Zimbabwe Ministers To Hold Online Meetings Due To Covid-19
Zimbabwe’s ministers will hold their first online Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, 18th August, 2020.
Previously, the country’s ministers met in person but Zimbabwe’s government has adopted virtual meetings after senior Zanu PF and government officials tested positive for COVID-19.
In a notice, Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet, Dr. Misheck Sibanda said the next Cabinet meeting had been rescheduled to 0900 hours on Tuesday, 18th August, 2020 on a virtual platform.
“The Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet, Dr. Misheck Sibanda wishes to advise all Cabinet members that next week’s Cabinet meeting has been rescheduled to 0900 hours on Tuesday, 18° August, 2020 on a virtual platform. Details relating to the actual modalities for the Meeting will be provided in the usual manner.
Members should therefore plan accordingly”, said Sibanda.
The Deputy Minister for Youth, Sport, Arts, and Recreation Tino Machakaire recently revealed that he tested positive for Covid-19 and is now in self-isolation.
Machakaire becomes the third parliamentarian, but the first Zimbabwean minister to go public with his Covid-19 status after Ruth Labode and Tongai Mnangagwa, took to his Facebook timeline to announce the test results.
In related news, Minister of Information Publicity and Broadcasting Services, Senator Monica Mutsvangwa is reported to be currently in self-isolation after her husband Chris Mutsvangwa tested positive for coronavirus.
A Zimbabwean publication reported that Christopher Mutsvangwa, the war veterans leader and former advisor to President Mnangagwa tested positive for the virus last week.
Minister Monica Mutsvangwa apparently missed this week’s cabinet meeting as she had self-isolated as a precautionary measure.
Several ministers also missed Tuesday’s cabinet session after coming into contact with the late former minister of Lands and Agriculture, Perrance Shiri, who succumbed to the deadly virus last week.
Shiri’s deputy Vangelis Peter Haritatos was also reported to be in self-isolation.
Zanu PF announced that 26 of its 154 workers at the party headquarters in Harare had tested positive for Covid-19.