BULAWAYO lawyer Job Sibanda has taken Police Commissioner-General Godwin Matanga and Home Affairs minister Kazembe Kazembe to court after he was blocked from entering the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) headquarters in Harare for failing to produce a COVID-19 vaccination card.
Sibanda filed his application at the Bulawayo High Court on
Friday last week citing Matanga and Kazembe as the first and second
respondents, respectively.
In his founding affidavit, Sibanda said the court should
declare the instruction given by Matanga or someone acting on his behalf, to
deny entry to the CID headquarters of unvaccinated persons as null and void.
“On February 22, I had occasion to attend at CID
headquarters along Josiah Chinamano Road, Harare, to conduct some personal
business, having travelled all the way for that purpose. Outside the main
entrance was a tent manned by two officers, one sanitising hands and the other
recording details of those entering the building,” Sibanda submitted.
“When my turn came, the officer recording personal details
and requested that I should also produce a valid COVID-19 vaccination card. I
enquired from the officer the legal basis for demanding such as I am not
vaccinated and do not have one. The officer was obviously not very helpful in
this regard. He said he was only following instructions and referred me to
Police General Headquarters for explanation.”
Sibanda said many people without COVID-19 vaccination cards
were turned away on the day.
“As far as I am concerned, there is no law in Zimbabwe that
permits a government official to bar members of the public from gaining access
to any building in order to get services,” Sibanda submitted.
Matanga and Kazembe are yet to respond to the application. Newsday
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