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Why rural people are still sceptical about Covid-19 vaccines

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BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI

Nearly two years after Zimbabwe introduced its Covid-19 vaccination programme, some people in rural parts of Hwange district in Matabeleland North are still sceptical about the safety of the vaccines.

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Zimbabwe first rolled out Covid-19 vaccines early last year with the country relying mostly on Chinese made vaccines to bring the pandemic that paralysed the economy under control.

Hwange district, where Victoria Falls is located, was one of the areas that were prioritised by the government in the vaccination blitz as it sought to have tourist resorts re-opened for tourists.

As a result Hwange has the highest Covid-19 vaccination coverage at 80 percent of the population, but three community listening sessions organised by VicFallsLive in the largely rural Hwange West constituency showed that some villagers are still sceptical about the vaccines, largely because of misinformation.

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Community leaders said the government did little to counter the misinformation, which is largely blamed on social media and this fuelled vaccination hesitancy.

Hwange villagers, like other people in many parts of Zimbabwe, were victims of misinformation about the vaccines, including allegations that those who got the Covid-19 vaccine will turn into baboons or that the vaccines were part of a scheme to reduce Africa’s population.

Given Moyo, the ward three councillor told VicFallsLive  that most people in his area only got vaccinated after they were told that those who were unvaccinated  would be barred from using public transport or excluded from government aid programmes.

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“Authorities did not bring enough awareness campaigns to rural people on the pandemic and even after the vaccines were found,” Moyo said.

“It was at a time when people were being threatened that they will be barred from accessing public services and during that time, only government run buses were allowed to operate.

“Only those with vaccination cards were allowed into the Zupco buses.

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“What complicated the situation was that this was the time when myths about Covid-19 vaccines were spreading and people were being told that if they got vaccinated they were going to turn into baboons’ years later.

“Some said those who got vaccinated will start speaking Chinese languages and give birth to Chinese children.

“We were also told that the vaccines carried an electronic chip that would track and monitor the people.

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“People got confused as they were being denied access to public services.

“So they ended up getting vaccinated so as to access shops, banks, and public transport, not that they were convinced that the vaccines were safe.”

Chief Mvuthu village chairperson Paulos Ntini said misinformation became the biggest hindrance to the Covid-19 vaccination programme.

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Ntini said the situation was made worse by the fact that the government had no deliberate strategy to counter the misinformation, which targeted the rural population.

Most parts of Hwange have no access to both the broadcast and print media, which the government relied on to share messages about  the Covid-19 vaccination programme.

Community leaders and villagers said some of the dominant myths about Covid-19 vaccines were that they caused infertility and impotence.

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“It meant that both men and women were going to lose their sexual appetite,” said BH26 vllage head Jerita Ncube on some of the myths about Covid-19 vaccines.

BH27 village head Tymon Sibanda concurred, adding that: “Some homes were destroyed because people were practicing social distance even in bedrooms.

“We heard that vaccines kill sexual appetite and  pregnant women were going to have miscarriages while those who were menstruating were going to bleed non-stop.”

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The villagers said scarcity of information from formal channels forced them to rely on social media, which was the major source of misinformation.

“We had a number of local students at Ndlovu Secondary School, who tested positive for Covid-19, but we never saw any government health workers making a follow-up on the case,” said a villager.

“No one came to teach us the elderly on how to nurse those with Covid-19 without getting infected.

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“So all these misinformation problems emanated from such neglect.”

Another youthful villager added: “We relied on traditional herbs such as umtshibi whenever our bodies signalled anything related to Covid-19, but no one told us whether that worked or not.

“It was said that Covid-19 was deadly and such herbs treated it as well as garlic.”

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Councilor Moyo said whenever he developed Covid-like symptoms, he would drink hot water ‘even though it harmed our throats and was painful to drink’ because they were told it would kill the virus.

Other villagers said they were forced to leave their jobs as they feared contracting Covid-19, which they were told was a ploy to wipe out the African population.

“We were divided even in churches because at some point  vaccination cards were required for people to attend church services,” said Flora Ndlovu, an aide to Chief Mvuthu.

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“It was a struggle because after getting vaccinated we were branded Satanists because of the vaccine marks.”

Isaac Ntuli, a sports leader in the Chief Mvuthu area added: “In our battle with the devil as Christians, Covid-19 vaccines became a test (of our faith).

“We were confused because vaccines became associated with Satanism and we were told that accepting the vaccines was an evil dedication.

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“The fact that the government was coercing people to take the vaccines by threatening to bar them from accessing public services fuelled the myths about Satanism.

“We were also told that this disease was introduced by powerful countries such as China to wipe out Africans as they sought to loot gold and other natural resources without any resistance.”

Sibanda said the Covid-19 pandemic also  fuelled corruption even among health workers.

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“We saw some people being given Covid-19 certificates with a negative result  even after testing positive to the virus after paying a bribe,” he added.

“Even those that would go to Victoria Falls Hospital to get tested so that they can travel to Zambia on medical grounds, they would be told they tested positive until they paid bribes of between US$5 to US$15 for their results to be changed to negative.”

 

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National

Zimbabwe moves to establish tough drug control agency amid rising substance abuse crisis

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BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI

As Zimbabwe battles a surge in drug and substance abuse, the government has tabled a new Bill in Parliament seeking to establish a powerful agency to coordinate enforcement, rehabilitation, and prevention programmes across the country.

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The National Drug and Substance Abuse Control and Enforcement Agency Bill (H.B. 12, 2025) proposes the creation of a dedicated agency mandated to combat the supply and demand of illicit drugs, provide rehabilitation services, and strengthen coordination between law enforcement and social service institutions.

According to the explanatory memorandum of the Bill, the agency will operate under two main divisions — a Social Services Intervention Division to focus on prevention, treatment and community rehabilitation, and an Enforcement Division to target supply chains, trafficking networks, and related financial crimes.

The legislation describes drug abuse as “a grave internal national security threat” and “a public health crisis” that fuels organised crime, corruption and violence. It notes that drug profits have enabled criminal cartels to “purchase the instrumentalities of crime, including weapons,” and to corrupt both civilian and non-civilian public officials.

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Under the new framework, the agency will have powers to:

  • Investigate and arrest individuals involved in drug trafficking and production;
  • Work jointly with the Zimbabwe Republic Police, Zimbabwe Revenue Authority, and Medicines Control Authority of Zimbabwe;
  • Establish checkpoints at ports of entry and exit to intercept harmful substances; and
  • Expand the legal definition of “harmful drugs” to include emerging synthetic substances, in consultation with the Medicines Control Authority of Zimbabwe.

The Social Services Division will lead prevention campaigns, develop demand-reduction programmes, and facilitate the creation of rehabilitation and detoxification centres nationwide. It will also introduce a monitoring system requiring schools, employers, and local authorities to adopt anti-drug awareness and intervention programmes within 90 days of the Act’s commencement.

Each province and district will host offices of the agency to decentralise services and ensure community-level engagement, while traditional leaders will help devise local prevention strategies.

The Bill further empowers the agency to employ prosecutors from the National Prosecuting Authority to handle drug-related cases, signalling a shift toward specialised prosecution of narcotics offences. It also introduces a new, stricter “standard scale of fines” and penalties for drug crimes — higher than those prescribed under existing criminal laws.

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In a major development, the proposed law integrates the agency into Zimbabwe’s Money Laundering and Proceeds of Crime Act, allowing it to pursue unexplained wealth orders and seize assets linked to drug cartels.

The Bill stresses rehabilitation and social reintegration as key pillars. It obliges the agency to support affected individuals through psychosocial counselling, vocational training, and community wellness programmes aimed at helping addicts rebuild their lives.

If passed, the National Drug and Substance Abuse Control and Enforcement Agency will replace fragmented anti-drug efforts currently scattered across ministries and law enforcement agencies, creating a central authority to drive national strategy and coordination.

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Parliament is expected to debate the Bill in the coming weeks amid growing concern over youth addiction to crystal meth, cough syrups, and other illicit substances that have taken root in both urban and rural communities.

 

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Hwange unit 8 breaks down, deepening Zimbabwe’s power supply challenges

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BY WANDILE TSHUMA 

ZESA Holdings has announced that Hwange Unit 8 has been taken off the national grid following a technical fault, a development expected to worsen Zimbabwe’s persistent electricity shortages.

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In a statement released on Monday, the power utility said the unit would be out of service for ten days while restoration work is carried out.

“Hwange Unit 8 has been taken off the grid due to a technical fault. The unit will be out of service for 10 days while restoration work is carried out,” ZESA said.

The company said Hwange Unit 7 remains operational, generating 335 megawatts (MW) to support system stability, while power generation at Kariba South Power Station has been ramped up with “careful management of water allocations” to compensate for the temporary shortfall.

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ZESA apologized for the inconvenience and appealed for public understanding as engineers work to restore the unit.

Zimbabwe has faced recurring electricity supply challenges over the past two decades, driven by ageing infrastructure, limited generation capacity, and low water levels at Kariba Dam. While the commissioning of Hwange Units 7 and 8 in 2023 brought some relief, frequent breakdowns have continued to disrupt supply, forcing industries and households to endure prolonged load-shedding.

The latest fault at Hwange comes at a time when power demand is surging across the country, particularly during the hot season when air conditioning and irrigation systems increase pressure on the grid.

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Energy experts say the outage highlights the need for greater investment in maintenance, renewable energy, and grid modernization to stabilize Zimbabwe’s power supply in the long term.

 

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Tsholotsho to host national commemoration of International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction

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BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI

Zimbabwe will on Thursday, this week,  join the rest of the world in commemorating the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction (IDDR), with national events set to take place at Tshino Primary School in Ward 5, Tsholotsho District, along the Tsholotsho–Sipepa road.

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The global day, observed annually, aims to promote a culture of disaster risk awareness and highlight efforts to reduce vulnerability and build resilience in communities.

Speaking to VicFallsLive, Civil Protection Unit Director Nathan Nkomo said this year’s commemoration holds special significance for Tsholotsho, a district that has long struggled with recurrent flooding.

“The whole issue is to reduce, not to increase the occurrence of disasters. And by commemorating, that’s where we share ideas with other people,” Nkomo said.

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He noted that Tsholotsho’s selection as the national host was deliberate, following the successful relocation of families who were affected by flooding at the confluence of the Gwai and Shashani rivers.

“It’s not by accident that we are commemorating in Tsholotsho. We have built 305 houses for people who were affected in the Spepa area, and we will be celebrating in style because we have managed to relocate them,” he said.

“Now we no longer hear of people being flooded in Tsholotsho because of that relocation. So, we will be celebrating in style for Tshini and Sawudweni.”

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The relocations, carried out under government’s disaster recovery and housing programs, have been hailed as a success story in proactive disaster risk management.

Looking ahead to the cyclone season, Nkomo said funding remains the major challenge in preparedness and response.

“We cannot preempt to say there are challenges yet, but historically, since we’ve dealt with COVID-19 and Cyclone Idai, the issue of funds has always been critical,” he said.

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“This year, we are dealing with cyclones at a time when even our development partners have dwindling resources. So, funding will take centre stage in our deliberations, to see how best we can respond with the little we have. The whole idea, when you go to war, is not the question of numbers, but of strategy and how to win.”

The International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction is observed globally every October 13, but Zimbabwe’s national commemorations are being held later this year to align with local preparedness programs and community-based activities.

 

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