A CHIVHU man was yesterday fined $500 after he falsely
reported on a WhatsApp group that a nurse based at Sadza District Hospital in
Chikomba had died of Covid-19.
Elliot Mafuta (39) was fined at Chivhu Police Station for
contravening section 14 of Statutory Instrument 83 of 2020, which prohibits
publication or communication of false news during the lockdown period.
Mafuta was arrested on Friday after posting the WhatsApp
message the previous day.
On Thursday at 12:02 in the afternoon, Mafuta posted the
message, which read: “A Sadza Hospital nurse who was Covid-19 positive died
yesterday so the situation requires us to be cautious.”
He later posted on the same day that he was withholding the
name of the deceased for “other reasons”. Police received a tip-off, leading to
his arrest.
His claims were dismissed by Sadza District Hospital
administrator Tawanda Dzvairo who said the health institution had not recorded
any positive Covid-19 case.
“It’s utterly false. At Sadza District Hospital, we haven’t
yet recorded a suspected or confirmed coronavirus case,” he said.
Recently, President Emmerson Mnangagwa dismissed a viral
social media message, which claimed that he had suspended payment of rentals by
tenants. Standard
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