Zimbabwe in Lockdown:
COVID-19 & Human Rights
from a community perspective
1.0
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY.
April 2020 started off on a note of national uncertainty.
The government of Zimbabwe had just declared a countrywide lockdown in an attempt to contain
the spread of the Corona Virus of 2019.
Across the world, the highly contagious COVID19 pandemic was spreading like wildfire and while
the Zimbabwean Government had initially taken a backseat approach, the death of the first person
to be diagnosed with the disease, prominent journalist Zororo Makamba on 23 March, seemed like
a wake up call.
Subsequently, government declared that the country would be on a strict lockdown for 21 days from
March 30 to April 19.
HARARE CITY CENTRE DURING THE FIRST WEEK OF THE LOCKDOWN.
This meant that all businesses, except essential service providers, were to cease operations and
that people were to stay at home.
There was no doubt the measures that government was
to implement were to have human rights implications and
the Zimbabwe Peace Project (ZPP), through its monitors
continued to look out for any human rights violations that
would occur during this period of uncertainty and anxiety.
As such, the right to personal liberty, the right to health,
right to social protection, among others, were on the
spotlight as government announced the intention to
deploy the state security agents to enforce the lockdown.
REPORT
HUMAN RIGHTS
VIOLATIONS TO
+263 77 488 3406
+263 77 488 3417
ARMY & POLICE ENFORCING THE LOCKDOWN