EMBATTLED MDC Alliance president Nelson Chamisa has accused President Emmerson Mnangagwa of using the Covid-19 lockdown as an opportunity to harass the opposition outfit while neglecting the core business of protecting citizens against the deadly virus.
A day after Zimbabwe began a national lockdown on 30th March, the Supreme Court delivered a judgment which reduced Chamisa to a junior member of the opposition party following his rushed ascendancy to the party’s top position.
Chamisa now says that the only remarkable step taken by Mnangagwa’s government during the lockdown was the delivery of the unpopular judgment.
“The most significant government achievement made during this Covid-19 lockdown is the bizarre handing down of a Supreme Court judgment and the abusive summoning of parliament not to fight Coronavirus but the battle of politics,” he said.
Chamisa has been in the forefront since the emergence of the lockdown, criticizing nearly every acting by the Government, including raising concerns about the handling of returnees from foreign countries.
He has alal accused government of failing to avail financial support to individuals and families affected by coronavirus.
“Those who are tested and confirmed positive must get a form of financial support for a month while they fight the disease, and the deceased’s families must get a government relief fund,” said the opposition leader.
“Bereaved families need a Government Relief Fund for the beneficiaries so that we are able to create a social safety net.
“Cushioning citizens from economic distress and speeding up the roll out of humanitarian support is vital. We must put in place social protection nets.”Chamisa said funds must be sourced from the surplus that has been declared by Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube from government’s 2% levy on electronic transfers
