FORMER Health Minister in the government Henry Madzorera has warned the government to stop the selective application of law in enforcing Covid-19 restrictions.
In an interview with NewZimbabwe.com, Madzorera castigated the government for not intervening timely in the Marange Apostles’ annual gathering in Marange, Manicaland Province.
Madzorera is also the MDC Alliance health secretary.
According to the former minister, Zanu PF should not seek political expediency as Covid-19 infections and deaths were rising and the Marange gathering was a potential super-spreader of the virus.
“The number of Covid-19 cases have sky-rocketed. We are seeing 2000-3000 plus new cases a day and we have over 60 deaths a day. That is too much. The numbers have really gone haywire and there is something that government needs to do urgently,” he said.
“Although l agree with the restrictive measures that the government has put in place in terms of lockdown, however, the state should not selectively apply laws.
“We are not happy with Apostles’ meeting in Marange. The government should know that this is not the time to be looking for cheap votes. We are killing people by the day if we allow such meetings or gatherings as is happening in Marange,” Madzorera told NewZimbabwe.com.
Zimbabwe has recorded its highest Covid-19 new infections and deaths since the outbreak of the virus in March last year.
Madzorera also urged the government to remove any bottlenecks in public transport as the current situation was not helping in curbing the outbreak.
“Bottlenecking does not help anything. We are seeing overcrowding in ZUPCO buses and this must be dealt with.”
The former senior government official also accused the government of not doing enough to help Covid-19 patients, and end-up succumbing to the virus.
“People who should not be dying at all, are dying because treatment facilities are not admitting Covid-19 patients. It happened in Kwekwe recently. A patient was turned away for a reason l do not know despite obviously being sick and having Covid-19 symptoms. That is pathetic,” Madzorera said.
“They are not supplying enough vaccines and yet they are pretending that our people do not want to be vaccinated. People want to be inoculated now as seen by long queues in vaccination centres. The government must provide vaccines as per promise.”
