HARARE – President Emmerson Mnangagwa addressed a Zanu PF rally attended by thousands of partisans on Wednesday – a day after banning public gatherings to keep the new coronavirus “at bay”.
Mnangagwa commissioned a pump house for the Nyakomba Irrigation Scheme before addressing thousands of Zanu PF supporters at Chatindo Secondary School in Nyanga.
He justified the decision by telling the crowd that the ban comes into effect from March 20.
“Today is 18, tomorrow Thursday it’s 19 and Friday 20. My commandment will come into operation on March 20. You are allowed to be here, by gathering here you have not violated by commandment,” Mnangagwa said, as defence minister Oppah Muchinguri sitting next to him clapped her hands.
The opposition wasted no chance to attack Mnangagwa, accusing him of “putting political expediency ahead of public safety.”
“This is a microcosm of the crises of leadership in this country. It’s a regime unwilling and incapable of reform,” MDC deputy president Tendai Biti said on Twitter.
Mnangagwa announced the ban on large public gatherings of more than 100 people, which he said was with immediate effect, as part of a raft of measures to mitigate the potential spread of coronavirus.
He mentioned March 20 in his address to the nation on March 17, but only in the limited context of foreign visitors from high risk countries “postponing their travel arrangements to Zimbabwe for the next 30 days.”
The ban on public gatherings includes church services, sporting events and musical concerts.
The coronavirus, whose first reported outbreak was in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, had killed 8,969 people worldwide by 5AM on Thursday, with over 219,345 infections reported.
Zimbabwe’s neighbours South Africa, Namibia and the Kingdom of eSwatini had all confirmed positive cases for the coronavirus, heightening fears that the disease could soon spread to Zimbabwe which has a poor health system following years of neglect.
