We, the representatives of civil society organisations, social movements and progressive citizens, met virtually – for the second time since the commencement of the National Lockdown – under the auspices of the Citizens’ Manifesto convergence platform to deliberate on the current Coronavirus crisis and the extension of the national lockdown by another 14 days to May 3rd as declared by the Government of Zimbabwe.
We do hereby express ourselves as follows:
Demolition of Informal Trader Markets: As a result of years of collapse of the formal economy and rising unemployment, it is not a secret that the bulk of the people of Zimbabwe survive under the informal sector. Any action that is taken on this sector such as the current destruction of the markets of informal traders affect sources of livelihoods for thousands of vulnerable families and decisions made must have the full consultation of concerned actors including vendors’ representative groups. We have noted with grave concern that the trend that is more explicit in Harare, where trading sites in high density residential areas have already been pulled down. Our country is undergoing a tough period due to COVID-19 pandemic and the lockdown which has brought much suffering for the people in the absence of crucial safety nets. We note the promises by the authorities of setting up alternative sites for informal traders, but it is essential to first establish these before destroying what the people already depend on.
Affordable Data to Access Online Services: As people continue to work and learn from home due to the lockdown and social distancing measures, affordable data to access online learning and working platforms become a necessity. We acknowledge and applaud the initiatives in the Education sector were institutions are pushing for students to adopt E-learning services and call upon the government to discuss with data service providers to offer affordable data for these essential services. People in marginalised communities across the country are still finding it challenging to have access to data and we urge the government to put in mechanisms that will display a fair distribution of accessible internet services. We therefore support the call for the Ministries responsible for Education to engage mobile network operators and negotiate fair fares on students who will soon be undertaking e-learning services.
COVID 19 Quarantine Facilities: We acknowledge the government’s efforts in setting up quarantine facilities throughout the country. We urge the government to create clean and safe spaces for quarantine with the functional facilities for water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and adequately cater for isolated patients. Given that the chosen sites had already been serving different purposes, including education facilities such as Belvedere Teachers’ College, we urge that the government must effect a strategy to disinfect these sites once the pandemic has been contained. It is critical that the government comes up with a workable framework of disinfecting these institutions before being restored to normal use.
Democratic Rights and Freedoms: We are concerned by the current situation where the nation has been placed under a virtual “state of emergency”, with the suspension of Parliamentary to contain the COVID outbreak. It is imperative however to note that Parliament’s oversight role is crucial in any efforts to contain the pandemic. . We thus call for a reactivation of the key institutions of government, including the Parliament as an important arm of the State so that it can be capacitated to play an oversight role in such times. Official figures even from the government show that the police have arrested more people than the government has tested. We call upon the government to invest more in testing and treatment facilities so as to accurately trace the progression of the pandemic. We also call for more frequent and consistent public communication on the tracing and monitoring measures being undertaken as a follow up to all confirmed and suspected cases. The use of uniformed forces to maintain law and order rather than provide services essential to ensuring social distancing continues to threaten the fundamental rights and freedoms of the people. As Citizens we call upon the government to clearly define the roles of the safety forces and guarantee the observance of the sacrosanctity of human rights and also we implore the Speaker of Parliament to ensure that Parliament is playing its oversight role during the period.
Gender Sensitivity and Responsiveness: The lockdown has exposed more members of the public to cases of Gender Based Violence (GBV) and the government must put in place measures to rapidly respond to such violations. We urge government to introduce Hotlines to report cases related to GBV and also act as progress indicators for our nation as we advance the cause of women. Even during the lockdown, many women remain exposed to high risk of contracting COVID-19 especially at community water facilities and there is need for government to assist in ensuring processes of disinfecting water facilities are implemented. The protection of women and their empowerment has been a major drive for the whole nation and this is a principle that must not be forgotten.
Public Funds and Social Safety Nets: We note with concern that some of the social safety nets that have been promised such as support to the vulnerable and the informal sector have taken too long to be implemented. We urge the authorities to expedite the process as well as ensure that everyone benefits and there is no corruption or politicisation of such schemes. Public accountability is key in maintaining confidence in the government’s response to the pandemic and we encourage the government to be fully accountable and transparent on public funds as well as those donated by well-wishers in the fight against the pandemic. We call the government to share weekly drawdowns with the citizens on the resources received rather than wait for the final audit. We also urge the government to channel funds to the ailing population. The extension of the lockdown has hugely affected livelihoods and the welfare of the people.To this end we are calling for the state to establish a Universal Basic Income Grant scheme to cushion the most vulnerable.
General Access to Personal Protective Equipment (PPE): Frontline medical professionals in the fight against COVID-19, including doctors and nurses, continue to be concerned by the issue of lack of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). We note that the security forces that are operating to control movements and enforce the lockdown measures will continue to need adequate supply of the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). We thus call upon the government to commit enough resources and put measures necessary to raise the local production capacity of PPE and sanitary products needed in the fight against COVID-19.
We are encouraged by the role Civil Society has played in the fight against COVID-19. We note the efforts to provide health packs for the vendors and also provide alternative ways of handling the plight of the vendors, introduction of alternatives in the education sector, sharing of information on nutritional support using natural herbs and tracking of and support to government interventions. This illuminates the importance of Civil Society in response to the pandemic and in the governance of the country, hence the need to create a conducive space for civil society organisations to do their work. As Citizens’ we commend the efforts being done by all players of society in responding to this global pandemic. We call on the government to do its utmost to play its part especially in coordinating robust and inclusive testing and treatment services and complement the role being played by the Civil Society, emerging mutual aid networks, philanthropists, Trade Unions, private sector and the general citizenry to mitigate the crisis in our midst.
Finally, we call on the government to improve its communication by sharing all relevant information about COVID-19 in a timely manner and providing all the important details for suspected and confirmed cases. In our view the lockdown will have been a worthwhile sacrifice if by the end of the lockdown, the government has identified and isolated cases and put in place adequate preparations to continue testing, tracking, quarantining and treating arising cases, as well as educating the public and enforcing hygiene measures.
