ZanuPF Director of Information, Tafadzwwa Mugwadi, Thursday said President Emmerson Mnangagwa should not allow opposition members to demonstrate in the streets because it is nonsensical and can lead to a spike in COVID-19 cases.
Zimbabwe has recorded 4 990 confirmed cases, including 1 927 recoveries and 128 deaths since March but the country has been rocked by a collapse in the health system and several reported cases of human rights violations by alleged state apparatus.
This has led to opposition members, civil society players and other citizens to call on the government to immediately deal with the issues but on its part, the Mnangagwa administration has reacted with vengeance by arresting, abducting or assaulting those who are calling for better lives.
In an interview with SABC News yesterday, Mugwadi said Mnangagwa should not sanction demonstrations by the opposition as they will worsen the COVID-19 statistics.
“Do you think President Emmerson Mnangagwa who has sworn to protect his people and this republic would allow those people to engage in that nonsense that they do on the streets in the name of democracy while COVID-19 cases spike and when they do you start saying Zimbabweans are dying in hospitals.
“You blame President Mnangagwa of failing to come up with a good strategy to fight Covid-19 and then you start again vilifying him…,” he said.
Mugwadi further stated that there is no crisis in Zimbabwe despite the situation on the ground suggesting otherwise.
“There is no crisis in Zimbabwe… but the question is which country across the globe is not facing a crisis of one way or other given the realities of this deadly pandemic called Covid-19 which has left a devastating effect on both the socio-economic and political establishments and fabrics of a country,” he added.
The crisis in Zimbabwe has led to interventions by SADC which saw South African President, Cyril Ramaphosa to send his envoys to assess the situation on the ground.
Information Minister, Monica Mutsvangwa yesterday said despite the envoys only engaged with Mnangagwa because the two share “brotherly” and diplomatic relationships
” This was at the peer to peer level of brotherly Heads of State of two sister nations that enjoy excellent diplomatic bilateral relations. The envoys brought in their message which was duly delivered to the host President. In return, they received a briefing from President ED Mnangagwa. The reciprocal messages are the property of the respective leaders and it is their prerogative as to how they can be handled or disseminated,” Mutsvangwa said.
Media reports have been awash with allegations that the envoys snubbed opposition members and were coerced by the Mnangagwa administration.
