Last month, expelled Information, Publicity and Broadcasting deputy minister Energy Mutodi in a tender to brown-nose President Emmerson Mnangagwa and win a local vote, undiplomatically said the Zimbabwean leader was better in enclosing the coronavirus pandemic than his Tanzanian counterpart John Magufuli.
In a tweet, the ZANU PF MP for Goromonzi West said while Mnangagwa was curbing the spread of the deadly COVID-19 disease by shutting down the country and asking citizens to stay at home, President Chama Chama Pinduzi Magufuli was fighting the pandemic with orisons and was losing, apparently.
“HE John Pombe Magufuli’s Tanzania now has 630 COVID-19 cases with prayers but without lockdown, while His Excellency President ED Mnangagwa’s Zimbabwe only got 31 cases with lockdown and masks. An insight into how managers can be game changers,”
Mutodi posted.
The comments followed reports that while other governments were shutting down operations, the Tanzania leader has refused to shut churches and mosques. To that effect, Magufuli ordered three days of national prayers against COVID-19.
The septuagenarian leader has since shown determination that the East African country has defeated COVID-19 through prayers. According to the Associated Press, the country’s number of confirmed virus cases hasn’t changed for three weeks, and just over 500 cases have been reported in a country of nearly 60 million people.
In an unseen development, the Harare government is also poised to turn to God and prayers in a bid to curb the global pandemic which has since infected 314 of its people and claimed four lives.
Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Monica Mutsvangwa, while presenting the 19th Cabinet Meeting Decision Matrix on Tuesday, announced that President Mnangagwa was expected to announce soon a day of fasting and national prayer as the number of confirmed COVID-19 patients kept on soaring.
“We wish to advise that His Excellency the President is set to officially announce a day of fasting and national prayer,” Minister Mutsvangwa was quoted in the state media.
The minister said further details were to be made available when the President makes the official announcement.
The Southern African country has added to the many other calls by various political and religious leaders across the globe to open places of worship as a means to combat the pandemic.
Just under two weeks ago, the President of the United States of America, Donald Trump, declared the opening of all worship centres across the country, labelling them as “essential places that provide essential services”.
Edited: President Mnangagwa has set Monday, June 15 as the Day of Fasting and Prayer. In his address, the President said the time has come for Zimbabweans to come together in supplication so as to seek the Almighty God’s “mercy, wisdom, help and healing to overcome this deadly pandemic” that has disrupted normal life and also the economy. “I urge you all on this day, to join us giving up one, two or all meals in fasting. It will be best to arrange to participate in this service as families, small groups of church services not exceeding 50 people, and observing the precautions we have taking to prevent the spread of the coronavirus,” said the President. He urged the whole nation to join him for a virtual church service, that will be attended by leaders from different denominations at the State House from 10 am to noon and will be broadcast live on ZBC and other social media platforms.
Thank you for reading this article till the end. Hallelujah Magazine is an African Christian lifestyle outlet committed to publishing reliable, trusted, quality and independent Christian journalism. Our journalism is free from commercial bias and is not influenced by wealthy people, politicians, clerics or shareholders. We are rooted in reality, ad-free and reader-supported. Your contributions from as little as US$1 make this work possible. We also value our readers’ feedback, suggestions and opinions. Do you have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments below. Do you like this story? Share it with a friend as sharing is caring!
