SUSPENDED Harare mayor Jacob Mafume says he suspects he has contracted the deadly coronavirus due to poor health conditions at Harare Remand Prison.
Mafume, who is in
custody after allegedly violating his bail conditions in a matter he is accused
of abusing his office to award residential stands to his sister and a
colleague, now wants a magistrate’s court to inspect the cells and intervene to
save inmates.
In an application placed before magistrate Vongai
Muchuchuti-Guuriro, Mafume’s lawyer, Tendai Biti, said the holding cells at the
remand prison are congested and wants an urgent Covid-19 test for his client.
“Accused is not well, he is displaying symptoms of
coronavirus. “He has been attended to at the clinic at Remand Prison, but there
is no decent health facility. They just prescribed a painkiller and a
one-size-fit-all antibiotic, amoxicillin. We make an application that he be
subjected to urgent Covid-19 test and general health check,” Biti told the
magistrate.
Biti said police officers are now operating in fear of
being charged with abuse of office, hence instead of using their discretion,
they end up charging accused persons in petty cases which would normally
attract admission of guilt fines.
“The conditions at Harare Remand Prison, in the wake of
Covid-19, breaches his right to life, dignity, health and a clean environment.
“He (Mafume) is in Class 3 prison which is designed for not
more than 30 people, but there are 64 inmates. There is no social distance, no
masks, no gloves and sanitisers. They are sleeping on the floor. “Remand is
flooded with prisoners, as during the festive season there was a lot of petty
crime and now the system is overloaded.
“There are so many people who are facing rape charges and
waiting for their bail applications, people arrested for dealing in foreign
currency and others arrested for breaches of Covid-19 regulations which
normally require fines at the police station.”
Muchuchuti-Guuriro is expected to make a ruling on the
application today. Daily News
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