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Tag: Zimbabwe

  • WHO launches vaccination drive in Zimbabwe to stem cholera outbreak

    The World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday started a drive to vaccinate 1.4 million Zimbabweans amid a cholera outbreak that has killed 49 people in the capital Harare so far.

    Almost 140 people have been infected with the disease that is most often transmitted by contaminated water, according to the WHO.
    The vaccination campaign will be rolled out in two rounds, focusing on the most heavily affected suburbs of Harare and Chitungwiza, located 30 kilometres Southeast of the capital.

    To ensure longer-term immunity, a second dose will be provided in all areas at a later stage, according to the WHO.

    The organisation is also working with the Zimbabwean government to provide affected communities with access to clean water and providing antibiotics to clinics, among other measures.

    With almost 8,000 cholera cases suspected, the cash-strapped Zimbabwean government declared a health emergency in early September.

     

    Read also: 2019: Who flies Sokoto APC’s flag?

     

    Cholera can cause severe diarrhoea and vomiting and can be fatal for children, the elderly and the sick.

    A 2008 cholera outbreak in Zimbabwe lasted over a year and killed more than 4,000 people.

    Non-Governmental Organisations have placed the blame squarely on the government.

    Amnesty International said “the current cholera epidemic is a terrible consequence of Zimbabwe’s failure to invest in and manage both its basic water and sanitation infrastructure and its health care system.’’

    Zimbabwe’s once-vibrant economy is in tatters after almost four decades of rule by former President Robert Mugabe.
    Mugabe was ousted in a military coup in 2017 and his former right-hand man, Emmerson Mnangagwa, was voted in as president in July elections.

  • Visa on arrival: 38,000 passenger processed at Lagos Airport

    No fewer than 38,000 passengers including potential investors have been processes at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos  under the Visa On Arrival scheme and Ease of Doing Business policy rolled out by government in the last one year sources close the Nigeria Immigration Services (NIS) has revealed

    Investigations by The Nation revealed that the bulk of the passengers are investors and tourists seeking business opportunities in the country.

    An immigration source told The Nation that many investors are latching on the The immigration source  said investment is booming in the country as more and more investors are finding their way to the West African country to trade and do other forms of businesses investing both funds, technology.

    According to her,  the over 38,000 came in from all over the world but there were frequent influx from countries including  the United States, China, Britain, Canada, South Africa, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Zambia and a host of others.

    She said, “The visa on arrival is seriously helping and It is a good omen for this country. The Nigeria Immigration Services has done something great and this has helped access of investment as people will make their application and come in and pay for it, instead of going to the embassy.”

    Read Also: Row over missed flight at Lagos airport

    On the duration of the Visa, she explained that the VOA, has always been a duration of one month, stating that once approval was granted by the Comptroller General, the approval has a two-week validity.

    “You only need approval from the Comptroller General to get the VOA. in fact, once the approval is given, it has a validity of two weeks, if not used within that time, you start the process of re applying for approval. However, when you have approval and everything is done the duration of the visa is one month. It is also renewable,” she told our reporter.

    She also said that enlightenment is still ongoing for those that seek greener pastures by hook or crook, stating that the trend is reducing but that the service at all borders are trying to dissuade young ones from taking that route.

    “Human trafficking has reduced, not only at the airport but at other border posts. We cannot say it is completely eradicated but we are doing all we can to make sure we reduce it.”

  • NDIC Boss elected as new Chairperson of IADI

    The Managing Director and Chief Executive of the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC), Umaru Ibrahim, has been elected the new Chairperson of the Africa Regional Committee (ARC) of the International Association of Deposit Insurers (IADI).

    The NDIC made this known through a statement by its Head of Communications and Corporate Affairs, Mohammed Kudu Ibrahim.

    According to the statement, “Ibrahim was elected during the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the IADI-ARC which was a prelude to the IADI Technical Assistance Workshop being hosted by the Corporation in Lagos.

    “The election was a unanimous decision of the body following the expiration of tenure of the current Chairperson and former Chief Executive Officer of the Deposit Protection Corporation of Zimbabwe, Mr John Chikura.

    “Also elected as the ARC Vice-Chairman during the AGM was Mohamud A. Mohamud, the Chief Executive Officer of Kenya Deposit Insurance Corporation (KDIC).”

    Read Also: NDIC to host IADI workshop in Lagos

    The election of Ibrahim marks the second time that Nigeria will lead the IADI-ARC. The immediate past MD/CE of the Corporation, Alhaji Ganiyu Ogunleye was earlier elected as Chairperson of the body.

    It further added that, “According to members, the unanimous decision to elect the NDIC Boss was in recognition of his achievements, requisite knowledge and experience in the Deposit Insurance System (DIS) which they belief will impact positively on the other members from Africa. They expressed optimism in his qualities and wealth of experience to effectively provide the desired leadership for the ARC. With the election of Ibrahim, the secretariat of the body effectively relocates to Nigeria until the end of his tenure.

    “The AGM also discussed other important issues relating to the growth of the DIS in the African Region and financial system stability.

    “Updates from African countries that recently established DIS and as well as those currently in the process of setting up the scheme were also presented at the forum.

    “Apart from Nigeria, the host country, other nations in attendance at the AGM include Ghana, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Uganda, Swaziland, Rwanda and the West Africa Monetary Union Deposit Protection Board (WAMUDPB) based in Senegal.”

    It would be recalled that Umaru Ibrahim was elected twice into the Executive Management Committee of the IADI. His second term is yet to expire.

  • Mnangagwa calls for improved sanitation amid cholera outbreak

    President Emmerson Mnangagwa of Zimbabwe on Thursday urged the Harare city council and other local authorities to work on improving sanitation to prevent water-borne diseases.

    The president spoke as a cholera outbreak in the capital Harare has so far killed 25 people and infected more than 3,000 others.

    The president said the government was mobilizing resources to contain the disease and urged the private sector to chip in with financial and material support to fight the epidemic.

    “What is more important is for the councils to make sure that sanitation in their area is up to date and that water is clean.

    “That is a responsibility which the municipalities must make sure is taken care of,” the president said.

    Read Also: Zimbabwe’s Mnangagwa re-appoints two vice presidents

    Mnangagwa reassured the nation that the health and wellbeing of citizens will remain a priority under his administration.

    Government has since declared the cholera outbreak a state of emergency while police have banned public gatherings in the capital to contain the disease.

    The outbreak is confined in Harare’s high density suburbs of Glen View and Budiriro but isolated cases stemming from the two suburbs have also been reported in other parts of the country.

    The Harare outbreak has been caused by burst sewers that contaminated borehole water used by the residents.

    Some residents in Harare rely on water from community boreholes and open wells due to intermittent potable water supplies from the council.

    The worst cholera outbreak in the country in 2008 killed 4,000 people.

  • Zimbabwe charges 24 opposition supporters with violence

    Twenty four members of Zimbabwe’s opposition MDC Alliance appeared in court yesterday on violence charges, a day after President Emmerson Mnangagwa was declared winner of the historic first elections following the downfall of Robert Mugabe.

    Mnangagwa, a former Mugabe ally, has called for unity after presidential rival Nelson Chamisa rejected the results, insisting he was the real winner of an election marred by a deadly crackdown on opposition supporters.

    At least six people died after troops in the capital Harare opened fire on demonstrators Wednesday, sparking an international outcry and raising grim memories of post-election violence under Mugabe’s repressive rule.

    Mnangagwa has accused Chamisa’s opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) of fomenting the unrest, but said he would set up an independent commission to investigate the killings.

    The 24 opposition members appearing in court were charged with “public violence” during the protests, accused of smashing windows at offices of the ruling ZANU-PF party, throwing stones and setting fire to vehicles.

    A magistrate told the packed Harare courtroom the tribunal was “overwhelmed” and that the case would be postponed until tomorrow.

    Defence lawyer Denford Halimani said the 16 men and eight women had been caught up in an “opportunistic dragnet” against the opposition.

    Mnangagwa has insisted that the landmark election was “free, fair and credible”, and has called for national unity as he pushes for an end to Zimbabwe’s international isolation.

    International observers praised the peaceful conduct of the vote, though EU monitors said Mnangagwa enjoyed an “un-level playing field” including heavy state media coverage.

    Mnangagwa won 50.8 percent against Chamisa’s 44.3 percent, according to official results — just enough to avoid a presidential run-off.

    Chamisa, a 40-year-old pastor and lawyer, has urged his supporters to refrain from violence as he prepares to challenge the results in court.

    “We won but they declared the opposite. You voted but they cheated,” he said on Twitter yesterday.

    Mnangagwa, 75, has said Chamisa is free to mount a legal challenge, though such a move appears to have little chance of changing the result.

    A former right-hand man to Mugabe, Mnangagwa was chosen to lead ZANU-PF after the brief military intervention last November that ousted him after 37 years in power.

    Mnangagwa was allegedly involved in state violence during the 2008 elections when the opposition pulled out of the run-off, following the deaths of at least 200 supporters in attacks.

    He has hailed this week’s polls as a “new beginning” and pledged to represent all Zimbabweans, including those who did not vote for him.

    But rights groups have expressed concern that heavy-handed policing to prevent more opposition protests is a sign of how he intends to govern.

    Amnesty International said more than 60 people had been “arbitrarily arrested” in a post-election clampdown on the opposition.

     

     

  • Zimbabwe police chase away journalists waiting for briefing by opposition leader

    Zimbabwean riot police yesterday chased away journalists who were waiting for a news conference by opposition leader Nelson Chamisa, shouting “out, out.”

    Chamisa has questioned the outcome of Monday’s presidential election, in which he lost out to President Emmerson Mnangagwa from the ruling Zanu-PF party.

    Chamisa yesterday  slammed the  “fake results” of the country’s historic election that returned incumbent President Emmerson Mnangagwa to power.

    The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission’s “scandal of releasing unverified fake results is regrettable,” the 40-year-old leader of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) said on Twitter.

    “ZEC denied our election agent access to results bef4 announcement. ZEC must release proper & verified results endorsed by parties,” Chamisa tweeted.

    Results released overnight Thursday gave Mnangagwa 50.8 per cent of the vote and Chamisa 44.3 per cent.

    While Mnangagwa welcomed the results and called for peace, Chamisa rejected the outcome outright.

    “The level of opaqueness, truth deficiency, moral decay and values deficit is baffling,” the MDC leader said.

    During the televised presentation of the results, Chamisa’s spokesman attempted to give a speech, but was heckled and booed offstage by locals who said they wanted to hear from the commission.

    Harare – which voted heavily for Chamisa – was quiet yesterday with no signs of celebration.

  • UK calls for calm after post-election violence in Zimbabwe

    UK has called on Zimbabwe ’s political leaders to ensure calm and restraint after three opposition protesters were killed in post-election clashes in Harare.

    Troops opened fire to clear the capital’s streets of demonstrators who accused President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s ruling party of trying to rig Monday’s election.

    “Deeply concerned by today’s violence in Harare. Call on Zimbabwe’s political leaders to take responsibility for ensuring calm and restraint at this critical moment.

    We’re monitoring the situation closely,” Harriet Baldwin, a minister in Britain’s Foreign Office said on Twitter late.

    Zimbabwean soldiers ordered shopkeepers to close and leave the center of the capital, two store-owners said, the day after three people were killed by troops sent in to disperse crowds of opposition supporters.

    The Zimbabwe Election Commission is expected to start announcing the results of Monday’s presidential election, which the opposition says has been rigged in favour of Mnangagwa.

    Gunfire crackled as troops, backed by armoured vehicles and a military helicopter and some with their faces masked, cleared the streets of opposition protesters.

    The unrest started soon after Nelson Chamisa, leader of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), declared that he had won the popular vote.

    After burning tyres in the streets, scores of his supporters attacked riot police near the Zimbabwe Election Commission (ZEC) headquarters. Officers responded with tear gas and water cannon.

    “I was making a peaceful protest. I was beaten by soldiers,” said Norest Kemvo, who had gashes to his face and right hand. “This is our government. This is exactly why we wanted change.

    They are stealing our election.”

    Mnangagwa said the violence was meant to disrupt the election and blamed the MDC leadership.

    “We hold the opposition MDC Alliance and its whole leadership responsible for this disturbance of national peace, which was meant to disrupt the electoral process,” Mnangagwa said, according to ZBC.

    Chamisa’s spokesman, Nkululeko Sibanda, told newsmen the army’s reaction was unjustified.

    “Today we saw the deployment of military tanks and firing of live ammunition on civilians for no apparent reason.”

    UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on Zimbabwe’s political leaders and people to exercise restraint and reject any form of violence.

    Justice Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi said the army had been called in to ensure “peace and tranquillity”.

    Read Also: Zimbabwe’s Mnangagwa casts vote as voting gets underway

    Charamba said the troops were deployed at the request of police who could not cope with the violence, and will remain under police command.

    As gunfire reverberated through downtown Harare, Mnangagwa called for calm and urged patience while results were collated.

    Many protesters accused the army of unprovoked brutality.

    “We had no weapons. Why are the army here beating us? shooting us? This is not an election it is a disgrace on our country,” one young man, Colbert Mugwenhi, said.

    A Reuters witness saw soldiers with sticks beat two people and counted at least five trucks full of soldiers.

    “We are tired of them stealing our votes. This time we will not allow it, we will fight,” said a protester who wore a red MDC beret in central Harare.

  • Zimbabwe’s Mnangagwa casts vote as voting gets underway

    President Emmerson Mnangagwa of Zimbabwe cast his ballot Monday morning in the first post-Mugabe election in Kwekwe in his home province of Midlands.

    His main rival Nelson Chamisa of the opposition MDC Alliance also cast his vote in the capital Harare.

    Mnangagwa told reporters soon after casting his vote that Zimbabwe was enjoying an unprecedented democratic space.

    He also said former president Robert Mugabe was entitled to express his views.

    Mugabe, ousted in November last year following a military intervention, said Sunday he will vote for the opposition, dumping the ruling ZANU-PF party which he founded in 1963.

    “I can assure you that this country is enjoying democratic space which has never been experienced before. The former president has his right to express his views,” Mnangagwa said.

    Zimbabweans are voting to choose a president, National Assembly members and councilors.

    There are 5.6 million people registered to vote in the polls.

    Voting is scheduled to end at 7 pm.

  • Mugabe returns to Zimbabwe after seeking health care abroad

    Former President Robert Mugabe returned to Zimbabwe on Tuesday on a private chartered flight from Singapore, where he had been seeking medical treatment.

    Accompanied by his wife Grace and a large entourage, the 94-year-old appeared to be struggling to walk as he left the airport in Harare.

    Read Also:Robert Mugabe: My wife cries daily

    Mugabe flew to Singapore about three weeks ago for an undisclosed ailment; although sources said he was suffering from high blood pressure.

    Mugabe was ousted by a military coup in November after almost four decades in power.

    NAN

  • Zimbabwe parliament delays Mugabe’s questioning on diamond revenue

    Former President Robert Mugabe will not appear before Zimbabwe’s parliament as scheduled on Wednesday to answer questions on diamond mining operations, a legislator said.

    Temba Mliswa, who leads the parliamentary committee on mines, said the clerk of parliament hadn’t written to Mugabe to invite him to appear.

    “It has been delayed but that resolution still stands,” Mliswa said.

    “He will have to appear before the committee whether he likes it or not.”

    The committee had ordered the 94-year-old Mugabe to face legislators over his previous pronouncements that the state had been deprived of at least 15 billion dollars in diamond revenue by mining companies.

    Mugabe said in March 2016 the country was robbed of the revenue by diamond companies, including joint ventures between Chinese companies and the army, police and intelligence services, whose operations were shielded from public scrutiny.

    Read Also:  Zimbabwe to summon Mugabe over missing $15bn worth of diamonds

    Specifically, he said Zimbabwe lost 15 billion dollars from the Marange gem fields, more than 400 km east of the capital.

    He later expelled the companies and replaced them with a state-owned diamond company.

    Mliswa said a new date for Mugabe to testify would be set.

    The questioning on Wednesday would have been Mugabe’s first public appearance since the army deposed him last November in a de facto coup.

    NAN