Dear Mr President
Zimbabwe, under your wise counsel, began its 21-day COVID-19 lockdown journey on March 30 as efforts by the country to fend off the deadly pandemic got underway countrywide.
The initial – almost watertight – COVID-19 guidelines have been abandoned and replaced with a lenient regime which makes it look like the lockdown has now been lifted.
One of the most dangerous and dirtiest destinations in Zimbabwe, Mbare Musika, has been declared open to trade.
The result, Mr President, has been the movement of both legitimate goods and contraband in to one of the oldest vegetables markets in Zimbabwe – literally from all over the country.
I am, however, heartened Mr President, after learning that you recently toured several high density suburbs of Harare on a familiarisation tour.
I now humbly challenge you, Your Excellency, to do the same with Mbare Musika and witness first hand the chaotic scenes obtaining there.
In my opinion, Mr President, Mbare Musika is now in a worse status than it was previously, making it just what the devil would order as a COVID-19 compliant facility.
Both the human and traffic congestion at Mbare Musika, Your Excellency, comparatively makes scenarios in apartheid South Africa’s Soweto township look like child’s play.
Conditions at Mbare Musika now, Mr President, are just the sort of under which COVID-19 would thrive under.
Mbare Musika is now the place to be for makoronyera (vegetables middlemen), illegal foreign currency dealers, mishikashika (illegal taxis), kombis, among others.
Your Excellency, in my humble submission, opening Mbare Musika is the last thing we need as a country at this juncture.
The entire world is now treating us like one very big joke, Sir!
