti has urged Emmerson Mnangagwa’ s government to be frank with matters pertaining to Coronavirus.

“Zimbabwe is not ready for #COVID19 & when this point is made this is not politics .#Zororo s death was avoidable & statement released by the family is proof of criminal negligence. #Wilkins does not have #ventilators , it does not even have plugs . No other facility is ready,” tweeted Biti.

“The hospital does not even have water & clearly staff appear scared. The Gvt should mobilize international help particularly from #China. It must also come clean on number of infections & deaths. Vic Falls & Hwange appear to be in eye of the storm Disease requires leadership.

The next 7 days are critical for Zimbabwe to break momentum & avoid curve peaking . A lockdown for two weeks as called for by Advocate
@nelsonchamisa
was only way foward.

The country is going through a lot already without #COVID . Same was an opportunity of unity & leadership.”

MDC president Nelson Chamisa has blasted his nemesis, President Emmerson Mnangagwa for his lackadaisical approach at handling the coronavirus, saying he should consider locking down the country’s borders to avoid the spread of the deadly virus.

Chamisa also challenged Mnangagwa to go into self-isolation after his trip to Namibia last Friday to attend the inauguration of Namibian President Hage Geingob.

Botswana leader Mokgweetsi Masisi, has, after his Namibian trip, started a 14-day self-isolation which will include testing for COVID-19.

Masisi will work from home over the period that he will also be quarantined from his family.

Namibia has three confirmed cases and Botswana has no case, while Zimbabwe has two confirmed cases, one of which has resulted in the death of journalist Zororo Makamba.

In an interview yesterday, Chamisa’s spokesperson, Nkululeko Sibanda said the country should close all entry points before people die like flies, as the government is ill-equipped to fight COVID-19. He said Mnangagwa’s trip to Namibia was not necessary and the money used to fund it could have been used to improve the country’s ailing health facilities designated to handle COVID-19 cases.

“Over night, we had three cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Zimbabwe. Remember, that our ports of entry are still dangerously supervised,” Sibanda said.

“The other day, a bus at Beitbridge Border Post was allowed to cross the country at will, while a suspected case was quarantined. I am terrified at the lack of urgency by government.”

He expressed fear that the coronavirus would spread like veld fire at queues for fuel and Zupco buses.
“We need to lock up this country. Distance working is now essential. We have too many flash points,” he said.

“He (ED) must as a gesture of seriousness and as a precaution to protect our people and country, follow the steps taken by other leaders,” Sibanda said.

“It is really saddening that he travelled to Namibia when the country is facing such a terrible national crisis. There is virtually no equipment in hospitals designated to handle the COVID-19 pandemic.

We have less than 100 beds in the country (meant for coronavirus patients). We have about 30 or so in Harare, and a slightly lower number in Bulawayo,” he said.

“I believe that we should call these people to question. The money that they used to fly out to Namibia for something that is non-essential could have been put to better use.

The Namibians can inaugurate their own President under full understanding of the fact that the rest of the world is busy dealing with COVID-19.”

Zimbabwe is facing a grim prospect of failing to control the spread of COVID-19 after it emerged that the country’s health professionals were yet to receive the requisite training and protective clothing to handle the pandemic which has so far globally recorded over 15 000 deaths and 358 823 confirmed cases as of yesterday.
— NewsDay

Two schoolchildren were yesterday morning ran over by a car at a pick-up point in Harare.

National police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi confirmed the accident.

“I can confirm that two schoolchildren who reside in Rydale Ridge were hit and killed on the spot yesterday morning while waiting for transport to school.

“The sad thing about this accident is that the accused Given Tapiwa Makeredza (19) is a new driver who got his driving licence on 31 January, 2020. He had one passenger in his car.

“The deceased Mufudzi Nyadzayo (12), a Grade Seven pupil at Kuwadzana 8 Primary School and Samuel Magorimbo (11), a Grade Six pupil at Kuwadzana 6 Primary School were waiting for transport to school off the road. Their next of kin have been informed,” he said.

“The driver lost control of the car resulting in him hitting the children who suffered head and fractured legs and died on the spot. They were taken to Harare hospital where they were certified dead.”

Ass Comm Nyathi urged motorists to be responsible on the road, as they were bound to come across pedestrians and schoolchildren.

“This is a very sad scenario and we strongly urge motorists especially new drivers to be driving under the guidance of seasoned drivers, as they still have a lot to learn.

They do not have road exposure, no experience and full composure.
“They should not drive alone in crowded areas, residential areas and schools, as they are bound to encounter schoolchildren who also still need assistance,” he added.

The driver is being charged with culpable homicide.-State media

At least three civil servants have been tested for coronavirus after coming into contact with Zororo Makamba, who died from the disease on Monday.

Two aides of deputy cabinet secretary and presidential spokesman George Charamba – his driver and personal assistant – as well as the personal assistant of finance minister Mthuli Ncube have been placed on 21-day quarantine.

Makamba returned from New York on March 9, and eventually tested positive for coronavirus on March 20 leading to his hospitalisation.

Before he was admitted to the Wilkins Hospital in Harare, Makamba – who should have been on self-isolation as per government policy – met dozens of people, visited at least two bars, government offices and a gym.

The 30-year-old broadcaster was behind a series of online explainer videos reportedly commissioned by the information ministry, and paid for by the finance ministry.

Charamba on Tuesday said that Makamba had twice been to his office, but on both occasions he had been out. He had, however, come into contact with his personal assistant and driver during the visits.

“When we learnt of Zororo’s condition we called in the health people on Sunday and my two staff members were tested and ordered to self-isolate at home. The tests were negative, but we are not taking any chances and so they will be re-tested before they return to work at the end of the 21-day period,” Charamba said.

Makamba is also understood to have interacted with Ncube’s PA.

Charamba said while Ncube had considered self-isolating, he had been advised to attend Cabinet by President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Tuesday.

“I understand his PA has also tested negative, but I don’t have the full details on who met Zororo over there. I just heard the permanent secretary George Guvamatanga speaking about the matter to the ZBC. They have taken measures,” Charamba added.

For the first time ever, Cabinet met under a tent at State House on Tuesday – away from the Cabinet boardroom at Munhumutapa Building.

Charamba explained: “This is part of leadership compliance with social distancing in the fight against COVID-19. Members of Cabinet sat at least a meter apart in a well-ventilated venue, as recommended by health experts.

“Last night, the president urged businesses to creatively find ways of making their work stations compliant. Cabinet continues to show the way until the pandemic is defeated.”

Zimbabwe has only declared two positive coronavirus cases since the disease’s outbreak in China late last year. By 3PM on Tuesday, the coronavirus had killed 17,250 with 396,236 reported infections worldwide.

Zimbabwe today received a consignment of commodities to help strengthen and intensify surveillance on the coronavirus from the Jack Ma and Alibaba Foundation.

It also reported that the number of confirmed cases had risen to three.

The Ministry of Health said that the National Microbiology Reference Laboratory had tested 15 specimens, the majority of whom had been in contact with Zororo Makamba, and one male tested positive.

Makamba died yesterday after being admitted to Wilkins Hospital where he tested positive for the coronavirus.

He was buried today under supervision by the Ministry of Health.

The consignment Zimbabwe received included 20 000 laboratory diagnostic test kits, 100 000 medical face masks and 1 000 protective suits ad face shields.

The US Embassy has issued a statement informing US citizens in Zimbabwe who wish to go back home but are stuck due to the constant cancellation of flights that they are arranging repatriation flights to the US for them.

This development was posted on the US Embassy In Zimbabwe website and it reads:

In response to the increasingly limited commercial options for departing Zimbabwe due to the global impact of COVID-19, the U.S. Embassy is coordinating two flights with a commercial airline to depart Zimbabwe on March 27, 2020, with one flying to Chicago, Illinois and the other to Dulles, Virginia (near Washington DC).

A number of seats on these flights will be available to private U.S. citizens.

Actions to Take:

• If you are planning on returning to the United States but have been unable to obtain space on a commercial flight, please contact [email protected] with the names of your immediate family members who wish to travel. Please provide contact information including phone, what’s app, and e-mail, and to which city you would prefer to fly.
• On the evening of March 24, 2020, the Embassy will learn how many seats are available on the flights and will contact the corresponding number of U.S. citizens and their immediate families in the order they appear on the list.
• If you are contacted, you will have 24 hours to contact the airline and pay for your seats.
• The Embassy will continue this process of contacting those on the list until all seats are sold out.
• Ensure that your travel documents are valid. If you need to arrange an emergency passport or notarial service, please schedule an appointment.

Zimbabwe is considering giving land back to white commercial farmers effectively reversing a two-decade old controversial policy to reclaim land from the descendants of European settlers and others.

An estimated 4,000 farmers were evicted during a much-criticized Land Reform Program that was implemented in 2000 under late president Robert Mugabe who was removed from office in November 2017 after nearly 40 years in power.

After the harsh land grab, Zimbabwe’s economy nosedived with currency crises, bouts of hyperinflation and shortages of basic commodities causing much suffering for many Zimbabweans.

This year Zimbabwe’s government budgeted an additional of Z$380 million ($21 million) up top of a previously allocated $18 million for farmer compensation but the country, which is experiencing one of its worst economic downturns and a food shortage crisis, is struggling to pay the white commercial farmers.

As part of the compensation campaign the government is now proposing to offer land to about 200 farmers who were foreign nationals of countries that had ratified Bilateral Investment Protection Agreements with Zimbabwe.

The countries that are under this provision include Switzerland, Denmark, South Africa, Germany, the Netherlands and Britain.

But white Zimbabwean farmers are still in separate negotiations with the government. Former farmers are demanding up to $7 billion in compensation, according to previous reports.

“The object of these regulations is to provide for the disposal of land to persons entitled to compensation for acquisition of previously compulsorily acquired agricultural land,” said Lands minister Perrance Shiri in a government gazette published on Friday, last week.

Ben Purcel Gilpin, Commercial Farmers Union director, said the use of land as compensation would offer “some relief” to some of their farmers. “The government is currently seeking ways to deal with the compensation issue for all classes of affected farmers. We hope that progress will be made and a conducive investment environment is achieved where skilled farmers can produce effectively with secure and justifiable rights for the good of the whole nation,” he told Quartz Africa.

Around 300 white commercial farmers have been compensated since the acquisitions started, says Gilpin, and to date around 3,500 white commercial farmers are awaiting compensation.

The Ministry of Health and Child Care has confirmed that a third Coronavirus case has been confirmed in the country. According to a tweet by the Ministry of Information, the patient was infected by the late Zororo Makamba.

24/03/2020#COVID19ZIM UPDATE
Confirmed cases – 3
Gender- All male
Deceased – 1
Number of his contacs tested today – 19
Positives from those – 1 pic.twitter.com/3BrdLmCdRY

— Ministry of Information, Publicity & Broadcasting (@InfoMinZW) March 24, 2020

In light of the gravity of the COVID-19 outbreak, His Excellency the President has activated the Ad Hoc Inter-Ministerial Task Force in line with a decision made by Cabinet at its Seventh Meeting held on Tuesday, 17th March 2020.

Here is a full list of the members of the COVID-19 Taskforce:

1. Chairperson: Minister Of Health and Child Care Dr Obadiah Moyo
2. Deputy Chairperson: Local Government and Public Works Minister July Moyo.
3. Mthuli Ncube of Finance,
4. Oppah Muchinguri of Defence and War Veterans Affairs,
5. Sibusiso Moyo of Foreign Affairs,
6. Kazembe Kazembe of Home Affairs,
7. Cain Mathema of Primary and Secondary Education,
8. Biggie Matiza of Transport and Infrastructure Development,
9. Nqobizitha Mangaliso Ndlovu of Environment,
10. Monica Mutsvangwa of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services
11. Professor Amon Murwira of Higher and Tertiary Education.

The following terms of reference will guide the Task Force’s operations:

a) to monitor the situation and manage the response to the COVID-19 outbreak and identify any gaps for corrective action;

b) to raise the general awareness of the public on the pandemic;

c) to mobilise domestic and international financial resources to adequately respond to the outbreak;

d) to engage private sector associations that include captains of industry and business, religious leaders, local authorities Traditional Leaders, and Zimbabweans in the diaspora for support in the implementation of identified initiatives;

e) to rally all stakeholders towards the successful fight of the pandemic. These include among others, the Zimbabwe Medical Association, its affiliates and all stakeholders in the medical and health fields; and

f) to regularly update His Excellency the President, Cabinet, and the nation on the country’s state of preparedness and response to the COVID-19 outbreak.

As Chairman of the Task Force, Honourable O. Moyo is required to make use of the Civil Protection Unit which has the requisite geographical spread and representation for maximum, effective, collective response and action as displayed in the management of the Cyclone Idai Disaster.

The Task Force is already seized with the operationalisation of the National COVID-19 Response Strategy and will keep the Nation updated on the same.

Watch video downloading below:

Post Cabinet Briefing 24 March 2020 https://t.co/f0BYCknDrD

— Ministry of Information, Publicity & Broadcasting (@InfoMinZW) March 24, 2020

A Zimbabwean student at St. Andrews University in USA has died of coronavirus COVID-19, according to a family spokesperson, Takudzwa Mandaza.

Mandaza said his 19 year-old young sister, Mellisa Jackquiline, died yesterday.

He said the family is devastated by the death of Mellisa, whose mother lives in Michigan, USA.

Mandaza could not say when Mellisa will be laid to rest.

“Her dad passed on a while back and she was in Michigan with her mum and other siblings studying at St. Andrews University …She was asthmatic and she tested positive for the coronavirus and passed away yesterday in hospital,” said Mandaza.

He added that he will remember her cousin for her brilliance in her studies and her love for books as she was a bookworm like himself.

She is believed to be the second Zimbabwean to die of coronavirus COVID-19 following the death in Harare on Monday of Zororo Makamba, the son of former radio broadcaster and Telecel shareholder, James Makamba.

The Ministry of Health indicated that Zororo recently visited New York, which is recording high numbers of coronavirus COVID-19.

Before Zororo’s death, there were two people in Zimbabwe that tested positive for coronavirus.

The disease has killed thousands of people in China, Italy and other nations.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa has announced a raft of measures that include sealing off the country’s borders in an effort to control the spread of the infectious disease.-voa

Own Correspondent|Zimbabwean human rights defender and founder of Female Prisoners Support Trust Rita Nyampinga who was recently recognised as one of 12 International Woman of Courage (IWOC) Award winners for 2020 by the United States of America government has come out trailblazing at how the elite in Zimbabwe have been ignoring the decaying public health system until it was exposed when Zororo Makamba died of Coronavirus complications at Wilkins Hospital on Monday.

Commenting on facebook where pictures of the extremely dilapidated room at Wilkins Hospital where Zororo was admitted, Nyamupinga said that it was time the elite in the country understood the conditions that ordinary Zimbabweans are faced with everyday when they seek medical attention.

Below is the comment Nyamupinga posted:

“The problem is that the elite never thought Covid-19 was coming. Our health infrastructure is intact but the elite thought it’s only the poor who needed these services.

Yesterday the world curved in and exposed the elite to conditions the Zimbawean Majority are exposed to everyday.

We walk into those cold corridors with tears on our cheeks day in and day out. It’s a wake up call to all sundry that COVID-19 can humble you and be equal.

They have the money but God has the time where he wants to show you the reality of life. It’s our prayer that this shall come to pass.

Imagine the thousands who perished in 2008 Budiriro and Glen View cholera did the elite visit them in the makeshift tents. Such is life.

Zororo RIP and maybe your family will donate the ventilator to the hospital. MHDSRIEP.

Dr Nkululeko Sibanda the spokesperson of Nelson Chamisa the leader of the opposition MDC has said that the government must be held accountable over the money that was used for President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s trip to Namibia.

President Mnangagwa travelled to Namibia for the inauguration of Namibia President, Hage Geingob on Saturday, 21 March 2020. Sibanda said:

“He (ED) must as a gesture of seriousness and as a precaution to protect our people and country, follow the steps taken by other leaders,” Sibanda said.

“It is really saddening that he travelled to Namibia when the country is facing such a terrible national crisis. There is virtually no equipment in hospitals designated to handle the COVID-19 pandemic.

We have less than 100 beds in the country (meant for coronavirus patients). We have about 30 or so in Harare, and a slightly lower number in Bulawayo,” he said.

Sibanda added that Mnangagwa should not have gone there and the people of Namibia could have understood the situation.

“I believe that we should call these people to question. The money that they used to fly out to Namibia for something that is non-essential could have been put to better use. The Namibians can inaugurate their own President under full understanding of the fact that the rest of the world is busy dealing with COVID-19.”

Post Cabinet Briefing 24 March 2020 https://t.co/f0BYCknDrD

— Ministry of Information, Publicity & Broadcasting (@InfoMinZW) March 24, 2020

Reports just received indicate that President Emmerson Mnangagwa has vacated his Munhumutapa government offices in central Harare which were visited by Coronavirus victim the late Zororo Makamba a few days before his death.

Presidential spokesperson, George Charamba confirmed that Mnangagwa has been working from the state house since Monday as a precautionary measure.

Makamba was admitted to Wilkins Infectious Diseases Hospital last Friday where he was confirmed dead Monday from the coronavirus.

“I must confirm that the late Zororo Makamba paid a visit to both the Ministry of Finance and also the Office of the President and Cabinet (OPC),” said Charamba.

He said at the OPC offices, Makamba met three staff members who have since been placed under the mandatory 21-day quarantine.

“In the course of his meeting, he came in contact with three staff members from our office. Those people have since been placed under 21-day quarantine apart from the measures that the medical team has recommended. On Sunday our offices were fumigated ensuring that there is decontamination,” said Charamba.

Own Correspondent|Cambridge International has cancelled its examinations in May and June.

This includes Cambridge IGCSE, Cambridge O Level, Cambridge International AS & A Level, Cambridge AICE Diploma and Cambridge Pre-U, it said in a statement on its website.

“In recent days, many more countries have decided to extend school closures into May and June, making it impossible for many of our schools to hold examinations, ” it said on Monday.

Cambridge International also said that it will be providing regular updates for schools beginning Thursday (March 26).

At the same time, International Baccalaureate examinations for the May 2020 session have also been cancelled.

The organisation announced that the decision to cancel the exams was based on considerable advice from stakeholders across the globe, including schools, students, universities and official bodies.

“The May 2020 examinations will no longer be held, as we believe it to be the most responsible and ethical way forward.

It added that International Baccalaureate students, their wellbeing and progression in future stages of life have been at the forefront of its thinking, as it responds to the Covid-19 pandemic.

“As an organisation, it is critical for the International Baccalaureate to ensure that the options it provides its global community of International Baccalaureate World Schools are based on compassion and fairness for the difficult circumstances that its students and educators are experiencing, ” it said.

The Zimbabwe Medical association {ZIMA) has released the following statement urging the government to capacitate local pharmaceutical manufacturers and avail professional protective clothing for the COVID-19 frontline personnel.

Below is ZIMA’s full statement:

Preamble
The Zimbabwe Medical Association would like to inform the nation that the COVID-19 is upon us. It is imperative that we set aside political, ethnic and racial prejudices and collaborate to ensure that we conquer this pandemic.
a) To the Government:
The profession applauds the efforts being exerted by government to ensure that the country effectively tackles this pandemic. However, more needs to be done to ensure no loss of lives
Availing of PPE: There is need for the government to immediately ensure that Personal Protective clothing (PPE) is availed to all frontline personnel.

Availability of drugs: Experiences in other countries indicate that Chloroquine and Lopinavir are essential drugs in the treatment of the disease. Government needs to ensure that these drugs are availed to all designated COVID-19 care centres. During this difficult period it
might be difficult to import these drugs. The profession calls on government to urgently licence local manufacturers to produce these drugs for the local market (VARICHEM, CAPS , DATLABS need to be capacitated to enable them to produce these drugs locally)

There is also need to ensure that Oxygen is readily available at all designated care centres
Designated Care centres: We recommend that either Parirenyatwa Hospital or Harare Hospital in Harare and either UBH or Mpilo Hospitals be designated COVOD-19 Care Centres.

It is our considered opinion that these centres need minimal refurbishment to ensure that basic ICU equipment is functional. The other central hospitals to remain open for other medical emergencies which are not COVID-19 related.

Make public places Safe: There is need for government to ensure that there is minimal movement, non-essential public spaces closed and all borders sealed for visitors. There is need for a minimum 14 day lockdown. This recommendation ought to be implemented sooner rather than later.

Doctors are willing to help all provided appropriate Protective personnel Equipment is availed and appropriate support i.e food , communication rest room etc..are provided as they will also be quarantined once they get into contact with patients

b) To the Corporate World
Never before has corporate responsibility been need to safeguard humanity. Our
recommendation is the establishment of a Corporate Social Responsibility Committee with ZiMA that will determine how and where to channel resources to clinically and appropriately respond to the needs of COVID-19 patients and medical personnel.

We recommend considering a shut down and running on skeleton staff for essential
services. Those that produce alcohol and ethanol products are urged to immediately mass produce
hand sanitizers for mass distribution in every suburb at cost recovery basis.
The pandemic offers opportunities for local corporates to produce goods to substitute
imports

c) To the private health funders and medical Aid societies
None of us has ever experienced such a pandemic. We immediately call for health insurers
to urgently consider practice of tele-medicine.
We recommend that funders ensure adequate personnel to authorise procedures during
these trying times.

d) To health facilities
PRECAUTION, PRECAUTION, PRECAUTION
Rationalization of available equipment to COVID response Medical facilities e.g lending key
equipment such as ventilators, drip stands and oxygen tanks to designated COVID -19
facilities.
Put in place SOPs for COVID-19 risk assessment.

e) To health practitioners
Healthcare workers are encouraged to stay safe by ensuring that they assess risk factors
before treating patients or entering into facilities

• Ensure that there is adequate PPE in both private practices
• Continue to give routine care safely in order to preserve lives for those with pre-existing
  conditions.
• Protect yourselves and your immediate family members

The profession needs to work on case management protocols
There is need to mitigate further spread by stopping all elective cases and discharging non
critical patients.

f) To the general public
PRECAUTION, PRECAUTION, PRECAUTION: We urge the public to take COVID-19 threat
extremely seriously before it is too late.
Those with immuno-suppression, HIV, Cancer, Diabetes, Hypertension, Arthritis, who have
been using Ibuprofen, Cardio vascular conditions etc and those above the age of 50 are
advised to immediately go into self-isolation.
Mental health and health anxiety

•  Get correct information from authentic sources
•  Avoid social media overload
• Get therapy for worming mental disorders
• Avoid unnecessary travel
• Wash hands with soap under clean running water often
• Avoid congregating as much as possible.
• Stay at home until you need hospitalization.

DR. S.M. CHIRISA
ZIMA SECRETARY GENERAL

Own Correspondent|After all the noise by Health Minister Obadiah Moyo that Zimbabwe was ready to deal with the Coronavirus, the country has dismally failed on the first test which saw popular broadcaster Zororo Makamba being the country’s first victim of the virus.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa himself was dragged into the issue but could not offer any assistance at all.

If someone of a stable financial background like Zororo from the Makamba family could not be helped what will happen to the ordinary Zimbabwean who will be affected by the virus do?

Below is a full statement made by the late Zororo Makamba’s family after he became the first Zimbabwean to succumb to coronavirus at Wilkins Hospital in Harare Monday.

Zororo was the son of business mogul and Zanu PF politician James Makamba. Family spokesperson Tawanda Makamba, elder brother to Zororo, produced the statement.

Zororo was in New York for 20 days and when he came back he had a slight flue, a cold. He then went to his general practitioner and they checked him for coronavirus symptoms and they said he didn’t have them at the time.

He was just told that he had a cough and a flue because in New York it’s cold and here it’s hot, so they then treated him for flue and he came back home.

On Friday last week he started developing a fever and his doctor recommended that he had to be admitted. This is because Zororo had a tumour removed from just under his left lung last year in November and he was under an 18-month recovery time-frame.

His immune system was already compromised, so the doctor was very keen that he gets into the hospital and receives proper medication to help him get over the flue and fever.

He was further advised to go to Wilkins Hospital to test for the coronavirus. He arrived at Wilkins Hospital by 10 am and samples were collected from him and we were told that the results would be in after 6 hours.

After 6 hours there were no results and his general practitioner called to find out why the results had not been availed yet. The hospitals officials then told the GPA that they had not run the tests yet they were waiting for samples from provincial hospitals to run them all at once.

The doctor got frustrated and started questioning why they had not run the tests given that Zororo’s condition was deteriorating. After some time they then decided to run the test and in the meantime we took him home and he needed oxygen.

His GPA phoned around and an ambulance came home to deliver the oxygen and then we got the positive results for coronavirus at about 1:30 or 2:00am the following day.

They told us that now that they had confirmed that he had the virus he had to be taken to the Wilkins Hospital for treatment.

We then inquired if we could him bring immediately and we were told that the hospital was not ready to receive coronavirus patients.

So in the morning we waited and waited and they were still not ready to admit him. He ended up being admitted around 10am and 11am.

His doctor made it clear earlier on that he had to be on a ventilator because he could not breathe. However, when we got at Wilkins Hospital there was no ventilator, no medication and even the oxygen would run out and they had to get it from the City of Harare.

After that we ran around to find a ventilator for him and we managed to get a portable ventilator from a family friend who had a relative who used the ventilator before he died.

In terms of medicine you need to breathe, they didn’t have it there, we had to go and buy it in South Africa. We ended up finding some today (yesterday) just as he was passing away at a local pharmacy, yet the hospital was telling us it was not locally available.

We then brought the ventilator on Sunday by 2pm and when we got here, because the portable ventilator had an American plug, they told us to get an adapter because they only had round sockets at the hospital. I then rushed to buy an adapter and came back and they never used it and when I asked why they were not using the ventilator they said they had no sockets in his room.

So they didn’t have medication, ventilators and we brought them a ventilator and they didn’t have sockets in his room. I told them that I had an extension cord and pleaded with them to use the cord, but they refused.

They forced us to come here, but failed to deliver on their promise. When Zororo had his operation, he had it at Health Point Clinic. I contacted the people at Health Point and asked if they were willing to take Zororo in and they said yes and that they had already set up a facility to accommodate him.

We then appealed to Health minister Obadiah Moyo that since you are not prepared at Wilkins Hospital can we take him to Health Point and he refused.

Minister Moyo said we could not take him there and that needed to be treated at Wilkins. We were puzzled and wondered how he could say that Zororo should be treated at Wilkins when they don’t even have plugs in his room to connect the ventilator.

He promised us all sorts of things that this morning (yesterday) they would definitely be a ventilator and equipment but nothing materialised. If you go inside there you will see that they are not prepared to handle cases this side.

The minister at some point also suggested that we could take him to a trauma centre in Borrowdale. When it was now time for us to go to Borrowdale trauma they refused us to go there.

Instead they got the owner of Borrowdale Trauma Centre to call me and he told me that he could come and set up an ICU at Wilkins for Zororo complete with a ventilator and monitors, but he said that we had to pay US$120 000 for the equipment.

He added that once Zororo finishes using the equipment and recovers we had to donate the equipment to Wilkins Hospital. So basically the hospital wanted us to buy the equipment for them. We don’t have US$120 000 and it is not our responsibility to buy equipment for the government.

On top of that, remember this is a critical patient, nurses would only visit him after two hours because they were afraid of handling his situation. We had to phone from home, calling the nurse station to tell them that Zororo was in distress and that his oxygen was finished because they were not going to check on him.

It even got to a point where they were telling us that we are bothering them but Zororo was struggling in there.
My mother and his fiancé have been parked out here for the past two days and they wouldn’t allow us to come in.

The minister lied to us on many occasions. He lied to us that they were going to bring equipment and doctors but nothing ever materialised.

We reached out to President Emmerson Mnangagwa and First Lady Auxilia Mnangagwa who promised us that Zororo could be transferred to Beatrice and that there was a room for him. Nothing came out of this.

We even appealed to them saying that if they have failed then they should allow us to take him home and treat him ourselves because really what he needed was oxygen.

At the end before he died, he kept telling us that he was alone and scared and the staff was refusing to help him to a point where he got up and tried to walk out and they were trying to restrain him.
So this is how my younger brother ended up dying. I want people to know that the government is lying.

Remember at some point I spoke to the president and he was saying that the report he received about Wilkins from the Health minister is that there is equipment and medicine.

However, right now they don’t even have water at Wilkins. So if you come here to be treated for corona there is absolutely no treatment you will get, you will die.

I am not a healthcare giver but I have respect for nurses and doctors. The doctor we were in contact with here at Wilkins would turn off his phone yet he was the critical contact person, the nurses also refused to help us.

So people need to know that the government is ill-prepared, it is not ready to deal with this virus. Right now we have been outside since 12pm and they have not given us his body, neither have they told us the way forward.

Zororo passed away between 11am and 12pm today (Monday) and the hospital called us to come and look at his body. When we got there, we were, however, told that they had already put his body in a body bag and taken it to the mortuary.

Until now at 5pm we have been waiting for further communication and they have not even given us any of his belongings.

This is such a heart-breaking experience for us and it goes to show the lack of seriousness our government has in dealing with the coronavirus.

Herewith some random thoughts on how to fight the #coronavirus in Zimbabwe forwarded by a retired civil servant! pic.twitter.com/nQuvMXCXG8

— Prof Jonathan Moyo (@ProfJNMoyo) March 24, 2020

By Own Correspondent| Popular traditional healer, Sekuru Banda has called on government to consider indigenous knowledge systems as part of national efforts to combat the spread of the deadly coronavirus.

Zimbabwe is currently battling to contain the outbreak which has so far claimed its first victim in prominent presenter Zororo Makamba.

As part of efforts to contain the disease, President Emmerson Mnangagwa announced a number of measures including the closure of borders, public spaces such as beerhalls, gymnasiums and sports facilities and banning public gatherings of more than 50 people among others.

Speaking at the indigenous knowledge management conference held in Harare yesterday, Sekuru Banda emphasised on the need to work together to create knowledge base around coronavirus.

“If we work together and create a knowledge base around these issues, we can go a long way in fighting this pandemic and others to come. It is my mandate as a traditional healer to sensitise and inspire others to join in the fight against viral pandemics that threaten our being and becoming as humanity. Thus it is fundamental to embrace indigenous knowledge systems in fighting pandemics,” Sekuru Banda added.

Sekuru Banda said it has been scientifically proven that the disease originated from animals before it moved to humans.

“It is widely believed that the disease originated from Wuhan province of China where they have wet markets. In this province, Chinese stock animals from different parts of the world. These animals would have been illegally imported. From statistics, China was operating 28 000 wet markets across the country.

“The conditions in these wet markets are squalid for animal habitation. The firs SARS virus of 2003 originated from these wet markets and so did this coronavirus. Animal rights advocates refer to coronavirus as the pangolin’s revenge,” Sekuru Banda said. 

The pangolin is the most widely, illegally trafficked wild animal. According to Ukrainian philosopher, Slavojzizek, the 2003 SARS virus can be traced to the Chinese wet markets.

Sekuru Banda said if an animal is kept under captivity, its immune system deteriorates; thereby creating a breeding ground for different viruses to thrive within its body.

He cited the fact that wild bats ended up infecting pangolins in the Chinese wet markets hence the birth of coronavirus.

“What was meant for the jungle must remain in the jungle. Coronavirus has given us an important lesson that we should be responsible in our pursuit of profits. The bundling of different species in one area is not only a Chinese problem. It is regrettable that here in Africa people co-habit with wild animals.

“In Zimbabwe other people keep broilers, qualia birds, rabbits or guinea fowl in their houses, In the process, they end up acquiring severe respiratory diseases from these animals. That’s why we have experienced bird and swine flu,” Sekuru Banda said. 

He said the failure to respect the law of nature is a problem that they as traditional leaders have observed.

“As traditional healers, we urge relevant authorities to take appropriate measures to curb such illicit activities. There is need to sensitise people on the root causes of coronavirus so that as a society we debunk conspiracy theories and take responsibility for the problems haunting us.” 

We publish below pictures taken at Charge Office bus terminus in Harare a few hours before President Emmerson Mnangagwa announced new measures to curb coronavirus on Monday 23 2020.

Pictures- Settings at Charge Office terminus in Harare hours before President Emmerson Mnangagwa announced a raft of new measures to curb the spread of #CoronavirusInZimbabwe pic.twitter.com/V5Qi7krY4b

— ZimEye (@ZimEye) March 24, 2020

By Jane Mlambo| The late Zororo Makamba shared pictures of his hospital bed which exposes Wilkins Hospital government lies that it is prepared to deal with coronavirus.

He shared the images below, telling relatives that the hospital did not have water forcing him to rely on bucket toilet to relieve himself.

The family has come out guns blazing against government for being poorly prepared to deal with the pandemic which has so far claimed over 15 000 worldwide.

Below are the pictures….

Madam Speaker Ma’am, Robert Mugabe Airport had 6 750 travelers who went through it and 103 of those travelers are under surveillance.  Victoria Falls had 1 120 and out those 54 were under surveillance.  

In Victoria Falls Road, 291 travelers went through and two of those are under surveillance. Joshua Nqabuko Nkomo 957 and 182 are under surveillance. Then Beitbridge, we had 128 and 31 are under surveillance. Plumtree 151 and six are under surveillance.

On the 13^th March, the National Micro-Biology Laboratory tested 14 suspected cases for COVID -19 and all of them were negative. Their samples were also tested at the WHO regional laboratory in South Africa and they came out as negative.

The global picture, there were 153 517 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 5 735 deaths which is a 3,7% case fatality rate and this is reported from 144 countries. Europe has become the epicentre of the pandemic with more reported cases and deaths than the rest of the world apart from China.

To date, 26 African countries have reported confirmed cases of COVID-19 with four of those countries being SADC Member States, South Africa, Eswathini, Namibia and DRC. Of these, South Africa has reported local spread of COVID-19. The other SADC States have reported imported cases which have largely been imported from Europe.

The country situation, the National Response Mechanism for Surveillance and Early Detection of any possible cases was activated and will remain activated until after the WHO has removed the global health alert. Ministry of Health and Child Care has developed and is implementing the National COVID-19 Preparedness and Response Plan guided by the eight pillars of WHO Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan.

The budget to meet the plan has since been revised to US$25 million from US$5,2 million. The plan will be used to resource, mobilise from Government, international and development partners. The launch of this plan by His Excellency has been scheduled for tomorrow at 8.30 am at State House.

With South Africa reporting local transmission, preparedness measures have been stepped up through intensifying surveillance at national, provincial and district level with special focus on mandatory screening at all our ports of entry throughout the country. Some of the measures include the updating of the response plan providing daily written updates from the borders and also from the Permanent Secretary’s office.

All hospitals have been put on high alert. SOPs have been prepared and we are ready with all those for self-isolation, surveillance, rapid response teams and so on. The scaling up of the risk communication and community engaged through the electronic and print media has also been scaled up and printed materials to be circulated to all rural areas. Training of all health workers with technical support from WHO is being carried out. Work is in progress to strengthen the capacity of identifying more isolation centres besides Wilkins and Thorngrove hospitals.

Last week, we met with the Global Fund Executive Director to discuss funding for the Covid-19 preparedness and response activities. The Global Fund has committed 5% of the US$500 million from the Global Fund grant to Zimbabwe. This works out to US$25 million.

We are also grateful to the UK Ambassador who called in to have a meeting with us. Mrs Melanie Robinson and the United Kingdom has committed additional support to our Government to a total of £1,7 million. The World Health Organisation has also provided technical support to the Ministry’s Preparedness and Response Plan.

We have also had support from China and they have successfully been able to give us money for the renovations of our Wilkins Hospital and they will be moving to Thorngrove Hospital as well.

Confirmatory tests kits have also been procured and we have also received donations of the same from the WHO, Africa CDC, United Kingdom Government and the Chinese Government. Rapid diagnostic test kits have also been procured.

The training of doctors, nurses, laboratory scientists and environmental health officers continues. This also includes the uniformed forces. Identification of additional potential isolation facilities and additional isolation wings to the existing public health institutions is in progress.

Treasury support for strengthening and intensifying surveillance; Treasury has released RTG$20 million. Additionally, Treasury has released a provision of US$250 thousand. This has been set aside …

Part of the preparedness is identification of a company to assist in border control and contact tracing. I was so happy to hear that Parliament is adjourning because definitely like the Hon. Member has indicated, this room is a disastrous area where we can have an easy spread of the virus in seconds…. 

Risk allowances for personnel working at isolation facilities is also being organised; modification of the quarantine and isolation facilities; personal protective equipment including disease control suits and laboratory supplies is what this money from Treasury is going to be used for.

It must be emphasised however, that there is a huge demand and competition for personal protective equipment. All the countries are fighting for this small number of equipment which is available but we continue to explore ways of expediting these and engage local industry to explore possibilities of local production of some of the personal protective equipment including masks, gowns and hand sanitisers.

Cabinet also with immediate effect adopted the following;

1.    Implementation of the social distancing measures, for example suspension of mass gatherings as the Independence Day Celebration and ZITF which were scheduled for Bulawayo. 

2.    Immediate suspension of all gatherings of more than 100 people including church gatherings, weddings, burial ceremonies for a period of 60 days.

3.    Travelers from high risk countries with widespread on going local transmission to be strongly discouraged from travelling to Zimbabwe for the next period of 30 days starting tomorrow.

4.    All airlines to be advised of the restrictions.

5.    Discouraging Zimbabweans from traveling to and through high risk affected countries.

6.    Item surveillance including Covid-19 testing of people arriving from high risk countries.

7.    Non-essential travel to be discouraged by all sectors and individuals.

8.    Continue to institute precautionary measures of personal hygiene like frequent hand washing with soap followed by use of an alcohol base sanitiser. 

9.    Avoidance of unnecessary hand shaking or unnecessary physical contact with others.

10.                       Ensure hygiene standards are maintained at high levels by shopping centres, public offices and buildings including Parliament.

The declaration of the pandemic was done by His Excellency as a national disaster.  We are also looking at the launching of the plan itself which I said will be held tomorrow.  The plan includes the eight pillars as stated by the World Health Organisation and includes coordination; planning and monitoring; risk communication and community engagement; surveillance, rapid response and case investigation; the points of entry; the national laboratory; infection prevention; control case management; operational support and logistics.

Madam Speaker, this is my report, my update for today.  I thank you.

We publish below the statement by the family of the late 30 year old journalist and son to businessman James who became the first prominent person to succumb to coronavirus, Zororo Makamba.

Below is the full Makamba family statement made to the Daily News on the death of businessman James Makamba’s son, Zororo, who was a broadcaster.

In the report, Health Minister Obadiah Moyo allegedly demanded $120,000 upfront which the family did not have. This led to his untimely death. Efforts to get a comment from the minister at the time of writing were fruitless as his phone was not answered.

His elder brother Tawanda Makamba said:

Zororo was in New York for 20 days and when he came back he had a slight flue, a cold. He then went to his general practitioner and they checked him for coronavirus symptoms and they said he didn’t have them at the time.

He was just told that he had a cough and flu because in New York it’s cold and here it’s hot, so they then treated him for flue and he came back home.

On Friday last week, he started developing a fever and his doctor recommended that he had to be admitted. This is because Zororo had a tumour removed from just under his left lung last year in November and he was under an 18-month recovery time-frame.

His immune system was already compromised, so the doctor was very keen that he gets into the hospital and receives proper medication to help him get over the flu and fever.

He was further advised to go to Wilkins Hospital to test for the coronavirus. He arrived at Wilkins Hospital by 10 am and samples were collected from him and we were told that the results would be in after 6 hours.

After 6 hours there were no results and his general practitioner called to find out why the results had not been availed yet. The hospitals’ officials then told the GPA that they had not run the tests yet they were waiting for samples from provincial hospitals to run them all at once.

The doctor got frustrated and started questioning why they had not run the test given that Zororos’ condition was deteriorating after some time did they decided to run the tests and in the meantime, we took him home and he needed oxygen.

His GPA phoned around and an ambulance came home to deliver the oxygen and then we got the positive results for coronavirus at about 1:30 or 2 a.m. the following day.

They told us that they had confirmed that he had the virus he had to be taken to the Wilkins Hospital for treatment.

We then inquired if we could bring him immediately and we were told that the hospital was not ready to admit him. He ended up being admitted around 10 a.m. and 11 a.m.

His doctor made it clear earlier on that he had to be on a ventilator because he could not breathe.

However, when we got at Wilkins Hospital there was no ventilator, no medication and even the oxygen would run out and they had to get it from the City of Harare.

After that, we ran around to find a ventilator for him and we managed to get a portable ventilator from a family friend who had a relative who used the ventilator before he died.

In terms of medicine you need to breathe, they didn’t have it there, we had to go and buy it in South Africa.! We ended up finding some today (yesterday)just as he was passing away at a local pharmacy, yet the hospital was telling us it was not locally available.

We then brought the ventilator on Sunday by 2 pm and when we got here because the portable ventilator had an American plug, they told us to get an adapter because they only had round sockets at the hospital.

I then rushed to buy an adapter and came back and they never used it and when I asked why they were not using the ventilator they said they had no sockets in his room. So they didn’t have medication, ventilators and we brought them a ventilator and they didn’t have sockets in his room. I told them that I had an extension cord and pleaded with them to use the cord, but they refused.

They forced us to come here but failed to deliver on their promise. When Zororo had his operation, he had it at Health Point Clinic. I contacted the people at Health Point and asked if they were willing to take Zororo in and they said yes and that they had already set up a facility to accommodate him.

We then appealed to Health minister Obadiah Moyo that since you are not prepared at Wilkins Hospital can we take him to Health Point and he refused.

Minister Moyo said we could not take him there and that needed to be treated at Wilkins. We were puzzled and wondered how he could say that Zororo should be treated at Wilkins when they don’t even have plugs in his room to connect the ventilator.

He promised us all sorts of things that this morning (yesterday) they would definitely be a ventilator and equipment but nothing materialised. If you go inside there you will see that they are not prepared to handle cases this side.

The minister at some point also suggested that we could take him to a trauma centre in Borrowdale. When it was now time for us to go to Borrowdale trauma they refused us to go there.

Instead, they got the owner of Borrowdale Trauma Centre to call me and he told me that he could come and set up an ICU at Wilkins for Zororo complete with a ventilator and monitors, but he said that we had to pay US$120 000 for the equipment.

He added that once Zororo finishes using the equipment and recovers we had to donate the equipment to Wilkins Hospital. So basically the hospital wanted us to buy the equipment for them. We don’t have US$120 000 and it is not our responsibility to buy equipment for the government.

On top of that, remember this is a critical patient, nurses would only visit him after two hours because they were afraid of handling his situation.

We had to phone from home, calling the nurse station to tell them that Zororo was in distress and that his oxygen was finished because they were not going to check on him.

It even got to a point where they were telling us that we are bothering them but Zororo was struggling.

On top of that, remember this is a critical patient, nurses would only visit him after two hours because they were afraid of handling his situation.

We had to phone from home, calling the nurse station to tell them that Zororo was in distress and that his oxygen was finished because they were not going to check on him.

It even got to a point where they were telling us that we are bothering them but Zororo was struggling in there. My mother and his fiancé have been parked out here for the past two days and they wouldn’t allow us to come in.

The minister lied to us on many occasions. He lied to us that they were going to bring equipment and doctors but nothing ever materialised.

We reached out to President Emmerson Mnangagwa and First Lady Auxilia Mnangagwa who transferred to Beatrice and that there was a room for him. Nothing came out of this.

We even appealed to them saying that if they have failed then they should allow us to take him home and treat him ourselves because really what he needed was oxygen.

At the end, before he died, he kept telling us that he was alone and scared and the staff was refusing to help him to a point where he got up and tried to walk out and they were trying to restrain him.

So this is how my younger brother ended up dying. I want people to know that the government is lying.

Remember at some point I spoke to the president and he was saying that the report he received about Wilkins from the Health Minister is that there is equipment and medicine.

However, right now they don’t even have water at Wilkins. So if you come here to be treated for corona there is absolutely no treatment you will get, you will die.

Tam not a healthcare giver but I have respect for nurses and doctors. The doctor we were in contact with here at Wilkins would turn off his phone yet he was the critical contact person, the nurses also refused to help us.

So people need to know that the government is ill-prepared, it is not ready to deal with this virus.

Right now we have been outside since 12pm and they have not given us his body, neither have they told us the way forward
.
Zororo passed away between 11am and 12pm today (yesterday) and the hospital called us to come and look at his body.

When we got there, we were, however, told that they had already put his body in a body bag and taken it to the mortuary.

Until now at 5pm we have been waiting for further communication and they have not even given us any of his belongings.

This is such a heart-breaking experience for us and it goes to show the lack of seriousness our government has in dealing with the coronavirus.

Zororo Makamba, the second confirmed case of coronavirus in the country has been buried, a day after he passed on at Wilkins Hospital.

Details of his burial are still scarce but it was in line with procedures recommended for persons who succumb to coronavirus.

Makamba who arrived in the country from New York where he had spent 20 days, he tested negative and went about his normal business including meeting top government officials, friends at local pubs and BancABC where he had a meeting with four staffers.

Opposition party MDC calls for everyone’s effort in fighting Coronavirus:watch video below :

Below is the full Makamba family statement made to the Daily News on the death of businessman James Makamba’s son, Zororo, who was a broadcaster.

In the report, Health Minister Obadiah Moyo allegedly demanded $120,000 upfront which the family did not have. This led to his untimely death. Efforts to get a comment from the minister at the time of writing were fruitless as his phone was not answered.

His elder brother Tawanda Makamba said:

Zororo was in New York for 20 days and when he came back he had a slight flue, a cold. He then went to his general practitioner and they checked him for coronavirus symptoms and they said he didn’t have them at the time.

He was just told that he had a cough and flu because in New York it’s cold and here it’s hot, so they then treated him for flue and he came back home.

On Friday last week, he started developing a fever and his doctor recommended that he had to be admitted. This is because Zororo had a tumour removed from just under his left lung last year in November and he was under an 18-month recovery time-frame.

His immune system was already compromised, so the doctor was very keen that he gets into the hospital and receives proper medication to help him get over the flu and fever.

He was further advised to go to Wilkins Hospital to test for the coronavirus. He arrived at Wilkins Hospital by 10 am and samples were collected from him and we were told that the results would be in after 6 hours.

After 6 hours there were no results and his general practitioner called to find out why the results had not been availed yet. The hospitals’ officials then told the GPA that they had not run the tests yet they were waiting for samples from provincial hospitals to run them all at once.

The doctor got frustrated and started questioning why they had not run the test given that Zororos’ condition was deteriorating after some time did they decided to run the tests and in the meantime, we took him home and he needed oxygen.

His GPA phoned around and an ambulance came home to deliver the oxygen and then we got the positive results for coronavirus at about 1:30 or 2 a.m. the following day.

They told us that they had confirmed that he had the virus he had to be taken to the Wilkins Hospital for treatment.

We then inquired if we could bring him immediately and we were told that the hospital was not ready to admit him. He ended up being admitted around 10 a.m. and 11 a.m.

His doctor made it clear earlier on that he had to be on a ventilator because he could not breathe.

However, when we got at Wilkins Hospital there was no ventilator, no medication and even the oxygen would run out and they had to get it from the City of Harare.

After that, we ran around to find a ventilator for him and we managed to get a portable ventilator from a family friend who had a relative who used the ventilator before he died.

In terms of medicine you need to breathe, they didn’t have it there, we had to go and buy it in South Africa.! We ended up finding some today (yesterday)just as he was passing away at a local pharmacy, yet the hospital was telling us it was not locally available.

We then brought the ventilator on Sunday by 2 pm and when we got here because the portable ventilator had an American plug, they told us to get an adapter because they only had round sockets at the hospital.

I then rushed to buy an adapter and came back and they never used it and when I asked why they were not using the ventilator they said they had no sockets in his room. So they didn’t have medication, ventilators and we brought them a ventilator and they didn’t have sockets in his room. I told them that I had an extension cord and pleaded with them to use the cord, but they refused.

They forced us to come here but failed to deliver on their promise. When Zororo had his operation, he had it at Health Point Clinic. I contacted the people at Health Point and asked if they were willing to take Zororo in and they said yes and that they had already set up a facility to accommodate him.

We then appealed to Health minister Obadiah Moyo that since you are not prepared at Wilkins Hospital can we take him to Health Point and he refused.

Minister Moyo said we could not take him there and that needed to be treated at Wilkins. We were puzzled and wondered how he could say that Zororo should be treated at Wilkins when they don’t even have plugs in his room to connect the ventilator.

He promised us all sorts of things that this morning (yesterday) they would definitely be a ventilator and equipment but nothing materialised. If you go inside there you will see that they are not prepared to handle cases this side.

The minister at some point also suggested that we could take him to a trauma centre in Borrowdale. When it was now time for us to go to Borrowdale trauma they refused us to go there.

Instead, they got the owner of Borrowdale Trauma Centre to call me and he told me that he could come and set up an ICU at Wilkins for Zororo complete with a ventilator and monitors, but he said that we had to pay US$120 000 for the equipment.

He added that once Zororo finishes using the equipment and recovers we had to donate the equipment to Wilkins Hospital. So basically the hospital wanted us to buy the equipment for them. We don’t have US$120 000 and it is not our responsibility to buy equipment for the government.

On top of that, remember this is a critical patient, nurses would only visit him after two hours because
they were afraid of handling his situation.
We had to phone from home, calling the nurse station to tell them that Zororo was in distress and that his oxygen was finished because they were not going to check on him.

It even got to a point where they were telling us that we are bothering them but Zororo was struggling.

On top of that, remember this is a critical patient, nurses would only visit him after two hours because they were afraid of handling his situation.

We had to phone from home, calling the nurse station to tell them that Zororo was in distress and that his oxygen was finished because they were not going to check on him.

It even got to a point where they were telling us that we are bothering them but Zororo was struggling in there. My mother and his fiancé have been parked out here for the past two days and they wouldn’t allow us to come in.

The minister lied to us on many occasions. He lied to us that they were going to bring equipment and doctors but nothing ever materialised.

We reached out to President Emmerson Mnangagwa and First Lady Auxilia Mnangagwa who transferred to Beatrice and that there was a room for him. Nothing came out of this.

We even appealed to them saying that if they have failed then they should allow us to take him home and treat him ourselves because really what he needed was oxygen.

At the end, before he died, he kept telling us that he was alone and scared and the staff was refusing to help him to a point where he got up and tried to walk out and they were trying to restrain him.

So this is how my younger brother ended up dying. I want people to know that the government is lying.

Remember at some point I spoke to the president and he was saying that the report he received about Wilkins from the Health Minister is that there is equipment and medicine.

However, right now they don’t even have water at Wilkins. So if you come here to be treated for corona there is absolutely no treatment you will get, you will die.

Tam not a healthcare giver but I have respect for nurses and doctors. The doctor we were in contact with here at Wilkins would turn off his phone yet he was the critical contact person, the nurses also refused to help us.

So people need to know that the government is ill-prepared, it is not ready to deal with this virus.
Right now we have been outside since 12pm and they have not given us his body, neither have they told us the way forward
.
Zororo passed away between 11am and 12pm today (yesterday) and the hospital called us to come and look at his body.

When we got there, we were, however, told that they had already put his body in a body bag and taken it to the mortuary.

Until now at 5pm we have been waiting for further communication and they have not even given us any of his belongings.

This is such a heart-breaking experience for us and it goes to show the lack of seriousness our government has in dealing with the coronavirus.

MDC president Nelson Chamisa has blasted his nemesis, President Emmerson Mnangagwa for his lackadaisical approach at handling the coronavirus, saying he should consider locking down the country’s borders to avoid the spread of the deadly virus.

Chamisa also challenged Mnangagwa to go into self-isolation after his trip to Namibia last Friday to attend the inauguration of Namibian President Hage Geingob.

Botswana leader Mokgweetsi Masisi, has, after his Namibian trip, started a 14-day self-isolation which will include testing for COVID-19.

Masisi will work from home over the period that he will also be quarantined from his family.

Namibia has three confirmed cases and Botswana has no case, while Zimbabwe has two confirmed cases, one of which has resulted in the death of journalist Zororo Makamba.

In an interview yesterday, Chamisa’s spokesperson, Nkululeko Sibanda said the country should close all entry points before people die like flies, as the government is ill-equipped to fight COVID-19. He said Mnangagwa’s trip to Namibia was not necessary and the money used to fund it could have been used to improve the country’s ailing health facilities designated to handle COVID-19 cases.

“Over night, we had three cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Zimbabwe. Remember, that our ports of entry are still dangerously supervised,” Sibanda said.

“The other day, a bus at Beitbridge Border Post was allowed to cross the country at will, while a suspected case was quarantined. I am terrified at the lack of urgency by government.”

He expressed fear that the coronavirus would spread like veld fire at queues for fuel and Zupco buses.
“We need to lock up this country. Distance working is now essential. We have too many flash points,” he said.

“He (ED) must as a gesture of seriousness and as a precaution to protect our people and country, follow the steps taken by other leaders,” Sibanda said.

“It is really saddening that he travelled to Namibia when the country is facing such a terrible national crisis. There is virtually no equipment in hospitals designated to handle the COVID-19 pandemic.

We have less than 100 beds in the country (meant for coronavirus patients). We have about 30 or so in Harare, and a slightly lower number in Bulawayo,” he said.

“I believe that we should call these people to question. The money that they used to fly out to Namibia for something that is non-essential could have been put to better use.

The Namibians can inaugurate their own President under full understanding of the fact that the rest of the world is busy dealing with COVID-19.”

Zimbabwe is facing a grim prospect of failing to control the spread of COVID-19 after it emerged that the country’s health professionals were yet to receive the requisite training and protective clothing to handle the pandemic which has so far globally recorded over 15 000 deaths and 358 823 confirmed cases as of yesterday.
— NewsDay

Exiled former cabinet minister Professor Jonathan Moyo has told health and child care minister Obadiah Moyo to resign in the wake of failure and fake promises that led to the death of Zororo Makamba who tested positive to coronavirus.

Posting on Twitter, Prof Moyo accused President Emmerson Mnangagwa and his wife for subjecting the Makamba family to heartbreaking ordeal that he says exposes his inept government.

The Makamba family was subjected to a heartbreaking ordeal by Mnangagwa, his wife, his inept govt, Obadiah Moyo, the extortionist Wilkins Hospital & the greedy Borrowdale Trauma Centre. Obadiah Moyo shoul resign. The international community should intervene to save lives in Zim! pic.twitter.com/4HGxWS6XHL

— Prof Jonathan Moyo (@ProfJNMoyo) March 24, 2020

Dear Zimbabwe: After Zororo's death, I feel it's no longer a matter of avoiding frank discussions and questions. Professor @MthuliNcube was in Europe – the new epicentre – shaking hands with everybody. When he came back he hugged & mingled freely. Why was he not quarantined? pic.twitter.com/maUcp7A9hy

— Windhoek Cables Network ???? (@WindhoekCables) March 24, 2020

Could it be that there is someone responsible for protocol in govt deliberatelly allowing this ignorance-based selective treatment in order to expose some top officials to the deadly pandemic? Has the scheming reached these neo levels? If not, why are we being so reckless? Ends**

— Windhoek Cables Network ???? (@WindhoekCables) March 24, 2020

I don't think so. Why? Because selfishness is so prevalent everybody cares about themselves and not the next person. If you die they simply bury, move on and forget. It's now that psychological.

— Windhoek Cables Network ???? (@WindhoekCables) March 24, 2020

It's not a joke anymore. Masisi had to be quarantined for 14 days by Botswana health authorities after attending Geingob's inauguration.

— Windhoek Cables Network ???? (@WindhoekCables) March 24, 2020

Corona is actually looking for the untouchable and it will humble them….watch and see

— Lolo (@kumhungaKunepwa) March 24, 2020

Maybe zanu officials are immune to the virus kungofungawo zvangu

— mattdaka?? (@MagwenziNorman) March 24, 2020

The current bank exchange rates for the ZWL$ today are as follows:

• USD to ZWL$: 25.5344
• ZWL$ to RAND: 0.6916

Data according to the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe

Black Market Rates:

• USD to ZWL$ zimrates.com $45
• USD to ZWL$  zwl365.com $44.50
• USD to ZWL$ bluemari.info $44.50
• USD to BOND: zimrates.com $32.80

More: marketwatch.co.zw

@MoHCCZim Minister of Obadiah Moyo must take responsibility for the demise of Zororo, account to the Makamba family & the nation. We also demand that the Minister comes clean on the state of preparedness & response by the government on COVID-19. @nomara007 @NewsDayZimbabwe pic.twitter.com/DHj6N6BEGD

— ZADHR_DrsHumanRights (@ZadhrDoctors) March 24, 2020

By A Correspondent- Former First Lady Grace Mugabe is now off the hook after a Mazowe miner who was suing her over a land dispute withdrew his application to have her evicted from a disputed farm.

Langton Chapungu in October last year filed a court application seeking Grace’s eviction together with two other individuals identified in court papers only as Tongai and Jemwa.

In a sudden turn of events, Chapungu has withdrawn his court application, giving Grace the leeway to stay at the farm.

“Take note that the undersigned plaintiff hereby withdraws his application for eviction against the defendants (Grace, Tongai and Jemwa) herein,” part of the notice of withdrawal dated March 11, 2020 filed at the High Court and also served on Grace’s lawyers, Hussein and Ranchhod Legal Practitioners, read.

In his founding affidavit, Chapungu had accused the two of illegally mining on his farm, while Grace was said to have been conducting farming activities on the same piece of land.

“The first and second respondents (Tongai and Jemwa) are doing illegal mining activities in my plot and the third respondent (Grace) is also doing her farming activities in that same plot of mine, to an extent that she had even erected some structures at my place,” Chapungu said.

“The defendants have gone further threatening me with unspecified action if I continue disturbing them from their illegal activities in my plot. In spite of the demand to vacate, the defendants have refused and offered flimsy and fabricated reasons to justify their continued illegal stay at my place, leaving me with no option except to approach this honourable court for relief,” the affidavit added.-Online

By A Correspondent- Two schoolchildren were yesterday morning ran over by a car at a pick-up point in Harare. National police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi confirmed the accident.

“I can confirm that two schoolchildren who reside in Rydale Ridge were hit and killed on the spot yesterday morning while waiting for transport to school.

“The sad thing about this accident is that the accused Given Tapiwa Makeredza (19) is a new driver who got his driving licence on 31 January, 2020. He had one passenger in his car.

“The deceased Mufudzi Nyadzayo (12), a Grade Seven pupil at Kuwadzana 8 Primary School and Samuel Magorimbo (11), a Grade Six pupil at Kuwadzana 6 Primary School were waiting for transport to school off the road. Their next of kin have been informed,” he said.

“The driver lost control of the car resulting in him hitting the children who suffered head and fractured legs and died on the spot. They were taken to Harare hospital where they were certified dead.”

Ass Comm Nyathi urged motorists to be responsible on the road, as they were bound to come across pedestrians and schoolchildren.

“This is a very sad scenario and we strongly urge motorists especially new drivers to be driving under the guidance of seasoned drivers, as they still have a lot to learn. They do not have road exposure, no experience and full composure.

“They should not drive alone in crowded areas, residential areas and schools, as they are bound to encounter schoolchildren who also still need assistance,” he added.

The driver is being charged with culpable homicide.-StateMedia