Exiled former Zanu PF national political commissar, Savior
Kasukuwere has attacked the national lockdown measures signed into effect by
President Emmerson Mnangagwa, saying the process was rushed without cognisance
of socio-economic realities in the country.
In an interview with TellZim, Kasukuwere said the
restrictions were a blind copy and paste act which failed to factor in the
country’s own unique economic circumstances.
"Zim is under 21 days of lockdown which is normal but
if you look at countries that have initiated lockdowns before us, they had
proper plans on how their people will make ends meet..
"Zimbabwe is run by an informal economy. So many
people are not formally-employed; meaning to say if they stay at home, no money
will come their way. What will happen to those people under the lockdown?
Surely they will starve. Mnangagwa should have known this before locking the
country down,” said Kasukuwere.
He said the lockdown days will have a devastating impact on
livelihoods like no other government action before.
Government recently announced that it will launch a
mitigatory exercise to cushion a million vulnerable families through a cash
transfer programme but many people fear the programme, like every other one in
the past, will be politicised to sideline opposition members and supporters,
real or perceived.
"Mnangagwa knew that coronavirus would eventually
reach Zim but they chose to be spectators instead of preparing to cushion the
people. Every Zimbabwean is in need so I do not know which criteria they are
going to use in choosing and helping the vulnerable.
"Covid-19 is real but our people are risking their
lives by defying the lockdown because they do not have food in their homes.
They would rather take their chances with coronavirus than watch their families
starve.
"Zimbabweans do not have savings, so where does
Mnangagwa think that the people will find money to buy food? Zimbabweans live
one day at a time and the majority does not even know what tomorrow will bring.
"In other countries, people have a back-up from their
savings accounts which are enough to carry them through the lockdown
periods," said Kasukuwere.
Another exiled former Zanu PF politician, Walter Mzembi,
has suggested that government must send an equivalent of US$5 directly to each
citizen to help everybody cope with the difficult lockdown period. TellZim News
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