The Sunday Mail
Sunday Mail Reporter
An alliance of over 50 women groups in Zimbabwe has established a coronavirus rapid response unit to complement Government initiatives in the fight against the pandemic.
Speaking to The Sunday Mail, Women’s Coalition of Zimbabwe (WCoZ) chairperson Ms Ronika Mumbire said the response was a result of the global magnitude of coronavirus, which needed concerted efforts.
“The role of civil society remains critical at this point. In previous experiences, such as the cholera outbreak of 2008 to 2009, CSOs (civil society organisations) were responsible for awareness building. Our role has not changed much in the current crisis, but we have gone a step further,” she said.
“We are actively engaged in developing daily situation reports, which help Government in assessing the effectiveness of measures taken to contain the virus and control the rate of disease outbreak in the country.”
Ms Mumbire said in their latest situation report, WCoZ had noted with concern the issue of non-observance of social distancing and how it reversed gains made by Government. “We recognise the need to enforce the law on the containment of Covid-19, however, on 2 April 2020, we noted with concern from our Bulawayo chapter, the manner in which offenders have been handled,” she said.
“Those who breached the lockdown were taken to Bulawayo Central Police Station, in their large numbers, thereby defeating the whole purpose of social distancing.
“(We are) aware that such actions expose both the police and the offenders to Covid-19, thereby resulting in a wider community spread and transmission. We urge law enforcement agents to be cautious when enforcing arrests.”
Ms Mumbire also urged authorities to address issues of violence against women at community water points such as boreholes.
She said in the face of the global health crisis, scarcity of reliable water provision remained one of the major drawbacks in fighting the pandemic. Recently, the High Court ordered the Harare City Council to provide repair and maintenance schedules for all dysfunctional boreholes in the city.
This was after the Combined Harare Residents’ Association (CHRA) made an urgent chamber application with the court citing unreliable water supply in the city.
