Petition to the Minister of Health & Child Welfare

Petition to the Minister of Health & Child Welfare, Dr David Parirenyatwa & the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Health & Child Welfare

Declare Cholera a National Disaster Now!

We are appalled at the current humanitarian disaster that has led to starvation, malnutrition and deaths of ordinary people. We wish to state without equivocation that those who claim to govern must cringe at the level of the humanitarian disaster that they have authored by pursuing ill-conceived policies. Cholera has so far claimed more than 200 lives across the country and there is suspicion that the deaths are deliberately underreported.

We wish to remind the present government that there exists an unwritten contract between the citizens and government. The ZANU PF government is in breach of this contract because it has dismally failed to provide basic services to the ordinary people. Communities have been severely affected by the humanitarian crisis- children are malnourished, people, including the sick cannot access their cash from the bank, hospitals are shutting down and the people are scavenging for wild fruits for survival.

The Government of Zimbabwe is obliged to provide for every citizen and to improve conditions to make it possible for people to work and improve their lives. We suspect that those in the high echelons of power are unconcerned about cholera and do not want to declare it a national disaster because:

1. They have access to clean water and have boreholes at their homes,


2. They fly to Cape Town’s Groote Schuur on public purse and not to Parirenyatwa Hospital for treatment if they get sick,


3. To keep up appearances as well as mislead the international community about the extent of the humanitarian crisis in Zimbabwe. This also explains why the humanitarian mission of the Elders was refused entry into Zimbabwe,


4. Misplaced claims to national pride and sovereignty.

Statement Issued by Centre for Community Development in Zimbabwe (CCDZ) and Endorsed By:

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Please send to centrefordevelopment@gmail.com