In a series of tweets Thursday, Gandawa accused the First Lady of usurping the role of religious leaders while neglecting the practical work of her role as Health Ambassador.
Godfrey Gandawa
HARARE – Exiled former deputy minister, Dr Godfrey Gandawa has criticised First Lady Auxilia Mnangagwa’s planned Covid-19 prayer and fasting programme saying she is failing in her duty as Health Ambassador.
Mrs Mnangagwa, who was appointed Health Ambassador in 2019 under peculiar circumstances, has called on women to join her in “prayer and fasting” against Covid-19 from the 21st of January through to the 23rd.
Full thread reproduced below:
The jokes from Harare just write themselves. At a time when leadership is required to confront a Covid-19 emergency, the supposed Health Ambassador is proposing prayer and fasting as a solution. If this is the best Auxilia can do, she is not the right person for the job. 1/
There are many qualified spiritual leaders who can rally the nation to prayer, one does not have to be in govt. To those who are in govt, practical solutions are required. Churches and spiritual leaders should call for prayers, govt should take action. 2/
If Auxilia was indeed a Health Ambassador, as she purports, she would be busy making important phone calls to her global business and humanitarian contacts to facilitate vaccines and therapeutics to alleviate the crisis. Unfortunately, she has no such contacts. 3/
The First Lady is not a govt official, but we have seen Auxilia giving instructions to a state-owned pharmaceutical company on the basis of her supposed role as Health Ambassador. Given that she is not subject to any competence test, this overreach must be guarded against. 4/
This habit, by African presidents, of appointing their unequipped wives to key roles needs to stop. Auxilia prances about as Health Ambassador but clearly knows nothing about health. As this Covid-19 crisis has demonstrated, she has no capacity to deliver results.
COMMENTS
I agree with Dr Gandawa that Auxillia Mnangagwa should not be anywhere near National prayers. Her husband’s government is systematically arresting political activists and deliberately exposing them to Covid and I refer to Fadzayi Mahere who was arrested for no good reason and was exposed to Covid-19. She has tested positive for Covid-19. Hon Job Sikhala and reputable journalist Hopewell Chin’ono are currently being exposed to Covid-19 in remand prison when they have committed no crime. Seriously does that need a prayer from Auxillia Mnangagwa and her evil minded husband. Auxillia Mnangagwa, her husband and her husband’s government have blood on their hands and they should not insult people’s intelligence and patience by insinuating that they care for people who are exposed to Covid-19.
Better:
Leave the action also the churches!