SMALL DONATION: President Mnangagwa handing over ambulance keys
It’s only a few days into the year but so much is happening already.
The country is going for polls in a few months and the political parties have already caught the election fever.
Sadly, though, pre and post election period in our country is always marred by violence as evidenced by what happened in Murehwa, 75kms east of Harare on Monday.
A group of elderly opposition supporters who had gathered for a meeting were allegedly attacked by members of the ruling ZanuPF. As is the norm, ZanuPF denied any wrong doing claiming the violence was a result of internal squabbles within the opposition.
We are going to hear more of such incidents as we gear up for elections and, unfotunately, some people will lose their lives in the process.
Still on the election fever, there is a lot of talk on the delimitation report, which is currently being debated, with fears that constituencies have been increased or decreased in some parts of the country in favour of the ruling party.
The opposition is arguing that the number of constituencies have deliberately been cut in their strongholds while in areas where ZanuPF has a strong support base they have been increased.
Nothing really new under the sun as these are tactics that the ruling party uses every election year to have that advantage over the opposition.
Meanwhile, President Emmerson Mnangagwa was trending on Tuesday with many social media users mocking him and his office after he donated an ambulance to one of the local churches.
The story was all over state media as if the President had donated hundreds of ambulances, yet it was only one ordinary ambulance.
Such a donation would surely have been made by the Health Minister or any senior person in the Health Ministry but our whole head of state decided that, no, he would do it himself.
And talking of the health sector, the President has signed into law a statutory instrument which bars health workers from going on strike.
Doctors and nurses now face a jail term of at least six month should they partake in any industrial action to protest against poor salaries and working conditions.
Most health practitioners will no doubt show the government the middle finger as many continue to seek better opportunities abroad.
Zimbabwe is currently facing a serious brain drain and, instead of improving the working conditions, they come up draconian rules which don’t help the situation at all.
Anyway, they don’t really care, after all they fly out for medical attention.