PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa’s administration allegedly lied that it had received a donation of 4 449 COVID-19 test kits from Namibia as mystery continues to shroud the government’s procurement of coronavirus medical supplies, the Namibian government has revealed. By Moses Matenga In April this year, Information minister Monica Mutsvangwa, during a post-Cabinet media briefing said Namibia had donated a consignment of 4 449 test kits to Zimbabwe that would be used to accelerate COVID-19 testing in the country. She said Health minister Obadiah Moyo briefed Cabinet on the said donation and Vice-President Kembo Mohadi also confirmed that the country received the COVID-19 test kits from its Sadc neighbour. But in an embarrassing development, executive director for the Namibian embassy in Zimbabwe, Salma Ashipala-Musavyi said her country had not donated the kits to Zimbabwe. Ashipala-Musayvi said she sought clarity from her country’s Foreign Affairs ministry after several “tendentious media reports” over the donation, and was told no such donation was made by her country to Zimbabwe. “In a formal response, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade of the Republic of Zimbabwe informed that the allegations of the alleged donation of 4 499 testing kits from Namibia to Zimbabwe were unfounded, erroneous and apologised for the inconveniences the reports might have caused,” Ashipala-Musayvi said. “The ministry would like to reiterate the assurances to the Namibian public that there was no such donation made by the government of the Republic of Namibia to the government of the Republic of Zimbabwe.” Moyo is currently on a $50 000 bail over abuse of office charges after he allegedly single-handedly awarded a contract to Drax International, a Swiss-based company represented by controversial businessmen with a long criminal record, Delish Nguwaya, to supply COVID-19 medical sundries without going to tender. Nguwaya has been denied bail but three managers at NatPharm implicated in the scam are on $10 000 bail.
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