Connect with us

National

Govt slammed for schools re-opening after lockdown extension

Published

on

BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI

The government has been criticised for ordering the re-opening of schools less than 24 hours after extending the lockdown to slow down the spread of Covid-19 by another two weeks.

Advertisement

Information minister Monica Mutsvangwa on Wednesday told journalists in Harare that schools, which were closed two months ago, would start re-opening on August 30 with examination classes.

Non examination classes will re-open on September 6.

The current school term was supposed to start on June 28 but was delayed by the onset of the third wave of the Covid-19 outbreak.

Advertisement

“The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education met with teacher organisations and deliberated on the safe re-opening of schools, among many other issues,” Mutsvangwa said.

“Noting with satisfaction, the preparations for the resumption of classes in schools, Cabinet is advising that schools will re-open on the 30th of August 2021 for examination classes and on the 6th of September 2021 for non-examination classes.”

The Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ), however, accused the government of ambushing teachers, parents and learners with the announcement.

Advertisement

“Parents, teachers and learners have all been ambushed,” PTUZ said on Thursday.

“Who has a stash of money just lying around to be used for fees or bus fare back to work?

“Government may be ready, but no-one else is. The so-called salary was used up around pay day for everyone.”

Advertisement

Harrison Mudzuri, the PTUZ coordinator, said by ordering schools to open a day after extending the lockdown by two weeks, the government was sending mixed signals.

“What is means is that there is no more lockdown in Zimbabwe,” Mudzuri said.

The Zimbabwe Senior Hospitals Doctors Association said the extension of the lockdown was unscientific.

Advertisement

“Data from the Ministry of Health clearly shows Covid-19 infections well below resurgence threshold,” the doctors said in a brief statement on Wednesday.

“Most hospitals countrywide have significantly reduced admissions,” they added.

“Lockdown has achieved its aims. If we are basing decision on stats and science, what’s the justification for the extension?”

Advertisement

The government also announced that restaurants will now be allowed sit-in customers, but only if they are vaccinated.

Intercity travel will only be allowed for the re-opening of schools.

Mutsvangwa said the government had also extended the Covid-19 vaccination programme to the 14-to-17-year age group.

Advertisement

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

National

Zimbabwe on track for 6% growth as economy recovers from drought

Published

on

BY REUTERS

Zimbabwe is on track to achieve a forecasted 6% economic growth in 2025 helped by good agricultural output and strong commodity prices, Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube said on Thursday.

The Southern African country’s economy has shown signs of recovery in the first half of the year following a severe drought and currency turbulence in 2024 that pushed GDP growth down to 2%.

“Given the positive economic developments during the period January to June, we are confident that the projected economic growth of 6% alluded to in the 2025 National Budget is achievable,” Ncube told parliament in a mid-year budget review.

“All sectors of the economy are expected to record positive growth in 2025, mainly on account of a favourable agriculture season, improved electricity generation, stable exchange rate and inflation rate,” he said.

He did not give an update on the budget deficit, which was seen at 0.4% of gross domestic product in 2025 during the budget forecast last November.

Zimbabwe’s fiscal position remains under strain from grain imports, drought relief spending and the public sector wage bill. While the government has collected more revenue than in the same period last year, analysts say containing the deficit may prove difficult without new fiscal measures.

The local currency, the ZiG, launched in April 2024 to replace the Zimbabwe dollar, has largely remained stable against the U.S. dollar but is still overshadowed by widespread use of the dollar in everyday transactions.

Ncube reiterated the government’s commitment to the gold-backed unit and said the currency had benefited from tight monetary and fiscal policies.

Continue Reading

National

Malaria cases surge in Zimbabwe

Published

on

BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI

Zimbabwe is experiencing a dramatic surge in malaria cases, with 111 998 cases and 310 deaths reported as of epidemiological week 23 in 2025.

This is a significant increase from the same period in 2024, which saw 29 031 cases and 49 deaths.

According to Dr Memory Mapfumo, an epidemiologist at the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), “This surge is no coincidence. Prolonged rains have fueled mosquito breeding, while activities like gold panning, fishing, and artisanal mining are exposing more individuals to risk, especially during peak mosquito activity hours.”

The situation is worsened by the low use of insecticide-treated bed nets (ITNs), leaving communities exposed and placing further strain on already stretched health systems. Across Zimbabwe, 115 out of 1 705 health facilities have been affected, highlighting the widespread impact of the disease on healthcare infrastructure.

Mashonaland Central Province has accounted for 32% of all malaria cases, while Manicaland reported 25% of the malaria-related deaths. The interconnectedness of the countries in the region has also contributed to the spread of the disease.

Zimbabwe’s malaria outbreak is part of a broader regional trend. Other countries in southern Africa, including Botswana, eSwatini, and Namibia, are also experiencing significant increases in malaria cases.

In Botswana, 2 223 cases and 11 deaths have been reported, with Okavango being the hardest hit. eSwatini has recorded 187 cases, with children under 15 and farmers being particularly affected. Namibia has seen over 89 959 cases and 146 deaths, with the majority of cases being local transmissions.

The Africa CDC emphasizes the need for continued vigilance and investment in malaria control. Governments must enhance their efforts to improve the use of ITNs, strengthen community engagement, and address environmental and social factors driving the outbreaks.

Dr Merawi Aragaw, head of Africa CDC’s Surveillance and Disease Intelligence, notes that “as climate change accelerates, we are witnessing shifts in temperature and rainfall that are expanding the range of malaria-carrying mosquitoes, introducing vectors into previously unaffected regions.”

According to Dr Aragaw, “sustained vector control measures – including environmental management, strengthening surveillance, drug and diagnostic resistance monitoring, and fostering cross-border collaboration – will be critical in mitigating the growing threat of vector-borne diseases, especially malaria.”

The regional surge underscores a broader global trend, with malaria cases worldwide climbing to 263 million in 2023, up from 252 million the previous year, and Africa accounting for 95% of all malaria-related deaths.

Despite these alarming figures, there have been significant successes: Cabo Verde was certified malaria-free in 2023, and Egypt is poised to achieve the same in 2024. Yet for many countries in southern Africa, the road to elimination remains steep, with outbreaks threatening to reverse years of progress.

Continue Reading

National

Government unveils plan to curb road accidents

Published

on

BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI

Minister of Information, Publicity, and Broadcasting Services, Jenfan Muswere, has outlined a series of measures to combat the rising tide of road traffic accidents in the country.

Zimbabwe has been witnessing a worrying surge in road traffic accidents, with the latest incident claiming 17 lives last week, along Seke road.

Yesterday, Muswere addressed the cabinet, outlining measures to curb road traffic accidents. Below is his statement, word for word:

“So capacitation of the vehicle inspection is ongoing and the sourcing of the vehicle inspection department. Compliance to legislation is also one of the parameters that we are utilising.Standardisation in terms of driving schools, the training of drivers, speed limits as a governance to traffic monitoring, the utilisation of traffic management, the utilisation of cameras for number plate recognition and facial recognition in order to curb over speeding and traffic offences. The capacitation of the Zimbabwe Republic Police in order to apprehend and also deal with traffic offences. Legislation amendments that are taking place in order to ensure that our roads are safe. As the minister (Felix Mhona) has also highlighted that the Civil Protection Unit is being capacitated in order to deal with the challenges that we might not have been able to deal with as part of an architecture under the hall of government approach.”

Background statistics from the Zimbabwe Republic Police reveal a concerning trend. During the first six months of 2025, the country recorded 28 159 road traffic accidents, up from 25 968 in the same period last year. Fatal crashes also increased by 11% from 784 to 870, while road deaths rose by 4.9% from 1 037 to 1 088. The majority of accidents occur in known danger zones, often due to commuter congestion and erratic driving by public transport operators.

Continue Reading

Trending

Copyright © 2022 VicFallsLive. All rights reserved, powered by Advantage