Health and Child Care deputy minister John Mangwiro said his hands were clean in the US$6 million COVID-19 procurement scam in which he is implicated. Mangwiro said to date the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (Zacc) had not approached him to investigate the case. THE INTERVIEW BY MIRIAM MANGWAYA The deputy minister also said Zimbabwe might be forced to go into another level one COVID-19 lockdown if coronavirus cases continue to rise. This comes as the World Health Organisation (WHO) recently warned of a second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic and cases of the disease are rising in the country, with Bulawayo as the epicentre. The following are excerpts of an interview between JOHN Mangwiro (JM) and NewsDay senior reporter Miriam Mangwaya (ND). ND: There are allegations that government is failing to manage theft and misuse of COVID-19 funds by public officials? JM: Resources meant for the fight against COVID-19 should be used accordingly. President Emmerson Mnangagwa is very clear on corruption. He is saying: “No”. The government does not condone corruption. There are no two ways for corrupt public officials. Offenders will face the long arm of the law. ND: But recently, you were fingered in a US$5,6 million COVID-19 tender scam? JM: I never influenced any tender-awarding process. That was bad publicity which was aimed to tarnish my image for reasons I do not know. Up to now, no official from Zacc has interviewed me on the matter. I was called by Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga (Health minister) ordering me to hasten the procurement of the personal protective equipment (PPE) since there was a spike in COVID-19 cases that time. As health workers, we deal with emergency issues and so we cannot wait for tomorrow in emergency cases. I had to convene a meeting that night at around 9pm. However, everything was done procedurally and transparently. All the interested parties in the bidding were present. I even invited the Health ministry lawyer who was present during the whole procurement process until the tender was awarded. I am a health practitioner with a great ambition to see efficient service delivery and I would never attempt to steal from government, when I see others being prosecuted for such crimes. Those negative reports will not stop me from working hard in ensuring that Zimbabweans get the best health services. My major focus is on fighting the deadly virus. As a health government official, I urge citizens to wear masks, exercise social distancing, wash hands and sanitise, to stop the spread of the coronavirus. ND: There are warnings of a second wave of coronavirus. How prepared is the government in managing the pandemic? JM: Government is monitoring closely the trends of COVID-19 cases in the country. We have embarked on various projects on manufacturing of PPE locally for frontline workers. Government has also funded local companies and tertiary health institutions for manufacturing of PPE and sanitisers. Government is in the process of upgrading more health institutions so that if the disease hits hard on