HARARE – At a time when the country should be uniting to fight the third wave delta variant raging in Zimbabwe, the ruling Zanu PF has found luxury to launch a vaccine war against its rival MDC Alliance party accusing it of siding with western nations.
Zimbabwe, which has approved Chinese vaccines for use in the country, is making frantic efforts to make sure other vaccines do not find their way into the nation by suggesting they do not have proper facilities for the upkeep of such vaccines.
Reports indicate that government has often been approached by America, Britain, European Union and Australia to offer a helping hand in the vaccination process but Zimbabwe has stuck to Sinovac, Sinopharm and Sputnik V from China and Russia respectively.
It is believed that the stance has forced these nations to use the opposition party MDC Alliance, a popular political party which is often regarded as a puppet of the West according to government propaganda machines.
A spokesperson in the President’s office, George Charamba, made the shocking revelations on his Twitter handle @Jamwanda2 in a subtle response to a plea by Harare Mayor, Jacob Mafume for his fellow MDC Alliance to get vaccinated.
In the same statement, Mafume had a message to the government on the issue of vaccines saying “all [and] any vaccines are a must” which was not taken lightly by Charamba.
“These are extra-ordinary times. We have to be vaccinated at a faster pace to protect ourselves [and] our loved ones. Like [Charlton Hwende] I have had mine: to give our bodies a fighting chance. All [and] any vaccines are a must. All clinics should have them,” said Mafume.
The statement awakened Charamba who went on to disclose in a thread that the US government was working secretly with the opposition to have their vaccines in the country through unorthodox ways.
“MDC-Alliance is in a bit of a bind which it now seeks to resolve, abortively aided by the undiplomatic US man here.
“They have been given two tranches of American vaccines, in total amounting to half a million doses, for a political vaccination programme through which they hope to checkmate the goodwill that has accrued to ZANU-PF through sprite public vaccination programme,” he said.
Charamba continued his thread saying: “The two vaccines they have been given are not registered in Zimbabwe. Therein lies their dilemma!!! The laws of the country do not allow importation of unregistered vaccines!!!
“The US Embassy strategy has been to desperately stampede the Ministry of Health to allow Govt to accept importation and administration of those unregistered vaccines, using Covax facility. This would then provide cover to this political donation.
“Unfortunately for them, Chinese, Russian and Indian vaccines which are now registered for use in the country, are now registered with the WHO, making them part of the Covax menu. Zimbabwe insists that any assistance under Covax limits itself to those registered vaccines.
“The US and their MDC-Alliance lackeys are in a real bind. And so desperate is the US Mission here to have US vaccines registered through executive directive – not through the relevant authorities – that a top Embassy official imprudently wrote directly to Health ministry hoping for a directive.
“In terms of diplomatic communication etiquette, Embassies write to line ministries through Foreign Office, a route which this top Embassy official decided to sidestep out of desperation. Of course, Foreign Ministry was not amused [and] rapped knuckles of the official.
“Meanwhile, MDC-Alliance stands unstuck and transfixed, with the item getting repeatedly deferred at their top meeting. Upshot: the new, frenetic pro-vaccination messaging by the MDC-Alliance officials and Party is not a change of heart or greater public health awareness. It is political. Handei tione!!!,” exclaimed Charamba.
