BY Panashe Chigumadze On July 20, police in Zimbabwe arrested and detained journalist Hopewell Chin’ono. The prominent investigative reporter had blown the whistle on a $60 million corruption scandal in June. They also detained Jacob Ngarivhume, leader of Transform Zimbabwe, a political group spearheading plans for a national anti-corruption protest scheduled for yesterday. Both men are accused of inciting public violence. On the eve of Chin’ono and Ngarivhume’s July 22 court appearance, President Emmerson Mnangagwa ordered his security forces to enforce a nationwide dusk to dawn curfew and ban of large gatherings. This was purportedly in response to a recent spike in COVID-19 cases. Officially, Zimbabwe has recorded 3 092 cases and 53 deaths as of Thursday night. In some countries, the tightening of restrictions in response to a rise in cases might be welcome or at least tolerated. In Zimbabwe, they are deeply worrying. Since emergency regulations were imposed in March, the ruling Zanu PF has used COVID-19 as convenient cover to loot funds, clamp down on Press freedoms, violate human rights, and arrest activists.a Perhaps most worryingly, it has used the lockdown period to quietly amend the Constitution to consolidate Executive powers without input from citizens. This is contrary to Mnangagwa’s promises on assuming power in November 2017, following the late former President Robert Mugabe’s overthrow. At that time, Mnangagwa declared a “new dispensation”, promising economic revival and democratic reforms. He had already reneged on these vows long before the coronavirus reached Zimbabwe, but the pandemic has made matters worse. Chin’ono is the latest of six journalists arrested in Zimbabwe since March. In June, he published a series of Facebook posts outlining alleged connection between the President’s son Collins Mnangagwa and Drax International, a United Arab Emirates-based company that was awarded a $60 million contract to supply COVID-19 test kits and medical equipment. Soon after posting the information, Chin’ono said that he feared for his life, after being singled out for criticism by the ruling party. Chin’ono’s exposé led to contract cancellation as well as the arrest and dismissal of Health minister Obadiah Moyo. The minister — the second in Mnangagwa’s Cabinet to be arrested over high-level corruption claims — is yet to be tried. Crisis and crackdown This episode comes during a period of high tensions for a variety of reasons. Economically, the country is in crisis. The inflation rate, for instance, is currently over 750%, reviving memories of the late-2000s when hyperinflation wiped out savings and eventually forced Zimbabwe to abandon its currency in favour of the US dollar. Frustrations are also rising over the government’s management of the health sector. Days after the first COVID-19 death in March, doctors and nurses downed tools over shortage of personal protective equipment. On July 6, nurses again staged protests to demand the payment of their salaries in US dollars. Thirteen of them were arrested