Zimbabwe holds funeral of 3 senior leaders who died of coronavirus, elite country of Zimbabwe, COVID-19

Zimbabwe buried three senior officials, including two cabinet ministers, on Wednesday in a single ceremony at a sanctuary reserved almost exclusively for the ruling elite, as a virulent wave of the coronavirus wreaks devastating havoc on the country

“COVID-19 has taught us an important lesson that we are all mortal,” said Vice President Constantino Chiwenga, presiding over what he described as a “unique triple burial” atop a hilltop, scenic sanctuary called National Heroes Acre.

“He does not distinguish between the powerful and the weak, the privileged and the hapless, the haves and have-nots. He is a ruthless heavyweight who leaves a trail of hopelessness and despair, ”he said.

Porters in full protective gear against COVID-19 rolled the coffins of two Cabinet ministers and a former Zimbabwe prison chief on a red carpet for burial with military honors.

A few mourners, standing at a distance from each other and wearing face masks, attended the funeral in accordance with regulations which limit the number of people at the funeral.

One of the buried ministers, Sibusiso Moyo, was the country’s foreign minister, but was best known as the military general who announced the coup against then-President Robert Mugabe on television in 2017. The coup ended Mugabe’s 37-year reign and he later died in September 2019.

Zimbabwe has now lost four ministers to COVID-19. President Emmerson Mnangagwa said the coronavirus is reaping a “dark harvest” in the country as he presided over the funeral of one of the ministers who died from COVID-19 at the same sanctuary last week. Mnangagwa did not attend the triple burial on Wednesday because he takes annual leave.

Several other prominent political and business leaders have died from the virus in recent weeks, leaving the country searching for answers. It appears that many of Zimbabwe’s elite have failed to take the necessary precautions during the holiday season.

Government spokesman Nick Mangwana was forced this week to apologize after appearing to suggest that some of the high profile people were being “wiped out” in hospitals by doctors he called “medical assassins” and “Political activists hiding behind medical qualifications”.

Zimbabwe, like many other African countries, initially recorded low numbers of COVID-19 but has recently seen a spike in cases. It is feared that a new, more contagious variant of the virus arrived in the country when tens of thousands of Zimbabweans living in South Africa returned home for the holiday season.

The country of 15 million people recorded a total of 32,004 cases, including 1,103 deaths, on January 26, against just over 10,000 cases and 277 deaths in early December, according to government figures.

Zimbabwe has yet to receive any vaccine. Mnangagwa said government health officials are still deciding which vaccine to acquire.

Portia Manangazira, director of epidemiology and disease control at the health ministry, told a parliamentary committee this week that Russia and China “may offer a small donation.”

The government has also said it expects to obtain certain vaccines as part of the international COVAX initiative, but it does not have a firm date on the delivery date.