DISGRUNTLED Zimbabweans living in South Africa yesterday ratcheted up pressure on President Cyril Ramaphosa’s government to deport Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga, who was reportedly admitted to a Cape Town hospital after he fell ill last week.
The protesters picketed at Groote Schuur Hospital, demanding that Chiwenga be sent back to Zimbabwe to seek medical treatment at the country’s health institutions with a demoralised and ill-equipped medical staff.
Although government has remained mum over Chiwenga’s ill-health, the former army general, who has been battling ill-health since November 2017 when he facilitated former President Robert Mugabe’s ouster, is believed to have been flown to South Africa for specialist treatment after his health deteriorated last week.
Highly-placed government sources said the VP initially sought medical attention at the Avenues Clinic in Harare on Wednesday before going home, but his situation took a nose-dive, forcing him to fly to Cape Town.
Armed with placards and replicas of the Zimbabwean flag, the diasporans spent the day camped outside the Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town, protesting against Chiwenga’s presence in the country.
Some of the placards read Chiwenga go back home, Chiwenga stop killing Zimbabweans, with the general message that government leaders should not get access to quality healthcare outside Zimbabwe, while the majority of citizens were forced to seek treatment at poorly equipped hospitals back home.
Pearl Matibe, spokesperson for Zimbabweans based in the diaspora, whose organisation has led a wave of demonstrations against President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government in South Africa, Britain and the United States, said the Cape Town demonstration was spontaneous.
“Citizens who are concerned over the state of affairs in Zimbabwe, just came together without being organised; this was an instinctive demonstration which is just a call on leaders to develop their own health institutions instead of looting taxpayers’ money to access healthcare in other countries,” she said.
Information minister Monica Mutsvangwa yesterday said she was unware of Chiwenga’s alleged hospitalisation in South Africa.
“I am not aware of that, let me find out and I will come back to you. I am not aware that the VP is in South Africa, I will first need to ask and come back to you,” Mutsvangwa said.
