THE Deputy Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social
Welfare, Cde Lovemore Matuke who was recently in self-isolation after testing
Covid-19 positive has said it pains him to see people moving around in public
places without putting on face masks.
Zimbabwe has recorded more than 6 000 Covid-19 cases, 195
deaths and 5 043 recoveries since the first case was reported in March.
Cde Matuke who has since returned to work after recovering
from the deadly disease joins senior Government officials such as Lands,
Agriculture, Water, Climate and Rural Resettlement Deputy Minister Cde Vangelis
Peter Haritatos, Ministry of Finance and Economic Development permanent
secretary Mr George Guvamatanga who have recovered from Covid-19.
The late Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Climate and
Rural Resettlement Cde Perrance Shiri who succumbed to the virus on July 29, is
the most senior Government official to die of Covid-19.
Cde Matuke said on July 26 he decided to go for Covid- 19
testing after he started experiencing flu like symptoms.
He said he also had a fever, dry cough and experienced
tiredness.
“I started sneezing first before experiencing a dry cough
and I decided to go for Covid-19 testing on July 26. Results came back positive
on July 29,” he said.
Cde Matuke said he is not sure whether he contracted the
virus from a Covid-19 positive person or a contaminated surface. No one else in
his family was infected.
In an interview last Friday, Cde Matuke narrated how the
past month has been the toughest in his life.
After testing positive, he said he advised his colleagues
in the Ministry and thereafter went to his rural home in Gutu, Masvingo
province to self-isolate.
He said it’s difficult when one can’t be in contact with
his relatives and children for fear of infecting them.
“I went to my rural home where I was in self-isolation. I
had lost my sense of smell and taste. I had lost appetite and I was coughing
and sneezing. It was hell I tell you and I wouldn’t want to experience that
again. It’s so painful because at times I would run short of breath,” said the
Deputy Minister.
He said the first week after testing positive was very
difficult for him as he feared death.
“Remember we are dealing with a virus that has no cure. So
I was afraid, my family was afraid. We were all facing what looked like a bleak
future and the first week was not good. But I had to fight it and fortunately I
tested negative about three times,” he said.
Cde Matuke thanked God for saving his life. He also paid
special tribute to his wife and his daughter who is a nurse for risking their
lives for his sake. Cde Matuke said the two went out of their way putting him
on drips, feeding him and making sure he drank hot water and steamed at least
four times a day.
To fight the virus, he said he ate garlic, onion, steamed
using a plant called Zumbani in Shona Umsuzwane in Ndebele and wormwood in
English.
The Deputy Minister also used other indigenous plants in
and around his rural home.
He also took Vitamins B, C and D and Zinc.
“I was made to drink some mixture of water, garlic and
onion as well as steam using Zumbani and other indigenous plants. All this was
made possible with the assistance of my wife and my daughter who risked it all
for me and today here I am,” said Cde Matuke.
He said he was in self-isolation for more than 21 days in
line with Government and World Health Organisation (WHO) health guidelines.
Cde Matuke said he also felt that the virus had affected
him sexually and he also lost some weight.
“Covid-19 is real and is here until such a time when there
is a cure. The last month has been very difficult for me and my family, the
toughest in my life,” he said.
Cde Matuke also paid tribute to his parents, in-laws and
siblings for supporting him in his hour of need.
“The other thing is, we need to fight stigma because if one
is stigmatised he or she might succumb to the virus as a result of neglect. We
need to strictly adhere to Government and WHO health guidelines as we fight
this pandemic,” said Cde Matuke.
He said it was important for people to wear face masks
especially in public places as well as maintaining social distancing.
“After going through this experience, it pains me to see
people walking around without their face masks or talking to each other. Motorists
seem to put on the masks when approaching road blocks. President Mnangagwa has
called for strict adherence to Covid-19 lockdown measures to curb the spread of
the virus and such measures are for our own good and benefit which we should
follow. Let’s put on face masks, let’s observe social distancing,” said Cde
Matuke.
He said the world over, it looks like more emphasis is put
on talking about the virus instead of proffering solutions even traditional
solutions to beat the virus.
Cde Matuke said there are a lot of local remedies which he
said haven’t been scientifically proven by WHO which are being used
successfully in the country.
“As we speak there are more recoveries and this is as a
result of local remedies which people need to share.
“We have local solutions which should be considered. I
think we also need to reorient some nurses on stigmatisation. Nurses didn’t
want to get close to me and that’s why I decided to leave Harare to be with my
family members whom I knew would not abandon me. Of course we made sure they
were protected enough before coming to see me,” he said.
Cde Matuke said more efforts should be put on assisting
infected people so that they don’t panic.
He urged people to share with others if they are affected
or infected so that they get assistance.
“We must not hide our loved ones who are infected, we should
tell each other so that they are not stigmatised. Sunshine, drinking hot water,
listening to advise from other people, self-quarantine and proper use of masks
is good and helps.
“That is how I managed to survive. If one has underlying
factors, they must not forget the other diseases they have and should continue
taking their medication,” said Cde Matuke.
Deputy Minister Haritatos who also survived the virus, said
he felt like something “evil” had entered his body when he was infected.
“The coronavirus is real. The last few weeks have been the
toughest in my life. I thank God for saving me and giving me the strength to
fight an evil virus that has ravaged the world over,” he said.
Cde Haritatos like Cde Matuke also paid tribute to his
wife, children, in-laws and siblings for supporting him during his illness.
Chronicle
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