President Mnangagwa addressed a rally in Nyanga on March 18, a day after he announced a government ban on big gatherings in a bid to avoid the COVID-19 pandemic
CLAIM: President Emmerson Mnangagwa did not violate his government’s measures against COVID-19 by addressing a political rally in Nyanga on March 18.
RATING: FALSE. Mnangagwa’s Nyanga rally did violate his own government’s anti-coronavirus measures which he announced on March 17.
On Wednesday, March 18, 2020, President Emmerson Mnangagwa addressed a rally at Bumhira Secondary School in Nyanga. The rally, attended by hundreds of people, came just 24 hours after the president announced several new measures to help head off the COVID-19 pandemic. One of the measures announced by Mnangagwa is a ban on gatherings of more than 100 people for the next two months.
Perhaps mindful of the widespread criticism his decision to hold the rally was drawing, Mnanagwa sought to defend it, saying:
“Today is 18 March, tomorrow is Thursday the 19th, Friday is the 20th, so my decree will come into effect on Friday. Right now, you have the right to gather as you have done, you have broken no rules.”
What do the new measures say about big gatherings?
The rules Mnangagwa and his government announced on Tuesday show the suspension of big gatherings was with immediate effect.
“Gatherings of more than 100 people, including those for purposes of worship and weddings, stand suspended for the next 60 days, after which the suspension will be reviewed,” Mnangagwa announced on Tuesday.
Soon after Mnangagwa’s address, Information Minister Monica Mutsvangwa reinforced the Cabinet’s position on the matter.
“Furthermore, a number of measures have been put in place to deal with the outbreak, chief among which are the following: Immediate suspension of all gatherings of more than 100 people, such as (the) 2020 independence anniversary celebrations, church gatherings, weddings and burial ceremonies for a period of 60 days,” Mutsvangwa announced.
Conclusion
Mnangagwa’s claim that his Wednesday rally did not violate the suspension he and his government announced just the day before is false.
The measures announced by Mnangagwa and information minister Mutsvangwa left no doubt that the suspension of gatherings of more than 100 people were with immediate effect. Mnangagwa’s speech said the suspensions would be in place “for the next 60 days”, leaving no doubt that the effective date was the day of his announcement, not March 20 as he sought to explain on Wednesday.
Mutsvangwa’s post-Cabinet briefing on Tuesday also made it clear the suspension was “with immediate effect.”
From Mnangagwa’s speech, the March 20 reference was to the government’s efforts to dissuade travel to and from high-risk countries for a duration of 30 days.
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