Villagers in Bulilima West constituency are living in fear of contracting the deadly coronavirus (COVID-19) as it has emerged that there are border jumpers and fuel dealers coming into the country through unauthorised entry points.
This is due to the fact that there is no perimeter fence at Village 13 which separates Zimbabwe and the neighbouring Botswana.
This was revealed by Village 13 Clinic Nurse-in-Charge Mgcini Lemu Ncube during a tour of the facility, Friday, by Bulilima West Constituency Member of Parliament Dingumuzi Phuti and Bulilima Rural District Council chief executive officer John Brown Ncube, to assess the state of preparedness of the clinics in the district in the fight against the spread of COVID-19.
“As a clinic we are hands on and ready to attend to any Coronavirus suspected case as we have identified an isolation room, set up hand washing points and also spread out the messages of the pandemic to the community we serve which is over 4000 people,” said Ncube.
He said there is a cause for concern for border jumpers and villagers who are selling fuel which they buy from Botswana.
“The challenge we are facing is that there are border jumpers coming into the country who are not tested upon entry as they use illegal points of entry.
“There are also villagers who are illegally selling fuel and the commodity is sourced from Botswana using the same illegal points of entry,” he said.
Bulilima RDC CEO Ncube said the border was porous since the perimeter fence was stolen.
“The perimeter fence was stolen and the same also applies to the one at the game park which has also caused the human and wildlife conflict,” said Ncube, adding that the perimeter fence needs to be replaced.
MP Phuti said he will relay the message to relevant authorities to ensure that the issue is dealt with.
Matabalelend South province is yet to record a COVID-19 positive case.
