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Thandeka Moyo-Ndlovu, Chronicle Reporter
First Banking Corporation (FBC) has donated Covid-19 test kits to help in the fight the pandemic in the city.

The financial institution presented the donations to Bulawayo Provincial Affairs Minister Cde Judith Ncube yesterday.

Speaking during the donation at Mpilo Central Hospital, Cde Ncube said she was grateful for the support Government was receiving from different stakeholders.

“From the day President Emmerson Mnangagwa announced an emergency, the people of Bulawayo came together and have not stopped supporting our institutions. We are grateful for the children of the soil who understand that winning this battle need efforts from all over,” she said.

Cde Ncube encouraged members of the public to adhere to lockdown measures to avoid new infections.

“We applaud corporates and organisations who have been donating towards the fight against Covid-19. We are positive that with such engagements, we will together stop the spread of this pandemic,” she said.
FBC senior manager Mr Royce Sibanda said the bank has donated 10 000 test kits countrywide.

“We are equally obligated to support our institutions fight Covid and to date we have donated 10 000 test kits. The fist 5 000 went to the Office of the President and Cabinet, 3 000 towards PSMI and the remaining 2 000 shared between Bulawayo and Harare provinces,” said Mr Sibanda.

He said Mpilo would get 520 test kits and the remaining 480 would go to the United Bulawayo Hospitals (UBH). Another organisation Asakhane Live also handed masks, gloves among other to Minister Ncube.

Ms Sithandazile Dube from Asakhane Live said their members from all over the world who believe in empowering Zimbabwean communities contributed to the organisation to donate.

“We are happy to be taking part of this great move against Covid and we know that these masks, gloves, face shields and hand sanitisers will keep our health workers safe as they deliver healthcare,” said Ms Dube.

Meanwhile, on Tuesday Empretec Zimbabwe, an enterprise development organisation donated groceries to Entembeni Old People’s Home.

The donation came after authourities at the Old People’s Home told Chronicle last week that they were failing to provide food and critical medical supplies for the elderly.

The home, situated in Luveve suburb, received groceries that include cooking oil, sugar, mealie-meal, salt, tea leaves, sugar beans, soya mince, among others from Empretec Zimbabwe.

Empretec Zimbabwe Southern Region Coordinator Mr Pana Mnkandla said the funds to purchase the goods were mobilised from entrepreneurs citywide.

“Empretec has an association of entrepreneurs trained by the institution who put funds together in the fight against the impact of Covid-19 and bought some groceries for the institution after it revealed that it was faced with food shortages,” said Mr Mnkandla.-@thamamoe