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Tag: Zimbabwe

  • COVID-19: Hospital suspends operations after 25 healthcare workers test positive

    COVID-19: Hospital suspends operations after 25 healthcare workers test positive

    Zvishavane District Hospital in Zimbabwe’s Midlands Province has suspended admissions and other health care services after 25 workers tested positive for COVID-19.

    Midlands Provincial Affairs Minister Larry Mavima, also the provincial COVID-19 taskforce chairperson said this in a statement on Tuesday in Harare.

    The health workers that tested positive were mostly nurses and three officials from the district registrar’s office.

    The latest infections put to the fore concerns by health workers at the front that they remain at high risk from contracting the virus.

    Three other healthcare workers at Claybank Private Hospital in Gweru, also in the Midlands Province, have also tested positive to the virus.

    This had added to the increasing number of infected healthcare workers after at least 13 nurses from Mpilo Hospital in Bulawayo fell victim.

    Mavima said that 29 samples were taken at Zvishavane District Hospital last week after some health care workers had tested positive.

    “On July 13, Zvishavane District Hospital received eight PCR positive results of which two were of health care workers.

    “These results prompted the testing of other health care workers and other probable contacts within the hospital on the same day.

    “The hospital received the results today on July 20 and 25 out of 28 health care workers tested positive.

    “There are three staffers from the district registrar’s office who also tested positive,” said Mavima.

    He said the hospital was now under quarantine with investigations underway to establish the source of the infections and that health authorities were tracking contacts of the 28 positive cases, including visiting their homes in and around Zvishavane.

    “Investigations are underway to establish the source and the pattern of transmission of the infections.

    “Measures being taken include contact tracing and testing of other members within the institution,” he said.

  • African leaders, Zimbabweans bid Mugabe farewell

    African leaders, Zimbabweans bid Mugabe farewell

    Zimbabwe gave former leader Robert Mugabe a state funeral on Saturday with African leaders paying tribute to a man lauded as a liberation hero but whose 37-year rule was defined by repression and economic turmoil.

    Mugabe died in Singapore last week aged 95 on a medical trip almost two years after former army loyalists forced him out in 2017, following a power struggle over what was widely perceived as his bid to position his wife Grace to succeed him.

    Former and current African leaders, including South Africa’s Cyril Ramaphosa and Kenya’s Uhuru Kenyatta, arrived to crowds chanting and drumming liberation songs at the 60,000-capacity national stadium in Harare for Saturday’s ceremony. Nigeria is being represented by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.

    Mugabe’s casket draped in the green, black, gold and red Zimbabwe flag was marched slowly into the stadium, accompanied by a military band and an escort of officers. His wife Grace, in a black veil, and family followed behind.

    “Let us put aside our differences and come together as we remember the past and look to the future as one proud, independent and free nation,” Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa said in a tweet.

    Mugabe’s body was returned from Singapore on Wednesday to a country he helped found as an anti-colonial guerrilla and pan-African leader who ended white-minority rule and helped bring more education and healthcare to the poor black majority.

    Later, Mugabe turned to repression and fear to crush dissidents and rule for nearly four decades during which he become an international pariah for his takeover of white-owned farms.

    “You can’t talk about Zimbabwe without Bob. Zimbabwe is Bob. It took a man like Bob, his bravery, to get independence,” said Norman Gombera, 57, a school principal in Harare. “Bob did his best under the circumstances. There is no country without a problem.”

    His final burial at a national monument will only happen after a new mausoleum is built in about 30 days. That decision was taken after his family ended a dispute with Mnangagwa, a former ally who turned against his rule in 2017.

    Though lauded as an African icon, at home many Zimbabweans will remember Mugabe more for the economic mismanagement that forced millions to flee the country during decades of crisis.

  • Zimbabwe announces new burial date, venue for Robert Mugabe

    Zimbabwe announces new burial date, venue for Robert Mugabe

    A burial for Zimbabwe’s former president, Robert Mugabe, will be held at the National Heroes Acre sometime in October, President Emmerson Mnangagwa said on Friday.

    It was previously agreed that there would be a symbolic burial on Sunday in the hilltop shrine in Harare, reserved for the country’s ruling elite, but family spokesman, Leo Mugabe, told reporters this plan had now been cancelled.

    The body will now go to Mugabe’s hometown of Zvimba on Sunday for traditional funeral rituals to be carried out before the burial.

    Mugabe will be buried in October after a mausoleum at the National Heroes Acre has been completed, Mnangagwa said.

    The confirmation comes after disagreements between the family and the government about where the former leader should be buried.

    The family initially said they would prefer to honour Mugabe’s wishes and have him buried next to his mother in his rural home in Kutama, about 85 kilometres from Harare.

    They then agreed to the symbolic funeral on Sunday in the hope that the real burial would take place at a later date, giving them time to carry out the traditional rituals.

    An official memorial ceremony is planned for Saturday at the 60,000-seater National Sports Stadium with a number of African leaders and former leaders expected to attend.

    Mugabe’s body was returned to Zimbabwe on Wednesday from Singapore, where he died at the age of 95.

    He had been seeking treatment there for an undisclosed illness since April.

    He was deposed in a 2017 coup after nearly four decades in power.

    Still revered by some for his fight against white domination as a former liberation fighter, he is widely despised by others who see him as responsible for destroying Zimbabwe’s economy and violently oppressing any opposition.

  • Osinbajo arrives Zimbabwe for Mugabe’s state funeral

    Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, will be representing President Muhammadu Buhari at the State Funeral for former President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe, on Saturday.

    Prof. Osinbajo, according to a statement by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and publicity, Laolu Akande, would be joining other African leaders and Heads of State expected at the occasion scheduled for the country’s National Stadium in Harare.

    Heads of State expected to attend the funeral include President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa and President Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya.

    Mugabe, who was Zimbabwean Prime Minister and later President for 37 years altogether, up until 2017, died last week at the age of 95 in a Singaporean Hospital.

    The Vice President, who would be accompanied on the trip by senior government officials, left for Harare Friday afternoon and is expected back in Nigeria later on Saturday.

  • Zimbabwe’s flag at embassy in Abuja, at full-mast despite Mugabe’s demise

    The flag of Zimbabwe at the country’s embassy in Abuja, on Saturday remained at full-mast, in spite of the death of the former President Robert Mugabe on Friday.

    An official of the embassy, who pleaded anonymity, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), that no one was disposed to explain why the mast was still at full-mast.

    The official, however, told NAN that a condolence register would be opened on Monday Sept. 9, at the Embassy.

    Meanwhile, there is no official report on when flags should be flown at half-mast across Zimbabwe in honour of Mugabe.

    Mugabe, who was born on Feb. 21, 1924, at Kutama Mission village of Zvimba, Southern Rhodesian District, was the immediate past president of Zimbabwe, the country he ruled for 37 years.

    Zimbabwe’s President Emerson Mnangagwa, in a national address on Friday, declared days of mourning until the late strong man of Zimbabwe was buried.

    Mugabe, aged 95, died on Friday Morning in Singapore, after a protracted illness.

    NAN reports that the flying of a flag at half-mast, was a global practice following the death of a principal figure of government, as a mark of respect and honour to the deceased’s memory.

  • Zimbabwe declares days of national mourning for late national hero Mugabe

    Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Friday declared the late founding leader of Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe, a national hero.

    Mugabe, 95, died Friday morning in Singapore, where he had been receiving medical treatment since April.

    In an address to the nation, Mnangagwa declared days of national mourning until Mugabe is buried.

    “Our party, ZANU-PF, has met and accorded him national hero status, which he earned and richly deserves,’’ Mnangagwa said.

    He also thanked the government of Singapore for medical care, it extended to the leader until his death.

    In a glowing and moving tribute, Mnangagwa praised Mugabe for his great contribution and dedication to the development of the country before and after independence.

    He described Mugabe as a great teacher, mentor and “remarkable statesman of our century’’.

    “Zimbabwe is free, has been free since 1980, thanks to the sacrifices of a generation of dedicated, veteran nationalists and freedom fighters pre-dating the 1960s, who included the late Cde Mugabe,’’ Mnangagwa said.

    He lauded Mugabe for his signature policy of reconciliation and forgiveness with former coloniser Britain soon after independence in 1980.

    He also commended him for spearheading the land reform programme under, which Zimbabwe repossessed its land from minority white farmers.

    “The late Republic icon will eternally be remembered and honoured for the bold and historic land reform programme, which he undertook.

    “Through this programme, indigenous Zimbabweans regained their long denied land rights to complete their sovereignty.

    “For that, he was especially vilified, shunned and punished by those who stood to lose from an end to colonial rights and from a just reassertion of African rights,’’ Mnangagwa said.

    He vowed to continue with Mugabe’s long-life vision and legacy of black empowerment.

    “As we mourn the passing on of our commander, liberator, founder and leader, we remain determined to carry forward the transformation he so fervently desired, including protecting and defending the gains of the struggle for which he made huge sacrifices.’’

    “On the backdrop and solid foundation of the First Republic, which he moulded as its leader, we today recover and grow our economy brick by brick until his life-long vision of an empowered people is realised,’’ Mnangagwa said.

  • Mugabe, indomitable fighter for liberation of Zimbabwe – Obasanjo

    Mugabe, indomitable fighter for liberation of Zimbabwe – Obasanjo

    Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has described the late former President of Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe, as an indomitable fighter, who contributed to the liberation of his country from apartheid and oppressive radicalism.

    Obasanjo said this in a condolence letter to President Emmerson Manangagwa of Zimbabwe, a copy which was made available to newsmen in Abeokuta on Friday through his Media Aide, Kehinde Akinyemi.

    Obasanjo, while commiserating with Mugabe’s family and the people of Zimbabwe, said that he received the news of the elder statesman’s death with immense sadness.

    “The news of former President Robert G. Mugabe’s death in Singapore, in the early hours of today (Friday), was received by me with immense sadness indeed.

    “It is, therefore, with a profound sense of sympathy that I write, on behalf of myself and my family, to commiserate with you and the entire good people of Zimbabwe over the painful transition of former President Robert Mugabe.

    “The former President of Zimbabwe was a frontline leader, activist, an indomitable fighter for the liberation of Zimbabwe from apartheid and oppressive racialism, a statesman per excellence and a tireless advocate of the preservation of the mystique of Africa’s moral and cultural values.

    “He had selflessly dedicated himself to public service for most of his life, particularly as Prime Minister of Zimbabwe from 1980 to1987 and also as President from 1987 to 2017.

    “Having followed with keen interest his heroic struggles to secure an independent Zimbabwe in 1980, President Mugabe had become much more than a leader to his people.

    “He had become the living symbol and embodiment of their long and valiant struggle for their rightful place in the comity of nations.

    “I recall, with pride also, Nigeria’s association with Zimbabwe’s struggles against racist minority rule and the country’s eventual independence in 1980.

    “Quite retaining is the memory of the honour of Nigeria being classified a frontline state in those years,” Obasanjo said.

    He added that the late Mugabe was, without doubt, one of the greatest freedom fighters to have walked on the African soil.

    “This he did with his colleague and brother, Joshua Mqabuko Nyongolo Nkomo, leading to the formation of the Patriotic Front for which Nigeria took a vanguard position.

    “Under his administration as the President of Zimbabwe for well over three decades, the country witnessed significant efforts at placing the command of Zimbabwean economy in the hands of Zimbabweans.

    The death of a leader of President Mugabe’s stature is a big loss, not only to his immediate family and country, but to the whole of Africa.

    “History will record his vital contributions to the realisation of the dream of regional unity in Southern Africa,” he said.

    Obasanjo urged the people to take solace in the memory of his total dedication and commitment to the service of his people and for the cause of justice.

    “We pray that the Almighty God will give you, the entire Mugabe family and the good people of Zimbabwe the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss and grant President Mugabe eternal repose in His bosom,” Obasanjo said.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Mugabe died in the early hours of Friday in Singapore at the age of 95.

  • ‘Zimbabweans suffered for too long under Mugabe’

    A British foreign office spokesperson says Zimbabwean people “suffered for too long” under the “autocratic rule” of late former leader Robert Mugabe.

    “There are mixed emotions in Zimbabwe today at the death of Robert Mugabe,” the spokesperson said in a statement.

    “We express our condolences to those who mourn Robert Mugabe’s death,” the statement said.

    “However, Zimbabweans suffered for too long as a result of Mugabe’s autocratic rule.

    “We hope that in this new era, Zimbabwe can continue to be set on a more democratic and prosperous path.”

    Zimbabwe’s long-time president Robert Mugabe has died at the age of 95 in Singapore, officials said on Friday.

    Zimbabwe’s current president, Emmerson Mnangagwa, who announced the death on Twitter, praised Mugabe for his role in the liberation of his country from white-minority rule.

    “His contribution to the history of our nation and continent will never be forgotten. May his soul rest in eternal peace,” Mnangagwa tweeted.

  • BREAKING: Ex-president Robert Mugabe is dead [1924 -2019]

    Zimbabwe’s longtime President Robert Mugabe has died. The former Zimbabwe president passed away in Singapore, current president Emmerson Mnangagwa tweeted this morning.

    It is believed he had been receiving treatment there since April.

    Mugabe had led Zimbabwe in 1980 before being ousted from power after a military coup in 2017.

    Nearly four decades after the country’s independence from Britain in 1980, he was regarded by many as a tyrant, willing to unleash death squads, rig elections and trash the economy in the relentless pursuit of power.

    President Mnangagwa this morning tweeted: “It is with the utmost sadness that I announce the passing on of Zimbabwe’s founding father and former President, Cde Robert Mugabe.

    “Cde Mugabe was an icon of liberation, a pan-Africanist who dedicated his life to the emancipation and empowerment of his people. His contribution to the history of our nation and continent will never be forgotten. May his soul rest in eternal peace.”

    Lawyer Fadzayi Mahere tweeted: “Rest In Peace, Robert Mugabe. My response to your passing is complicated. I’m going to write a long piece. However, for now, deepest condolences to his family.”

    As news broke of the tyrant’s death, social media users flocked online to give their views.

    One wrote: “Rot in hell, Mugabe.

    Another added: “Theres no reason to mourn Mugabe, that d**k head is the reason why Zimbabwean people are suffering.”

    And a third tweeted: “I wonder how the initial greetings between Mugabe and Satan will go?”

    LIFE OF A TYRANT
    Mr Mugabe, born 21 February 1924, was a communist and nationalist revolutionary.

    In the 1970s he led a guerrilla campaign against the minority white government in what was then known as Rhodesia.

    In 1979, British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher announced that the UK would officially recognise Rhodesia’s independence if it moved to democratic majority rule.

    Mugabe was elected Prime Minister the following year when his ZANU-PF secured 63 per cent of the national vote.

  • Hosts Egypt beat Zimbabwe to make winning start to AFCON

    Hosts Egypt beat Zimbabwe to make winning start to AFCON

    Mahmoud Trezeguet scored for hosts Egypt to get a winning start to 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) on Friday in Cairo.

    It was the only goal in a 1-0 win in the opening game against Zimbabwe in a high tempo start to the tournament.

    Trezeguet’s 41st minute strike proved decisive as Egypt missed out on a myriad of chances to make a bigger impact.

    But they will be satisfied to have taken the first three points of the month-long event.

    Trezeguet’s finish overshadowed a return to Cairo for UEFA Champions League winner Mohamed Salah.

    The Liverpool forward’s every touch was loudly cheered but he had a frustrating evening as he could not convert his chances.

    A packed crowd of 70,000 ensured a heady atmosphere at the Cairo International Stadium.

    Many of them had queued from up to 12 hours before kick-off to enter the stadium.

    Zimbabwe looked to feel the pressure as Egypt had ample opportunity to take an early lead.

    Zimbabwe’s goalkeeper Edmore Sibanda had a busy start with two saves inside the opening three minutes ——— both times touching the ball clear of his goal from headed efforts.

    Salah was involved in a slick passing move in the ninth minute that offered Abdallah El Said a chance to score the tournament’s opening goal but again Sibanda saved well.

    El Said then blasted wide with a similar chance from close range just three minutes later.

    Salah’s first effort came after 17 minutes as he cut in from the byline but had only a tight angle to work with and put it wide of the target.

    Egypt had a scare as Zimbabwe took a quick free-kick that caught the home defence napping but not goalkeeper Mohamed El Shennawi, who came out timely to smoother the opportunity.

    Then Trezequet broke the deadlock.

    Picking up the ball out wide, he collected it back inside the penalty area after a short pass.

    He then made a body check to shake off the defence and open room for himself to fire home a curling shot that gave Sibanda no chance.

    Salah, who showed no signs of post-season fatigue after a long campaign with Liverpool, had Egypt’s best chances of the second half.

    But he continued to be thwarted as Zimbabwe finished stronger.

    Ovidy Kararu’s powerful shot was the closest they came to an equaliser, but it was saved by El Shennawi.

    The Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda ——— the other two teams in Group A ——- will get their campaign underway on Saturday.(