State and citizens must join forces to help contain COVID 19

By Rawlings Magede

Zimbabwe risks losing the fight against the COVID 19 pandemic if the laxity in the enforcement of COVID 19 restrictions is anything to go by. The 31 December event in Mbare organised by DJ’s Fantan and Levels all but exposed the lack of appreciation by citizens on the severity of COVID 19 in Zimbabwe. How the police allowed this event that was attended by hundreds of people is shocking given the surge in cases of COVID 19 over the festive season.

This past week, the sentencing of DJ’s Fantan and Levels dominated discussions on social media with a majority of netizens arguing that the sentencing was harsh given that other elite clubs such as Dreams owned by the late flamboyant Genius Kadungure have continued to open its doors to large numbers of patrons. While such a debate is necessary, there has been a somewhat limited conversation on the complicit role played by police officers who gave the green light for the event. That senior police officers received bribe  money from the organizers is not a secret but rather serves to confirm the high levels of corruption within  law enforcement agents.

In a country confronted by a pandemic that has the potential of dishing out untold fatal blows, there is need to confront the pandemic on two levels. The first level is at the level of the state, that has an obligation of acting on behalf of citizens by ensuring that resources such as social protection is provided for vulnerable groups. At this level, government must do more and go beyond cheap politicking by ensuring that such vulnerable groups are cushioned. The other level is at the level of everyday life in which individuals and communities mobilize each other thereby helping in changing their behaviors to help reduce the risk of transmission. At this level sadly we have failed. This has been demonstrated by the failure to observe social distancing, wearing of face masks and adhering to other COVID 19 preventative measures.

These two levels must complement each other. Public health remains a social good that is a product of both the state and its citizens. The fight against epidemics such as HIV/AIDS and Ebola brought with it several lessons. One such lesson is the importance of partnerships between civil society and government. In dealing with COVID 19, we need a similar social contract between the state and citizens, collaborating in solidarity to keep the vulnerable safe and take care of the sick. One of the unfortunate blunders by government is the failure to consider the disastrous effects of the lockdown on a sizeable chunk of our population which belongs to the informal sector. Cash payouts for vulnerable groups that help mitigate against the impact of COVID 19 that have been channeled through the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare remain shrouded in a lot of mystery. What we have seen are just headlines mostly in the state controlled press but there have been lack of publicity around the criteria being used to help such groups. Social protection measures have been inadequate, poorly implemented and hard to access. The fight against COVID 19 has also been dealt a major blow by acts of corruption within law enforcement agents.

Of hungry law enforcement agents and poverty

The 31 December event organised by the jailed DJ’s eroded whatever was left of the confidence that citizens had in the police in as far as enforcement of COVID 19 lockdown is concerned. The several roadblocks bear testament to this. At some roadblocks citizens without exemption letters are made to pay money to gain access into town.

Also the  manner in which the lockdown is being implemented makes citizens by standers in the fight against COVID 19.The default frame of thinking about state-society relations has been disciplinary and coercive. The emphasis has been on the top-down controls via a series of sometimes bizarre regulations. In my view during the lockdown period law enforcement agents assume the role of front line workers which means that in enforcing the lockdown, they must not only enforce the law with brutality as before but ensure that they also join the crusade on awareness raising on COVID 19.As highlighted before, there is need for stronger ties between the state and civil society built on mutual trust and respect. As part of this partnership, civil society organisations can train law enforcement agents on COVID 19 preventative measures and have collaborative programmes such as awareness raising on COVID 19 in suburbs. We need to do much more thinking about public health movements and pick up lessons from past epidemics. The last great European cholera epidemic, for example was not simply eradicated by medical science. What made a big difference in Hamburg at the end of the 19^th century was a workers’ public health movement led by socialist parties in poor neighbourhoods, teaching people about hygience, washing of hands and boiling water before drinking. Closer to home,HIV/AIDS in South Africa was not only contained by the roll-out of antiretrovirals.It was the Treatment Action Campaign that shook things up. This organisation created a democratic, gender-aware and rights-based social movement that destigmatised the disease and supported profound changes in sexual behavior. It built a movement for health that linked a campaign for access to medicine to a broader call for social justice.

In the final analysis, both the state and citizens need to change their approach on tackling COVID 19.At a time when governments across the world are struggling to control the spread of COVID 19, there is need for the state to change its approach and treat its citizens as active participants in the fight against COVID 19.Without participation by the citizens, the fight against COVID 19 will be a lost battle.

Rawlings Magede is a Communication for Development expert who writes here in his personal capacity. Feedback on vamagede@gmail.com