The nation was then assured government will contain the virus and stop it spreading and treat all those infected. There is a mountain of evidence already to prove the regime is failing on both fronts. Worst of all it is failing to provide even the bear minimum in the fight against corona virus.
“There are two toilets which are supposed to be shared among 20 people living in this hostel, but as you can see, one of the toilets is said to be out of order, leaving us with one,” a UK returnee quarantined at Belvedere Teachers’ College told Simba Chikanza of Zimeye.
“We are sharing the showers….but still there is no water. We do not have disinfectants to use…and the scary part is that we may contract the virus here because some of us have been quarantined in the host countries where we are coming from and were certified that we are COVID-19 free…”
We are dealing with a very contagious virus here and the conditions at Belvedere Teachers’ College are so bad that it is impossible to stop the virus spread if one of them has the virus already. The returnee said there is indeed someone known to be corona virus positive already staying at the College. He/she is case number 24 out of the 25 confirmed corona virus cases in the country.
How is it possible that the government is failing to guarantee the supply of clean running water even for a big institution like Belvedere Teachers’ College in this day and age, beggars belief. This is not the first time this government has gone to town about its preparedness to deal with corona virus related challenges only to fall flat on its face.
Government boasted of Wilkins Hospital being ready to take corona virus patients. “So encouraged by the preparedness” commented Nelson Chamisa following his visit of the Hospital.
And yet the late Zororo Makamba, the first patient to be admitted, was offered a bed and a bucket toilet and nothing else. There was no ventilator, no oxygen supply, no properly equipped staff and no running water.
VP Constantino Chiwenga has assured the nation rural hospitals in Mashonaland East and Central, at least, were ready to admit corona virus patients, following his high-power tour of the two provinces. It is all nonsense!
Parerenyatwa, Harare and Mpilo Hospitals, referral hospitals, are all in such a dilapidated state with no equipment, no medicine a skeleton of poorly paid staff. These institutions cannot provide basic health care service let alone the very demanding corona virus care. We are to believe rural hospitals too are geared to deal with corona virus cases. Many of them do not even have clean running water!
“Yesterday, the permanent secretary in the ministry of information Nick Mangwana tweeted that we — overseas returnees — were demanding hotels. No, this is an outright lie! We did not demand hotel accommodation,” complained the UK returnee.
“To make matters worse, government authorities who came to address us regarding our concerns were arrogant.”
What insufferable arrogance, indeed!
Corona virus is wrecking economic and humanitarian havoc across the globe, the depth and extend of the damage, human suffering and deaths inflicted will vary from country to country. Those countries whose health care service and economies were strong and robust before the pandemic and/or have competent governments during the pandemic and after will fare better than those who did not.
Zimbabwe in a real economic mess with no functioning health care service, thanks to the 40 years of corrupt and tyrannical Zanu PF dictatorship. The prospect of having the same corrupt and incompetent regime during the pandemic is simply unthinkable; as we can see, its blundering incompetence is making the bad situation even worse.
The age of rulers exercising absolute power and accountable to no mortal has long gone. If there was ever a time the people of Zimbabwe must stand up and hold this Zanu PF regime to account, it is now.
As the country starts to carry out more tests, 1000 per day up from 40 or so last week, it will be clear the virus is spreading and fast. 1% of the population in developed countries is projected to die of corona virus. In Zimbabwe we must expect more to die, as much as 10%.
Mnangagwa and his Zanu PF cronies rigged the July 2018 elections, just as they have done in the past. In the past, we have allowed the regime to stay in power; we cannot afford to have a corrupt, incompetent and blundering government in these corona virus times!
“No matter what authorities say, we won’t stay where we risk catching more viral diseases in addition to coronavirus. We will fight for our rights until we’re relocated to a facility that meets basic conditions: running water, one-person room, functional ablution facilities, bedding and food,” concluded the frustrated returnee.
What other choices are there for you!!!
Mnangagwa and his illegitimate and blundering regime must step down so the nation can appoint a competent interim government and stop dragging the nation even deeper into this hell-on-earth the regime has landed us all! Zanu PF has failed this nation and it is time for these corrupt, incompetent and vote rigging thugs to go!
Ramaphosa said the employment of the additional members of the SANDF is for the period 2 April 2020 to 26 June 2020.
ReplyDelete"The revised expenditure expected to be incurred for the employment of members of the SANDF is R 4,590,393,940.00. I will communicate this report to members of the National Assembly and the National Council of Provinces and wish to request that you bring the contents hereof to the attention of the Joint Standing Committee on Defence," he said.
There was rioting in some parts of SA after people had been queuing for up to 14 hours for food packages from government that never materialised. The money would have gone a long way to feed those who are starving because of the lockdown.
SA imposed the lockdown without putting into place arrangements to feed the most vulnerable in society and worse still without taking measure to ensure physical distancing is a practical reality in high density suburbs and rural areas. If many people are forced to come into regular contact with others to fetch water, for example, what is the point of having a lockdown in such areas!
Does President Ramaphosa then expecting his total lockdown to last until 26 June 2020 by then the soldiers will be shooting people died because many people would be risking their lives to get something to eat rather than starve to death!
Zimbabweans have long suffered and many will continue to do so because of Zanu-PF's incompetence. As their disillusioned leader continues his term we know he won't yield anything that benefits Zimbabweans; but the only worry is the state he will leave the country once it has to come an end.
ReplyDeleteWell Zimbabweans would not be suffering under this Zanu PF dictatorship if MDC have implemented the democratic reforms to stop Zanu PF rigging elections.
"MDC has stringent measures to stop Zanu PF rigging elections," Chamisa boasted for the July 2018 elections. Of course, he was lying.
The real shock is that even thou it is clear that MDC leaders have abandoned the commitment to deliver change and free, fair and credible elections; they still continue to enjoy the blind support of many Zimbabweans. MDC leaders have the best of all worlds, they are enjoying the benefits of being sell-outs and know they will still enjoy the support of their blind followers regardless of the betrayal.
The straight and narrow path are not for the feeble minded much less those whose only motive is to secure absolute power and the material wealth that comes with it!
ReplyDeleteAlliance for the People's Agend (APA) has claimed that its leader Nkosana Moyo is likely to get more votes in the 2023 election considering the fact that in the shortest period he campaigned ahead of 2018 elections he got 15 000 votes.
ReplyDeleteIn a Facebook wall post, APA said during the 2018 election campaign Moyo traversed the whole country on a low noise high value campaign.
As long as Zanu PF is free to rig the elections the party will win the elections.
Nkosana Moyo did not have the common sense to see the need for implementing the reforms to stop Zanu PF rigging the elections in 2018 and it seems he still does not. He can try high noise and high value or whatever, he will still lose!
The Ministry continues to be on HIGH alert to the COVID-19 pandemic and would like to remind the nation that, the most effective ways to protect yourself and others against COVID-19 are to practise good personal hygiene and exercise social distancing.
ReplyDeleteHow many people have access to clean running water? Those living in high density suburbs cannot practise safe physical distancing.
Half of the 4 000 health posts unfrozen by Government have been filled and training of medical personnel in Covid-19 case management is ongoing at national, provincial and district levels, Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister, Monica Mutsvangwa has said.
ReplyDeleteShe said this yesterday in a daily update of the Inter-Ministerial Taskforce on Covid-19 at State House.
He said Government had so far received 40 000 PCR test kits and another 10 000 PCR cartridges for use on the GeneXpert machine.
Dr Moyo said with GeneXpert machines, Government would be able to do Covid-19 tests at rural clinic level, in line with the target of testing 1 000 people daily.
How much are the health workers being paid?
The 50 000 test kits will last 50 days at 1 000 tests a day. Government must order another 50 000 now because this is not going to be over in a 50 days!
Government said it was ready with quarantine facility for all those returning to the country. This is the start of the flood to follow and already it is clear the facilities are totally inadequate.
ReplyDeleteThe whole purpose of the quarantine of keep the individual isolated in case he/she has the virus.
The conditions at Belvedere Teachers' College are so poor that is one of the residence has the virus he/she will spread it to the rest within a matter of days!
The people of Zimbabwe have paid a heavy price for the 40 years of Zanu PF corrupt and tyrannical rule, the economy is in a real mess with unemployment a nauseating 90% and 34% (compared to single digit figures in the other countries in the region) of the population now living in abject poverty – they cannot afford even one decent meal a day.
ReplyDeleteThe corona virus pandemic has caught the nation with its pants down, to say the least. We should not be surprised that Zanu PF has blundered at every turn. The sheer incompetence shown by the regime in allowing Zororo Makamba into the country even when he already showed that he had the virus underlines just how irresponsible, useless and dangerous the regime is.
The nation has had a number of golden opportunities to implement the democratic reforms and stop Zanu PF rigging elections, the best chances by a long mile were during the 2008 to 2013 GNU. Sadly, not even one reform was ever implemented and all the chances were wasted.
There is no doubt that Zimbabwe is not prepared to treat the corona virus patients, a few hundred hospital patient/days and the country’s health service will be overwhelmed and collapse!
The prospect of up to 10% of the population dying from corona virus related illness is real. The prospect of 1.5 million people dying should jar the population out of its sloth-like slumber into demanding that Zanu PF steps down so the nation can appoint a competent interim administration to guide the nation through these turbulent months and to prepare the nation for free, fair and credible elections. Sadly, the most likely action one is going to get is whimpering, gnashing of teeth, groaning, panicking, rioting, etc. but nothing to suggest rational thinking.
Zimbabweans are a naïve and gullible lot and not at all given to exercising their mental faculty, it has largely atrophied into a lump of fat. Nothing, not even the threat to their own life, can reactivate the lump of fat and induce them into action! Of course, it is very sad, tragic and frustrating but nonetheless it is the truth!
Number of confirmed corona virus cases is now 28 as of today 21 April 2020.
ReplyDeleteNow that the virus in the population, it will spread and the number of positives will increase exponentially. Very soon some of the infected will get seriously ill requiring hospital help and within a week or two the country’s poorly resourced health service will completely collapse.
The number of dead will too start to climb and within a week or two the equally poorly resourced funeral service will be overwhelmed and collapse. There will be dead bodies on the street, as Melinda Gate rightly predicted.
For all Mnangagwa and his regime’s boasting, first, that they will stop the virus entering and spreading in the country; the regime did not even have the common sense to quarantine Zororo Makamba even when it was clear he had the virus.
Then the regime has been boasting about the preparedness of the health service to deal with the sick, dying and died. We know it is all hot air and will be proven right in a few more weeks!
Now that it is clear that Zanu PF has failed to stop corona virus taking root in the country, it is now a matter of where about on the exponentially growing curve are we now. We will soon have a rough idea of that now the country has finally started to increase the number of tests, now 841 tests a day up from 40 or so a day until last week.
ReplyDeleteThere have been reports of people dying of malaria. The authorities must test as many of these people in the area just to make sure it is indeed malaria and not covid-19!
There is still a lot this government can do to at least reduce the speed at which the virus spread such as making sure there is clean running water for people to wast their hands. Many cities and towns still have no clean running water. The Police, Army and CIO are armed to the teeth and yet we still have no clean running water even for such key institutions as our hospitals and clinics!