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EVERYDAY NEWS FOR EVERYDAY PEOPLE Established 2010 $25 Friday April 3 2020 www.newsday.co.zw Lockdown: I’ll have Police brutality kids: SSoouthernuthern under Rihanna spotlight Page 2 Page 12 Eye Doctors raise alarm over COVID-19 tests BY DESMOND CHINGARANDE/RICHARD MUPONDE Pic: Nunurai Jena OCAL medical doctors have ex- pressed concern over the low numbers of people being tested for the deadly coronavirus in the country at a time the number of LCOVID-19 cases rose to nine yesterday. In a statement, the Health ministry said the ninth patient was a 50-year- old man from Harare, who had trav- elled to the United Kingdom and re- turned home on March 21. “He started exhibiting mild symp- toms and the local COVID-19 rap- id response team went to assess him at home on April 1, 2020 and collect- ed samples for testing,” the statement read. This came as the United Nations (UN) yesterday warned that Africa could lose millions of lives to the novel virus in the next fortnight if developed countries fail to assist the continent. The UN said the virus would re- main a vicious circle in the world if de- veloped countries fail to mobilise re- sources and urgently provide test kits, masks, ventilators and protective suits for health workers to avert loss of mil- lions of lives in Africa. Zimbabwe Association of Doctors Chinhoyi University of Technology (CUT) sta and students manufacturing masks for use in the ght against coronavirus. CUT marketing manager Musekiwa Tapera said they were TO PAGE 2 now producing more than 3 000 masks per day. Over 200 tile designs to choose from. Let’s Prevent the spread of COVID-19 Together. Keep calm and wash your hands Msasa Branch: 196 Mutare Road (Old Jaggers) Tel: +263 24 2446667/8/9 Email: [email protected] / [email protected] Burnley Branch: 8 Burnley Road, Workington, Tel: +263 24 2754880/1, 773248/9 www.unionhardware.co.zw 2 NewsDay | Friday April 3 2020 Local News Mwonzora, Khupe on collision course BY MOSES MATENGA for President Emmerson Mnan- His position, however, will like- Mwonzora accused MDC vice- government and history of fight- gagwa’s human rights record ly set him against Khupe, Mnan- presidents Tendai Biti and Welsh- ing the MDC, he could not preach ORMER opposition and the way he was handling his gagwa’s key ally in Polad. man Ncube of leading Chami- democracy to the opposition par- MDC-T secretary-gen- dialogue processes under Polad. In Polad, Khupe is tasked with sa astray as they do not qualify t y. eral Douglas Mwonzo- Khupe’s MDC-T is a member pushing the international com- to stand for posts at the proposed Mwonzora said if Chami- ra has set himself on of the dialogue series snubbed munity to remove sanctions im- congress set in three months. sa subjected himself to the con- a collision course with by Chamisa. posed on Zimbabwe, particularly He also attacked exiled for- gress, he stood a good chance of Fparty leader Thokozani Khupe “I have no respect for the way by the United States and her al- mer Cabinet minister Jonathan winning the party leadership. after blasting the Political Ac- this government is carrying on lies. Moyo, saying given his record in l [email protected] tors Dialogue (Polad) platform, its governance of this country,” where Khupe is a key figure. Mwonzora said. Mwonzora, who was MDC Alli- “I don’t agree with President Establish military-style hospitals in COVID-19 fight: Masiyiwa ance deputy secretary for inter- Mnangagwa at all. I don’t agree national relations before a Su- with his human rights record. BY Veneranda LANGA facilities for water,” he said. prepare a minimum 25% of all existing preme Court ruling delivered on I don’t agree with the way he “During the Ebola campaign, I hospital beds to take critically ill corona- Tuesday that nullified MDC Al- is carrying on his political dia- TELECOMMUNICATIONS mogul Strive worked closely with African military virus patients. liance president Nelson Chami- logue, the Polad and so on. What Masiyiwa has suggested that military- corps, and I was impressed. They should On Chinese relations, he wrote: “Turn sa’s appointment as the opposi- I think is in the best interest of style field hospitals must be established be out there, right now, building and to China. Our Chinese friends (and they tion leader, also told a local me- Zimbabwe is to have genuine di- in empty buildings where there is suf- preparing.” are our friends, don’t let anyone fool you dia outlet that he had no respect alogue before a neutral arbiter.” ficient water in Africa in order to effec- There are fears that Africa, with otherwise — China is our friend), they tively combat the COVID-19 pandemic. weak health systems, could experience have the capacity and the reach to help In a Facebook post yesterday, Masiyi- the worst if the virus, which has so far us in this situation. wa lauded China’s friendship with Zim- claimed about 50 000 lives globally “We need things like test equipment, Lockdown: Police brutality under spotlight babwe and other African countries, say- and infected nearly one million people, ventilators, beds, and even field hospi- ing there was need to reach out to the spreads on the continent. tals and clinics. They also have the tech- BY MOSES MATENGA/RICHARD MUPONDE Obert Chinhamo said his organisation Chinese to provide assistance to com- Zimbabwe has very few isolation cen- nical and clinical expertise. Let us ap- was disturbed by increasing reports of bat the virus, which has caused hav- tres that are poorly equipped, and with peal to them in a co-ordinated way.” POLICE yesterday said it was probing corruption and brutality perpetrated oc around the world, especially in doctors and nurses downing tools due He said home-based care would also its members accused of human rights by police. Europe. to unavailability of personal protective save 99% of lives if done properly, as abuses after being deployed to en- “While ACT-SA has no issues what- “Let us prepare military-style field equipment, the prospects of tackling a specialist services in Africa were way too force the 21-day national lockdown to soever with the maintenance of law hospitals in all available halls, and emp- full-blown outbreak looks grim. small, that is, if they existed at all. combat the spread of coronavirus. This and order in the country because of ty buildings, where there are sufficient Masiyiwa said it was imperative to l [email protected] comes amid reports that several peo- health concerns, it is, however, gravely ple had been subjected to severe beat- concerned with reports from members ings since Monday. of the public who are being made to Several people, who fell victim to pay bribes in exchange for their free- NewsDay correspondent arrested over lockdown breach police beatings, told NewsDay that dom after being arrested or to oper- they were beaten up for loitering, but ate their businesses outside the ga- BY STAFF REPORTER section 11(a)(b) of the Public Health Misa said the police claimed Jena argued they had presented genuine zetted timelines. To coerce suspects to (COVID-19), Prevention, Containment had accused them of being corrupt. cases why they were outdoors. pay bribes, these police officers threat- POLICE in Chinhoyi yesterday arrest- and Treatment (National Lockdown) Jena, who is being represented by Close to 200 people have so far en that all those refusing to comply ed NewsDay correspondent Nunurai Order, 2020 and disorderly conduct as human rights lawyer Kudzai Choga, been arrested since the beginning of will be held in custody for the 21-day Jena on allegations of contravening defined in section 41(b) of the Crimi- was first allegedly quizzed for using an the 21-day lockdown, which started lockdown. Reports of corruption have President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s nal Law (Codification and Reform) expired media accreditation card. on Monday . been received in Zhombe, Kwekwe, 21-lockdown order. Act. This is despite the fact that the In- NewsDay witnessed Bulawayo resi- which could save as a microcosm of Media Institute of Southern Africa In a tweet last night, police said: formation ministry this week advised dents being forced to kneel on the tar- the situation obtaining countrywide,” (Zimbabwe) yesterday said Jena was “Nunurai Jena was not arrested for law enforcement agents that the 2019 mac after allegedly contravening the Chinhamo said. arrested for taking a video of police of- or in connection with possession of a Press cards were still valid. lockdown order. He said people doing their shop- ficers manning a security checkpoint 2019 accreditation card. He was arrest- Last night, Jena was still detained at Police spokesperson Assistant Com- ping in Kwekwe during the gazetted along the Chinhoyi-Chegutu Highway ed for a totally different matter, charg- Chinhoyi Central Police Station as the missioner Paul Nyathi said they were times were forced to sit on the floor re- in Mashonaland West province. es which were fully explained to him courts were affected by the lockdown. still verifying videos showing police of- gardless of having given genuine rea- Jena was charged with contravening and his legal representative.” l [email protected] ficers beating up people. sons on why they were in town. “That video we are still verifying and “I drove to town around 9am and we want to know whether it is a recent was one of the victims at the same one or old videos being circulated by spot,” he said Doctors raise alarm over COVID-19 tests people who want to cause alarm, like ACT-SA official Munyaradzi Bidi said l FROM PAGE 1 ZADHR, the Zimbabwe Human Rights masks, ventilators, protective suits for one with officers in a residential area.