BY WINSTONE ANTONIO

VENERATED mbira ensemble and cultural group, Mawungira eNharira, fronted by Wilfred Tichaona Mafrika — popularly known as Nyamasvisva — will headline the Bira Remadzisahwira set for this Thursday at Big Apple Night Club in Harare. The show is meant to strengthen the appreciation of Zimbabwean culture.

Regardless of traditional music fused with traditional instruments being an integral part of Zimbabwe’s culture, the music seems to be slowly dying as young musicians shun the genre.

The brainchild of Ethel “Chembere Good” Mpezeni, Prudence “Chihera” Matasva and Stanford “Malume” Dube, the bira is set to bring a treat to the mbira and traditional music followers.

One of the event organisers, Nyasha Machembere Dope, told NewsDay Life & Style that the bira was meant to bring attention and appreciation to local culture.

“We have decided to hold this event with an esteemed team of our friends in showbiz as an appreciation of our cultural values and showing that there is some of the youthful generation that values the importance of respecting our own cultures,” she said.

“Even though times have changed, our culture as Africans should not be abandoned. Our bira will include use of some of our traditional instruments in their various forms showing that we have not abandoned our mbira music, a traditional sound which is getting little appreciation these days.”

Machembere urged fans to come in their numbers for a fun-filled night, adding that she was optimistic the inaugural bira will be a start of more things to come.

Mawungira eNharira will bring the popular mbira vibes that has seen them dominating the industry alongside artistes such as Andy Muridzo, Vee Mhofu, Amadhuve Sasha, Sekuru Hweza and Swerengoma.

The ensemble has over the years mesmerised fans with their rich traditional music dominated by the mbira instrument. The group has performed across the country, headlined some of the most prestigious traditional music festivals and beyond the borders where the response to their music has been positive.

BY CHARLES LAITON

HIGH Court judge Justice Sunsley Zisengwe has thrown five City Parking supervisors under the bus after dismissing their application seeking an order declaring illegal, null and void Statutory Instrument (SI) 104/2005 which empowers the City of Harare to clamp and tow away vehicles.

The five supervisors had argued that the said by-law is contrary to section 4 and 8 of the Municipal Traffic Laws Enforcement Act, but their application did not find favour with Justice Zisengwe who said the parking bosses used a wrong procedure to approach the court and had not cited Local Government minister, July Moyo as a party to the court case.

City Parking, a subsidiary of the City of Harare, is mandated to collect parking fees from motorists in and around the capital’s central business district.

In his judgment Justice Zisengwe said City of Harare and City Parking (Pvt) Ltd raised preliminary points stating that the City Parking bosses lacked locus standi to bring the application to court.

“Some of the questions that spring to mind include, precisely who in the employ of the first respondent (City of Harare) is in the habit of issuing such instructions? When were (or are) those instructions given? In what context are these instructions given? Where are these instructions given? On what authority does the person giving those instructions purports to give them? To compound matters, the second respondent (City Parking (Pvt) Ltd) who is alleged by the applicants (supervisors) to be also a recipient of the same alleged instructions denies ever having received such instructions,” Justice Zisengwe said.

“There are, therefore, patent disputes of facts. Sight must not be lost of the fact that a declaration by the court of the invalidity or unlawfulness of the alleged instruction (as sought by the applicants) is dependent upon a finding that such instructions were (or are being) given by the first respondent in the first place. The question, therefore, is what to do in the face of these glaring disputes of fact.”

In the combined founding affidavit, filed by Blessing Duma, Bota Mike, Marwa Shupai, Pardon Chifanzwa and Ruth Njerere, the supervisors said the implementation of the said by-law has since landed some of their workmates behind bars after being convicted of criminal abuse of office.

“The present application is for a declaratory and ancillary relief to the following effect that Section 4 (2), 3 and 4 of the Statutory Instrument 104 of 2005 Harare (Clamping and Towing Away) By-Laws (hereinafter referred to as SI 104 of 2005) be and is hereby declared to be ultra vires section 4 and 8 of the Municipal Traffic Laws Enforcement Act,” they said.

“Following the passing of this resolution first respondent (City of Harare) started to unlawfully instruct its employees within the traffic section to clamp offending vehicles first and issue a ticket or notice thereafter …this has led to the arrest, prosecution and conviction of some employees within the traffic section for the criminal offence of abuse of office.”

The supervisors also urged the court to issue another order to compel the City of Harare to withdraw disciplinary proceedings against them and some of their colleagues arguing the charges were emanating from an illegality and an unlawful order.

Justice Zisengwe, however, said the five supervisors had used the wrong procedure for the relief sought and that the non-joinder of the minister responsible for the promulgation of SI 104/2005 renders the application fatally defective.

BY MOSES MATENGA

RULING Zanu PF party legislators cannot bear to face their disillusioned supporters because of an escalating economic crisis made worse by a severe drought, Zanu PF officials told NewsDay at the weekend.

The officials, who declined to be named, said government’s failure to deal with the economic crisis meant that the party was failing to deliver on its 2018 electoral promise and now some Zanu PF legislators were avoiding meeting their constituents because they had no answers to what is happening.

Zimbabwe is suffering its worst economic crisis in a decade, with shortages of power, fuel, foreign currency and staple food becoming the
order of the day.

The officials said some Zanu PF legislators were now avoiding holding constituency meetings with their electorate because they could not explain the current situation and government plans to address it.

Zanu PF national commissar Victor Matemadanda admitted the problem, saying he had warned the party during last year’s conference that some of the elected officials may be lacking strategy on how to deal with the electorate.

“Some (elected officials) may not know what to go and tell the people because they say things are difficult. I said some people may lack strategies and may not know what is going on and find nothing to say,” Matemadanda told NewsDay on Sunday.

“What could be lacking is information to the general populace, whereby people do not understand where we are and where we are going, but to those with economic knowledge, they know things have started to improve,” the Defence deputy minister said.

Matemadanda, however, chose to exonerate the party from the current economic mess, blaming it on “uncouth businesspeople”.

“Hardships are not just a thing that came, especially when they speak of austerity measures. Austerity measures are a government plan meant to resuscitate the economy, which was explained before it started by the President (Emmerson Mnangagwa) that things may get tough before they get better,” he said.

“The President said after austerity measures, there will be development and progress. As we speak, the period for austerity measures is gone.”

Matemadanda said the ruling party had played its part in creating a conducive environment for prosperity and shifted the burden on business failing to perform.

“What Zanu PF in government has to do is to create an environment conducive for investment, but Zanu PF is not in business. If there is failure, it is on the part of business, it is on the part of the productive sectors, not Zanu PF. Zanu PF should be faulted for failing to create a conducive environment for economic production. I don’t think that is true. People do not want to be objective about things, but want to capitalise on every negative thing,” he said.

“We all marched as Zanu PF and MDC to protest against the economy which had been mismanaged. Yes, it was a Zanu PF government, but it was the leadership and some elements who were destroying the economy that is why we marched (in November 2017),” he said.

Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition spokesperson Marvellous Khumalo said: “What we have witnessed as an organisation is that due to the hardships being experienced by the people in the communities which are not in tandem with the promises that were given before the general elections, a number of elected officials are shunning to give feedback to their constituencies for fear of being taken to task or being assessed in terms of what they promised before the elections and what is actually obtaining on the ground.

“The electorate was promised heaven on earth. A lot was promised in terms of access to education, access to basic healthcare and a new dispensation in short. People were told that they were going to cross from the old order to a new establishment, but what is obtaining on the ground at the moment is even worse. People are angry, they are realising that they were given fake promises and no one is trusting the elected officials, hence they (elected officials) are hesitating to go back to their constituencies to face the people they lied to.”

In its central committee report last year, Zanu PF also acknowledged that there was a huge information gap between the higher echelons of the party and the lower party structures.

“The grassroot structures have been yearning for explanations on various issues that they do not understand, such as the austerity economic measures and incessant price hikes, which have badly eroded their incomes, making various households fail to make ends meet. Representatives such as councillors and MPs do not have a clue on how to explain to their constituencies the prevailing economic situation,” the report read.

During the run-up to the July 2018 polls, Zanu PF made several high-sounding promises to turn around the economy and improve citizens’ welfare, but two years down the line, the situation has worsened, making it difficult for MPs to interface with the electorate.

EDITORIAL COMMENT

REVELATIONS government appears to have done precious little to secure enough grain to feed more than half of the country’s population facing famine are not only disturbing, but quite shocking, to say the least.

Government recently told citizens that it had only a month’s supply of grain — 100 000 tonnes precisely, left in its Strategic Grain Reserves, while the Grain Millers Association of Zimbabwe (Gmaz) also informed the nation that, as private players they were importing another 100 000 tonnes. Notwithstanding that the similarity in government and Gmaz’s tonnages may raise the nosiness of those super curious among us, the maize will only last the southern African nation just two months.

Despite this glaringly obvious unfolding disaster, government appears the least concerned that its 100 000 tonnes of grain is barely enough to nourish a fraction of the hungry population until the next harvest around April. It has taken the outside world to sound the alarm bells which is an indictment to government’s commitment to fending off hunger among its people. Outsiders closely monitoring the food situation in the country tell us that there is no sign of grain anywhere, on land, at sea or some foreign port, yet government keeps telling us that everything is under control.

The dichotomy of government’s position and that of the World Food Programme, as far as the food situation in the country is concerned, is extremely worrying and points to a government bent on playing Russian roulette with people’s lives. Why does President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s administration appear to be in denial at every turn?

Presently Zimbabwe’s economy is in dire straits, but the ruling Zanu PF party apparatchiks swarming government corridors see a booming economy, despite the all-round penury evidenced by the prevailing hunger situation. Those in government are seeing silos of food in a country that has failed to grow any due to corruption, poor planning and the vagaries of climate. The current rainfall season is already showing clear signs that the hunger problem will persist well into 2021.

What is most disquieting is the fact that the President appears fully aware that his ministers have — according to his own words — “been acting out of line lately and this has taken a toll on development”. Is it then farfetched to conclude that these Cabinet ministers, with their rampant and unbridled tendencies, could be lying to the President about the food situation? For instance, how far can we trust Finance minister Mthuli Ncube’s bubbly assertions that “contracts have already been signed and we are already importing food”? While Ncube further brags: “We are well organised. We are ready…,” foreign aid officials are worried stiff and telling the country: “The (hunger) situation has not changed a bit. The fields are bare, livestock is dying and hope is running low.”

So which is which? Who is fooling who? If Mnangagwa is serious about fighting the impending hunger, he and his administration need to come down to mother earth and start appreciating the true situation on the ground. Lying to each other and the world that the hunger situation is under control will neither help them nor anyone else for that matter.

guest column:Emmanuel Zvada

Occupational diseases have grown to be part of the daily routines. All the same, very few people have managed to escape the trappings of such diseases especially nowadays. While some workplace stress is normal, excessive stress can interfere with your productivity and performance, impact your physical and emotional health, and affect your relationships and home life. It can even determine success or failure on the job and the organisation at large, hence measures to manage it should be put in place.

Work-related stress is the response people may have when faced with work demands and pressures that are not matched to their knowledge and abilities and which challenge their ability to cope. Stress occurs in a wide range of work circumstances. Workplaces have tremendous chances to make employees happy, healthy and productive, but most fall short of delivering these benefits. Cultivating a pleasant work environment is a sure way to position a company for long-term success, hence, employers should not underestimate the importance of creating a delightful office environment which is stress free.

Employees are less likely to experience work-related stress when demands and pressures of work are matched to their knowledge and abilities, control can be exercised over their work and the way they do it — support is received from supervisors and colleaugues’ participation in decisions that concern their jobs is provided. Occupational diseases are becoming an evil to organisational productivity, stress being another silent occupational disease.

Pressure at the workplace is unavoidable due to the demands of the contemporary work environment. Pressure perceived as acceptable by an individual, may even keep workers alert, motivated, able to work and learn, depending on the available resources and personal characteristics. Stress can damage an employees’ health and the business’ performance. Work-related stress can be caused by poor work organisation, poor work design, poor management, unsatisfactory working conditions and lack of support from colleagues and supervisors.

Stress affects all people, regardless of race, tribe, social class, age or occupation. Stress and stress-related disorders have become one of the largest categories of occupational diseases, which, however, is receiving little or no attention, yet affecting individuals and organisations negatively. A little pressure motivates people to reach goals and deadlines, but too much of it and for too long pushes people towards breaking point and that is bad stress that many employees are faced with.

So increasingly, employers all over have to pay greater attention to the effects and impact of stress on organisational performance than in the past. The effects of stress, whether triggered by work, or social constraints in the domestic arena are leading to a trim-down on the employee’s performance, increased sickness, more industrial accidents, etc. Stress can significantly affect many of the body’s immune systems, which increases the chances of one contracting any disease that come during the stressful moments.

Stress can root itself from mild irritation to the kind of severe problems that might result in a real breakdown of health and finally death. Stress is caused by stimulus that people attaches to the activities that surrounds them or everything that affects their minds negatively, such that if the stimulus is negative therefore it is likely to cause strain on the minds of the employees (individuals).

When one is under stressful conditions, he goes through three specific stages, whether the stress came from home or industry. Conversely this does not mean that one may pass through all these stages of stress as this depends on the events that triggered the occurrence. The first stage is alarm. This happens when an individual faces any danger, and the nervous system immediately sends emergency indications to the brain. All the different body parts and their functions co-ordinate to either fight or take a flight away from the danger.

Stress levels vary between professions and population groups. Some workers are at a higher risk of stress than others. Studies reveal that younger workers, women, and those in lower-skilled jobs are at most risk of experiencing work-related stress and its attendant complications.

Work-related stress doesn’t just disappear when you head home for the day. When stress persists, it can take a toll on your health and well-being. A stressful work environment can contribute to problems such as headache, stomach-ache, sleep disturbances, short temper and difficulty concentrating. Chronic stress can result in anxiety, insomnia, high blood pressure and a weakened immune system. It can also contribute to health conditions such as depression, obesity and heart diseases.

Success in managing and preventing stress will depend on the culture in the organisation. Stress should be seen as helpful information to guide action, not as weakness in individuals. A culture of openness and understanding, rather than of blame and criticism, is essential. Building this type of culture requires active leadership and role models from the top of the organisation, the development and implementation of a stress policy throughout the organisation, and systems to identify problems early and to review and improve the strategies developed to address them.

The normal indications of this level are exhaustion, weariness, anxiousness, and being too forgetful and being prone to a horde of mistakes and unreasonable errors. This is a dangerous stage as one might start smoking and drinking more to come out of the stress. Being very weak, the body’s immune system is compromised and the victim is now a trouble-free target for colds, flu and other diseases that come their way. The last stage is exhaustion, a situation when stress persistently spiral beyond the second stage and the victim does not adhere to counteractive and curative measures, hence the exhaustion stage settles.

What is important in managing this disease is to begin by identifying the sources and this is not as easy as it sounds. Being able to identify your employees’ true sources of stress will act as a panacea in managing it because you will be attacking it from the root. Failure to identify it means failure to manage it because one cannot manage what one does not know. If employers can help their employees get to the heart of their stress rather than focusing only on the resultant health risks, employers will have happier and more productive employees, which is better for everyone.

In today’s economic upheavals, downsizing, layoffs, mergers and bankruptcies have cost hundreds of thousands of workers their jobs and their health, adding to the pressures that workers face. It is now the norm that workers at every level are experiencing increased stress levels and the only panacea is managing stress in organisations. Boosting employee well-being should be a common goal for all employers through investing in wellness programmes.

BY BRENNA MATENDERE/stephen chadenga

MACHETE violence cases being perpetrated by artisanal miners in the country are not happening randomly, but are premediated and organised, High Court judge Justice Martin Makonese has said.

Officially opening the 2020 legal year in Gweru yesterday, Justice Makonese also warned that the perpetrators of the machete wars have gone too far and were extraordinarily daring, while common criminals were now adopting their modus operandi.

“Machete attacks are not always random. Some attacks are well-organised, well-executed and premeditated by rogue elements in our society. While these attacks are prominent among artisanal and small-scale miners, ordinary criminals have now adopted similar style and tactics and use brute force to rob, injure and kill innocent civilians,” he said.

“During the year under review, there has been an upsurge in cases of violent crimes committed by marauding gangs of machete-wielding youths. The country has seen violent gang wars amongst artisanal miners never seen before in the history of this country. Scores of innocent people have been injured and maimed. Lives have been lost. There has been a relentless surge in young gangs going on the rampage in all provinces of the country attacking and injuring people.”

Justice Makonese also highlighted that the machete gangsters have also diversified the weapons they use to commit crimes and have now resorted to using axes, shovels and knives.

“What is most disturbing is that these machete youths have the tenacity to attack and even kill policemen in uniform. Unruly terror gangs recently killed a policeman, constable Wonder Hokoyo in Kadoma.”

Justice Makonese also called on the government to speed up the opening of the Gweru High Court to effectively deal with the increasing number of murder cases recorded in the province.
The Gweru circuit dealt with a high a volume of cases, which has necessitated the need for a permanent High Court.

“This High Court circuit generates a huge volume of cases. There is an urgent need for the establishment of a permanent High Court in the Midlands capital. The number of cases handled at this circuit clearly indicates that the administration of justice requires that a permanent station be established in order to deliver speedy and efficient justice to all in this vast province.”

He added: “We urge the government and the Judicial Service Commission to commit to this important project. Court facilities have everything to do with access to justice and the rule of law. Courts must be easily accessed.”

Justice Makonese described as unjustified for people in Gokwe, Shurugwi and Mberengwa to travel long distances to access the High Court in Harare, Bulawayo and Masvingo.

He said the current circuit will deal with 16 cases, adding that 12 were pending from the last legal year.

In 2018, Justice Nokuthula Moyo made a similar call for the province to have a permanent High Court saying the Gweru circuit had no capacity to conclude murder cases in the two weeks it sits.

Four years ago, Gweru residents resisted proposals to turn the idle mayoral mansion into a High Court building, saying council would not benefit from the move because the State had gained a reputation of failing to pay its dues.

During the same year, the JSC approached council requesting to lease the mayoral mansion for High Court sessions. The building has been lying idle for the past 12 years since the departure of former Gweru executive mayor, Sesil Zvidzai.

guest column:Respect Gwenzi

The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) missed its 10% year-end target for 2019 but it, however, denies that it ever set this target and instead said it had targeted 15% by year-end. However according to a Press statement currently uploaded on RBZ’s website released after the October sitting, the committee clearly set a month-on-month inflation target of between 10% and 12% by year-end.

Against this target, the year end month-on-month inflation outturn came in at 17%, a wide miss. The MPC now forecasts a single digit month-on-month inflation target by end of first quarter and a 50% annual outturn by year-end, premised on exchange rate stability and monetary targeting.

There is scope for further month-on-month moderation based on a stable exchange rate. The exchange rate has been coming off at a much slower rate over the last three months compared to the preceding quarter. Data released by RBZ suggests that flows on the interbank significantly improved in the final quarter of 2019. The annual outturn was at $1,5 billion with $700 million of that total being traded in Q4:19 alone, compared to just $136 million in Q3. Interestingly, the exchange rate tumbled by over 40% in Q3:19 compared to a below 5% decline in the final quarter.

What this suggests is that improved flows on the interbank in Q4:19 helped keep the exchange rate more stable in the final quarter. However there are other factors such as money supply (base money) which significantly rose in Q3:19, which should be factored in as well as the impact of demand.

It is very worrying that the margin of variance between the interbank and the parallel rate widened in the final quarter coming from a conservative outturn in Q3, almost putting to doubt the solidness of Q4 trades.

It would follow that if trades in the final quarter were over double those of Q3, the gap between the interbank rate and the parallel market rate would close, especially where base money is contracting. The parallel market premium closed the year at 35% from 15% in September, a demonstration that more and more demand is not being met on the interbank despite the growth in absolute trades. What is the this demand level?

According to 2018 trade statistics, average daily imports amounted close to $20 million and given the deep shave in 2019, the average imports have slowed down to $13 million a day. This means the country needs $13 million a day or at a more conservative level $10 million to cover for imports demand. Now $1,5 billion traded since February 25 translates to about $5 million a day, which equates to below half of the total demanded forex per day, according to ZimStat data. What this exposes is that there is a far much greater demand of forex than is presently supplied and that disequilibrium is a source of parallel market widening premiums.

To put this into context with regards to inflation outlook, it means if RBZ maintains the status quo of tighter controls on interbank trades, demand will find comfort on the parallel market which would naturally widen further the black market premium. As is the psychology of pricing on the market, prices of goods will naturally follow, rising to maintain the US dollar margin.

It is therefore not a given that inflation is on its way down as the widening parallel market variance shows.

Trade statistics equally show that net exports diminished by about 15% in 2019, which means Zimbabwe’s ability to earn foreign currency has been diminishing.

The MPC also acknowledges that monetary targeting will not be possible if government fails to accommodate subsidy expenditure within its budget, a scenario which may force RBZ to inject new money. Once this happens the base money component of money supply will be affected and as a result markets disrupted. An example of base money effect is that of August 2019 when RBZ injected new flows to cover for outstanding US dollar-denominated Treasury Bills. The result was a run on the currency as new money chased scarce hard currency resulting in a 30% plunge in the exchange rate in September.

Given the ambitious 2020 budget by Zimbabwe’s earning standards (disparity between Zimra collections and targeted expenditure), save to say the budgeted amounts are not enough to cover for recurrent expenditure, it would follow that huge pressure will mount as we get into the second quarter of the year.
This will mainly be driven by the drought effect, underperforming revenue collections, civil service incapacitation and industry production
cutbacks on power and demand dearth.
There are therefore more headwinds on the outlook which brings us to a conclusion that inflation will stun authorities and remain on an upward trajectory.

BY KEVIN MAPASURE

CAPTAIN Sean Williams hit a century as Zimbabwe put up 352 runs for the loss of six wickets on the opening day of their second Test against Sri Lanka at Harare Sports Club yesterday.
Regis Chakabva and Tino Mutombodzi will today resume Zimbabwe’s first innings accumulation on 31 and 10 runs respectively.

The hosts were reasonably happy with their efforts as they employed a more positive batting approach compared to what they did in the first Test that they went on to lose.

Zimbabwe started off slowly in the first session, but picked up a bit of momentum after winning the toss.

They yielded 96 runs that came at the expense of the scalps of Prince Masvaure (9) and Craig Ervine (12).

Brendan Taylor’s knock mirrored Zimbabwe’s intentions as he reached his half century off just 46 deliveries.

He moved on to 62 before he fell to the Lakmal who rearranged his castle behind.

He was obviously disappointed that he did not reach the century mark considering he was well set.

It was the collaboration between Williams and Sikandar Raza which was the fulcrum of Zimbabwe’s good total as they put together a 159 run fifth wicket partnership.

Williams scored 10 fours and three maximums on his way to 107 runs before he perished after being bowled by Dhananjaya de Silva.

Before that, Raza had already made his way back to the hut after contributing 72 runs.

Williams said he was pleased with the runs they put on the board yesterday, but felt they could have done better.

“I think it was a fantastic day for us. I think the mindset for the players is changing and the way the boys are playing now is fearless,” he said. “Overall it was a very good day.

I would take 350 in a day any day, but six wickets down? I would have taken four; it was down to some bad shot selections. I played a terrible shot to get out and expose two new batsmen to the new ball. Such bad decisions have to stop. I could have gone on to score a half century or even a double 100.”

He said his target is to see the team score at least 450 in the first innings.

He is confident that Chakabva and Mutombodzi, who is a debutante, can steer Zimbabwe to a big score.

In the first Test, Zimbabwe scored 188 runs on the first day and getting to 352 marked a big improvement as they seek to level the two match series.

BY SHARON SIBINDI

FASHION designer Samkeliso Mpofu of Sanah Designs said she built her own empire through hard work and perseverance.

Mpofu, who considers her tape measure her best friend, was recently featured in a top South African men’s Magazine, GQ, after taking part at the Mozambique Fashion Week.

After having lost both parents in childhood, she used the tragedy to fuel her zeal.

“I lost my parents when I was so young, luckily my siblings took care of me,” she said, adding that losing her parents made her strong and self-dependent.

Mpofu said she discovered that working for someone else was growing other people’s empires instead of building her own legacies.

“I wanted my own empire, so people and my children would know I lived and I was here. I want to leave something behind that my children and family would survive and pass it on to another generation, above all being your own boss, the sky is the limit. That is what motivates me,” she said.

She urged up-and-coming fashion designers not to give up and to have a vision for brand identity.

“This means that, as a young fashion designer, you need to know exactly what you are doing. Be clear in your mind why you want to start a business in the first place,” she said.

Mpofu said she used fashion to communicate things people did not say and sacrifices were inescapable in the trade.

“Being a designer requires a lot, you have to focus on building yourself first and your brand then when it’s up and running you can then build a family,” she said.

BY VANESSA GONYE

Health authorities have swiftly moved to limit possible ways the deadly coronavirus originating from China can get into the country by increasing screening and monitoring of possible threats at all points of entry.

The Chinese city of Wuhan is the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak, where 81 deaths have been confirmed, 3 000 cases reported, of which 400 are critical, while cases have been reported in 10 other countries, including Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom.

Speaking during a tour of screening and control facilities at Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport in Harare yesterday, Health minister Obadiah Moyo said they were doing everything possible and were on high alert to make sure the virus does not find its way into the country.

“If the virus is to come to Zimbabwe, we have to catch it at the ports of entry. Screening points have been set up at all major ports of entry. Every aspect of the system is highly functional and this is not a condition from within, so it should be easier to deal with,” he said.

Moyo said an arrangement had been made to contain suspected carriers of the virus until they are cleared.

“If one is confirmed to be having symptoms of the virus as they come into the country, they will be taken for care at the PSMAS Clinic, which is just across the road (at the airport). If they test positive, they will be ferried to Wilkins Hospital, which we have set up as an isolation centre,” he said.

“Our staff at the two major referral centres need to be trained to deal with the situation in case an outbreak takes place. For now, we keep our fingers crossed. We hope people coming in are safe and if they are not, we follow up on them for at least 21 days.”

Moyo said government was treating the matter as a security threat while they will depend on, Kaletra, an antiretroviral, which has been taken as an emergency drug to treat the virus.

“We, however, need to stock-up more on medicine which is recommended to fight the virus, even though we have supply of Kaletra already in the country,” he said.

Zimbabwe has been found wanting in terms of disaster preparedness, with past cholera outbreaks and the 2019 Cyclone Idai serving as proof of the deficiency in alertness.