Lawyers blame govt, councils for Cholera deaths

SITHENI NLEYA  

Rights lawyers have blamed the government and local authorities for negligence in the wake of an increase in cholera cases and deaths and have called for immediate action to contain the outbreak.

The lawyers under the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights banner says it is saddening that Cholera, a medieval disease usually as a result of contaminated water, continues to wreak havoc across the country.

ZLHR spokesperson Kumbirai Mafunda said the situation reflects on “dereliction of duty” by public officials and encouraged the government to   urgently take corrective measures including provision of potable water to affected communities.

“We are greatly concerned by the deaths recorded emanating from the Cholera outbreak in Zimbabwe 15 years after another epidemic,” Mafunda said.

“We are also appalled that we continue to record outbreaks of Cholera in Zimbabwe 15 years after the last epidemic that was in 2008. We view and hold both local authorities and central government for these unwarranted deaths and for not acting to stop the outbreak of Cholera,” Mafunda said.

“We believe that if authorities had learnt their lessons in 2008 where we lost precious lives owing to Cholera, this outbreak should not be happening in Zimbabwe.”

He said the central government and local authorities have not applied their minds in dealing with the Cholera outbreak.

“We need to arrest this. Government should invest in measures that curb the spread of the disease,” Mafunda said.

The 2008–2009 cholera epidemic in Zimbabwe resulted in 98,585 reported cases and 4,287 reported deaths, making it the largest and deadliest in the history of Zimbabwe.