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Sikhumbuzo Moyo recently in Tsholotsho
TSHOLOTSHO Rural District Council chairman Esau Siwela has warned villagers in the district against harbouring relatives who would have escaped from quarantine centres or crossed back into the country through illegal entry points.

The district is home to a number of villagers working in South Africa and Botswana, some of whom would have crossed into the neighbouring countries without documentation and when returning home, will naturally not go through the legal entry points where returning residents are tested and quarantined for 21 days depending on the results of the tests.

Recently 13 returnees who were quarantined at Mabhikwa High School in Lupane District escaped from the facility and two of them, Givemore Khumalo and Laiton Sibanda were from Tsholotsho.

“We are busy as leaders educating villagers about the dangers of harbouring escapees. It’s not only risking their lives and those of entire villages but it’s an act of criminality too. I really would want to warn villagers never to be tempted to harbour the escapees, regardless of how close they might be to those people,” said Siwela who is also Councillor (Zanu-PF) for Ward Nine in the district.

The RDC chairman said they will soon be formally approaching the Government with a view to have Covid-19 testing kits at Tsholotsho District Hospital.

“Tsholotsho is a very big district and we feel it will be proper for us to have testing kits at the district hospital instead of having people travel all the way to Bulawayo for these tests. So as council leaders we are really keen for this hospital to be supplied with testing kits,” said Clr Siwela.

He was speaking soon after witnessing the handover of 96 maternity wing curtains by a group of Zimbabweans based in the United Kingdom who hail from Tsholotsho. The group calls itself United Kingdom Tsholotsho Community.

Meanwhile, in an effort to make sure villagers get reliable and accurate information about the Covid-19 pandemic, one of the biggest supermarkets at Tsholotsho Business Centre, Family Choice, will today be distributing Chronicle newspaper to its shoppers for free.

“As Family Choice, we saw it fit to help in the information dissemination concerning this pandemic because we exist to serve the people. We are in retailing which is an essential service which unfortunately means exposure to the pandemic. With over 40 000 confirmed cases in South Africa, and with a number of villagers having relatives or close family members in South Africa, the threat is even more real.

Family Choice General Manager Mr Rangarirai Ncube

“We therefore urge everyone to wear masks and exercise physical distancing. For our part, we make sure that all our customers are sanitised upon entering our shops and we adhere to strict social distancing measures. Our staff also frequently make sure surfaces are cleaned,” said the supermarket chain general manager Mr Rangarirai Ncube.

In their shops, there are numerous Covid-19 alert posters pasted on the notice boards from the Ministry of Health and Child Care.