Category: zimbabwe

ZIMBABWE’s largest referral centre for COVID-19 cases, Wilkins Hospital in Harare, was shut down yesterday to “allow for further renovations”, but medical staff at the health institution said the closure was triggered by doctors who downed tools to press for the provision of protective clothing. “We have made a resolution that we will not go […]

Source: Child custody: Buyanga assaults estranged girlfriend | Newsday (News)

BUSINESSMAN Frank Buyanga yesterday allegedly assaulted his estranged girlfriend Chantell Muteswa in Harare and took away his minor son after producing guns to scare away people who wanted to intervene in the scuffle.

By Previous Chida

According to Muteswa’s lawyer Munyaradzi Banya, Buyanga followed up on Muteswa in the company of armed men and attacked her in Waterfalls when she stopped over to buy a drink for the minor child at the centre of a protracted custody wrangle.

“At about 3pm, Buyanga entered the shop and started beating Muteswa. He was in the company of armed men. One was pointing a gun at Muteswa, the other one at the residents who wanted to intervene,” Banya said.

“Buyanga personally went to the car and took the son away and they drove off. I reported the matter at Waterfalls Police and was recorded under RRB 4310164, but am in the process of engaging the Homicide department because they were armed.”

The attack came after Muteswa approached the Supreme Court on Monday challenging a recent High Court order granting joint custody of the couple’s child to the businessman.

Muteswa insisted that she remains the sole custodian of the couple’s minor child and accused Buyanga of corruptly using his personal relationships with senior police officials to harass her.

High Court judge Justice Happias Zhou last week granted joint custody of the minor child to the businessman and Muteswa, invalidating the common rule which gave sole custody rights of a child born out of wedlock to the mother.

In his ruling, Justice Zhou declared that the common law rule was inconsistent with the new Constitution and was, therefore, invalid.

But on March 23, Muteswa approached the Supreme Court challenging Justice Zhou’s ruling.

“I am the sole custodian of the minor child concerned since his birth. I obtained a court order for sole custody from the Children’s Court on May 29, 2019 (CCA205/18),” she said.

“That order is an extant order and currently the only order regulating the custody of the minor child. Buyanga’s contention that the order is outdated or has expired is based on an ignorant view of how court orders are varied or amended.”

“This is not the first time he has made this false allegation. In 2014, after the Gauteng High Court ordered him to sign the two year old’s passport application form, he refused. The Sheriff of the Court signed in his place; I travelled with the child to Zimbabwe in terms of the court order (35102/2014) and returned to South Africa,” she stated.

“At his instance, he requested that I relocate to Zimbabwe in 2015. In 2016, Buyanga invited us to his hotel in South Africa, where he physically abused myself and the child. He threw us out and made us destitute before strangers offered us assistance. We returned home to Zimbabwe.

“On my return, he, as usual, falsely reported that I had kidnapped my own child. In most of his affidavits before the courts, Buyanga swears to false statements which elsewhere would be a criminal offence.”

She added: “Buyanga filed for joint custody (HC3971/19) in March of 2019, the matter was heard by Judge Zhou in July 2019 and a decision granting him joint custody was handed down on March 19, 2020. That order is currently suspended through an appeal I made to the Supreme Court on March 23, 2020.”

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Source: COVID-19: Time for leaders to shine | Newsday (News)

SOUTH AFRICA-BASED singer Enock “Nox” Guni yesterday urged Zimbabwe’s political leadership to rise up and show the nation that they can work together for the country’s common good following the outbreak of the deadly COVID-19.

BY CHELSEA MUSAFARE

Nox told NewsDay Life & Style the COVID-19, which initially fell victim to Zimbabwe’s appetite for jokes and social media memes, was no longer a laughing matter.

“Politicians from all political parties, this is the time to prove to the people that you are servants of the people. This is not the time for you to be living luxurious lives, eating good food, travelling in your private jets. All that should stop for now and start buying protective gear for people in hospitals. Hospitals are in short supply of masks, gloves and medications,” he said.

The musician, who rose to fame with the song Maria in the early 2000s, said the leaders should act responsibly.

“I do not care whether you are going to be offended or not, but reality is we need more ambulances, doctors, nurses and more facilities to deal with this deadly virus. Those with money, this is your time to shine — helping the coronavirus patients with the equipment they need. We need awareness campaigns in our mother language so that the old age in rural homes can get knowledge of it,” he said.

Nox’s sentiments came at a time there has been concern over Wilkins Infectious Diseases Hospital’s ill-preparedness to effectively handle COVID-19 patients.

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AS the coronavirus takes its toll across the globe, the Zimbabwe government has no plans [...]

Source: Tagwirei upgrades 2 COVID-19 treatment centres | Newsday (News)

FUEL mogul Kudakwashe Tagwirei has embarked on a project to upgrade St Anne’s Hospital and jailed rapist and businessman Munyaradzi Kereke’s state-of-the-art Rock Foundation Medical Hospital in Harare to cater for all COVID-19 patients regardless of their social status, NewsDay has learnt.

By Vanessa Gonye/Moses Mugugunyeki

Sakunda Holdings projects manager Everton Mlalazi said the fuel company stood ready to equip the two private medical institutions with standard facilities for COVID-19 treatment.

He denied speculative reports by the opposition MDC that the refurbished centres would only benefit the elite.
This came after MDC vice-chairperson Job Sikhala on Wednesday threatened to lead a protest against the upgrading of the hospitals, claiming the facilities were meant to accommodate top Zanu PF officials who presided over the death of the country’s healthcare system.

“There will be no preferential treatment with regards to patients that will be admitted there. It will be open to everyone and we anticipate all the facilities to be operational immediately after getting equipment,” the Sakunda executive said.

“Sakunda officials have already toured the health facilities and have so far moved their personnel at Rock Foundation after working with local medical experts and specialists to identify what is needed. Negotiations are currently underway with management at St Annes Hospital and the company is ready to foot all the refurbishment bills.”

According to insiders, Sakunda has identified other sites and was now waiting for the greenlight to upgrade them.

The company is taking delivery of several clinical items that include respirators, protective ware, ventilators, rapid testing kits, among others, from South Africa and China starting tomorrow at a cost of US$2,7 million.

Sakunda on Wednesday wrote to Health permanent secretary Agnes Mahomva seeking clearance for the hospital upgrade project.

Part of the letter signed by Mlalazi read: “The government of Zimbabwe has implemented raft of measures to curb and control the outbreak of the disease albeit under tough economic circumstances.

“It is against this background that Sakunda Holdings (Pvt) Ltd and its associates have come up with a private initiative to complement government efforts to curb this pandemic specifically in the provision of health facilities, equipment, training and vaccines. Sakunda has identified Rock Foundation Medical Centre as a facility in the fight against COVID-19.”

The firm also requested government to facilitate the engagement with relevant bodies to expedite the process in view of the urgency required to deal with the pandemic.

“Licenses will be sought from the following bodies: MCAZ [Medicines Control Authority of Zimbabwe], Pharmacists Council, Radiation Protection Authority of Zimbabwe, Medical and Dental Council of Zimbabwe and Health Professions Authority,” Mlalazi said.

Mahomva wrote to St Anne’s Hospital manager on March 25 advising the medical centre that Sakunda would take care of their renovations.

“May you also note as discussed during the tour of your hospital our request to use this facility is for up to six months only for the COVID-19 response.”

Meanwhile, Medical and Dental Private Practitioners of Zimbabwe Association interim president Johannes Marisa has urged government to decentralise COVID-19 testing centres and quarantine zones in order to tame the spread of the killer virus, which has claimed over 22 000 lives worldwide.

He said the fight against COVID-19 required collective efforts, including embracing private medical practioners.

MDPPZA is an umbrella body for medical practitioners, among them nurses, doctors, dental therapists, dentists and laboratory scientists who are in private practice.

He said countries like China, where the virus originated from, had managed to slow down the spread of the virus after implementing strict containment measures coupled with rigorous testing mechanisms, adding testing should be done on all suspected cases.

“There is no cleverness in waiting for symptoms yet an asymptomatic COVID-19 patient can still transmit the virus to many people,” Marisa said.

Zimbabwe has tested less than 100 suspected Covid-19 patients, of which only three have come up positive.
“With the availability of more testing kits, testing should be decentralised to community level. Like, for example, Kuwadzana district can have its COVID-19 centre, where referrals and testing can be done.”

Marisa said while he welcomed the resuscitation of Rock Foundation Medical Hospital and St Anne’s Hospital as COVID-19 facilities by the Health ministry in partnership with the corporate world, he believed there was need to capacitate health facilities in communities, including those in outlying
areas.

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