[ad_1]
An opposition municipal official has been accused of insulting Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa for his handling of the coronavirus pandemic, an association of lawyers said.
Chrispen Rambu, a local councilor in the eastern city of Chipinge and a member of the Opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), was called by police, Zimbabwe’s human rights lawyers (ZLHR) said in a statement Friday by the night.
He was later accused of insulting Mnangagwa and undermining his authority, he said.
WhatsApp message
The ZLHR said police believe Rambu sent a WhatsApp message to a local group that unfavorably compared Mnangagwa to South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in handling the pandemic.
READ | Zimbabwe court ordered to provide doctors with protective equipment
“Ramaphosa has just announced a R500 billion stimulus package. Seeing him addressing and comparing it to the emergency department, he will not doubt that we are cheating on a head of state,” the message said, as quoted in the ZLHR statement. .
The initials ED refer to the full name of the President, Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa.
Zimbabwe’s economy has been on its knees for years and many fear that its medical system will not be able to cope with the coronavirus outbreak.
So far, authorities have reported only 29 cases of coronavirus and four deaths.
The UN warned that Zimbabwe is suffering from a severe shortage of basic products, including medicines, while half the population of 15 million is threatened by famine.
NOW READ | Malaria cases increase pressure on Zimbabwe during coronavirus panic
[ad_2]
