TENSION has gripped Zimbabwe after President Emmerson
Mnangagwa announced a dusk-to-dawn curfew amid fears the Zanu PF leader, who is
failing to proffer solutions to deepening socio-economic problems, is using
COVID-19 to contain a possible uprising.
Mnangagwa on Tuesday announced new lockdown measures he
said were meant to contain the spread of COVID-19 after positive cases soared
to more than 1 800 this winter, with at least 26 deaths.
The opposition MDC Alliance said Mnangagwa was desperate to
deal with his “political problems” and using COVID-19 as “his shield” by
justifying unleashing the security forces on civilians ahead of the planned
July 31 protests.
“Why impose a curfew? Is he saying that COVID-19 is
spreading between 6pm and 6am?” MDC Alliance deputy spokesperson Clifford
Hlatywayo asked rhetorically in an interview with NewsDay yesterday.
“The measures announced by Mnangagwa are political,
especially the curfew part. We don’t support political leaders who abuse the
COVID-19 pandemic to pursue their political agenda.”
Government has intensified its crackdown on critics and on
Tuesday arrested journalist Hopewell Chin’ono and July 31 protests organiser
Jacob Ngarivhume, who are being charged with promoting violence.
There are reports that activist #Tajamuka/Sesijikile leader
Promise Mkwananzi, who has been actively mobilising for the protests, and MDC
Alliance deputy chairperson Job Sikhala were on the police wanted list for the
same.
“You must not abuse the poor to gain what you want
politically and wanting to politicise COVID-19. Why is he quiet on COVID-19
funds and equipment looting if he is sincere? This is a strategy used by
political cowards to survive, but the people know all that now,” Hlatywayo
said.
However, the MDC-T led by Thokozani Khupe said though
Mnangagwa had shown leadership in addressing the COVID-19 crisis, it would be sad
if it turns out he has “other motives”.
“The whole point, we are told, is to address the COVID-19
threat so whatever it takes, as long as it will help to address that, then it
is fine, but it will be sad if it turns out to be what it is not,” party deputy
spokesperson Khalipani Phugeni said.
Community Working Group on Health executive director Itai
Rusike said the action by Mnangagwa was an unnecessary impediment on people’s
freedoms and avoided areas that needed immediate attention.
“The government should avoid taking actions that
unnecessarily impede freedoms and socio-economic activities. The COVID-19
lockdown restrictions should be informed by the reality on the ground and
evidence from the public health experts,” he said.
“The general public should be fully engaged and informed on
COVID-19 health literacy response so that they know which activities or
contacts are most likely to spread the virus in order to identify what will
have most impact on stopping it.”
Rusike said government was supposed to effect lockdown in
hotspots, arguing the move would also affect the informal traders who
constitute more than 95% of the working population.
“The new lockdown measures should have fully addressed the
issue of porous borders, border jumpers and haulage trucks that continue to
smuggle people, especially from South Africa, thereby increasing the number of
unexplained local transmission figures. Hundreds of Zimbabweans are coming back
home using unauthorised entry points and without going through the quarantine
procedures, thereby putting the lives of their relatives and fellow citizens at
risk of infection,” he said.
Ironically, soldiers, who are supposed to be enforcing the
curfew mainly in residential areas, are embroiled in corruption along the
borders, where they are reportedly demanding money to allow passage for
returnees.
Defence minister Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri attributed the
corruption to hunger and lack of resources.
Political analysts said the new measures had nothing to do
with COVID-19, but were a “political statement”.
“The measures have little to do with COVID-19 because they
lacked substance on how the government is going to increase access to
healthcare facilities on those that are infected and the growing numbers of
Zimbabweans who are coming from outside the country who are now in quarantine,”
analyst Rashweat Mukundu said.
“In fact, what we got is the reversal of our rights as
citizens, which are the rights to association. It is unacceptable that under
COVID-19, certain limits to citizens’ right have to be implemented, but it
appears that COVID-19 is now an excuse by Mnangagwa’s government to simply
clamp down on its rivals and also manage the threats of protests that have been
planned by opposition groups and political activists.
“One gets a sense that the pronouncement by the President
has more to do with the politics of the country than managing COVID-19.”
University of Zimbabwe political science lecturer Prolific
Mataruse said a lot was bound to happen under the guise of the announced
curfew, including harassment of ordinary people and in some instances, taking
over of a government.
Presidential spokesperson George Charamba, however, said
there was nothing out of the ordinary about the curfew imposed by Mnangagwa as
it was a trend the world over as part of the measures to deal with COVID-19.
Newsday
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