Covid-19 Impact in Zimbabwe: A Professional Lay Catholic’s View
COVID-19’s Darkness
Today, several millennia
after the divine creation of the universe, the theme of darkness persists intensely, particularly after the dawn of the Novel Corona Virus, commonly known as COVID-19. The ruinous epidemic has, within a space of six months brought about millions of infections, thousands of deaths, widespread strife, and historic impoverishment of families, communities, industries, and nations. Medical News Today, a highly authoritative health publication pronounced in its 29 June 2020 edition that the total number of cases as at the end of June 2020 had passed 10 million, and that to date, the virus has resulted in 501,000 deaths. These very grim statistics and the associated destruction have resulted in the domination of the news cycle with darkness on the vast majority of mainstream media – CNN, BBC, SABC, The Herald, NewsDay, DailyNews, Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) NewZimbabwe.com, and numerous other secular mass media. While COVID-19 infection and mortality rates are significantly lower (just over
500 infections, and six deaths) in Zimbabwe, the nation has not been spared from the motif of darkness. Zimbabwean statistics regarding human rights violations, corruption linked to relief resources, incidents of domestic violence emanating from lockdown dynamics, and the complete halt to educational activities for the poor, all make for extremely dark reading. While the Bill of Rights has not been suspended during this lockdown season, certain elements of the uniformed forces have flagrantly breached the rights of citizens to human dignity and personal security. Freedom from torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment has been utterly disregarded in dozens of situations, some of which have found their way to our courts of law. As a lawyer, I recently represented on different occasions, media practitioners whose journalistic and access to information rights had been shamelessly disparaged by ill-disciplined policemen and soldiers. In April 2020, the High Court (in the Lucia Masvondo case) ordered soldiers, police and other state security agents to Mukai -Vukani No.77 | July 2020 |
Chris Mhike Harare based Lawyer
respect human rights, the dignity of people and their fundamental freedoms during the implementation of lockdown laws. Masvondo, a Karoi woman had been bitten by dogs during the enforcement of lockdown regulations by state security agents. The delinquent officers assaulted her as she was cooked on an open fire, outside her home. This type of brutality during lockdown is not limited to Zimbabwe. On Africa Day this year, 25 May, George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, was killed by policemen in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA during an arrest for allegedly using counterfeit money. That dark Minnesota deed led to worldwide demonstrations over racial injustice, with protestors largely ignoring social distancing and all other COVID regulations. The darkness of the George Floyd protests recently spilled over to social media. At the end of May into early June 2020 what began as an attempt by two individuals (Jamila Thomas and Brianna Agyemang) in the music sector to suspend business as usual, as part of protest suddenly broadened and morphed overnight on social media into a less focused action, 26
