Pandemic's 'soft-landing' in Africa addressed

‘For now, Covid-19 has made a soft landfall in Africa, and the continent has been spared the high numbers of deaths which have devastated other regions of the world. It is possible our youth dividend is paying off and leading to fewer deaths. But we must not be lulled into complacency as our health systems are fragile and are less able to cope with a sudden increase in cases.’

– Dr Matshidiso Moeti, the WHO's Africa regional director

The New York Times on Saturday made headlines around the world with its headline (US DEATHS NEAR 100 000, AN INCALCULABLE LOSS) and its front page ‘lead’ which simply listed the names of thousands of Covid-19 victims. At the same time, the African continent recorded its 100 000th Covid-19 positive case, but the number of fatalities stands at just 3 261. Legalbrief reports that despite the extraordinary contrast, there is a growing consensus that this global crisis will dramatically shape the world’s political, social and economic landscape and when the growing Washington/Beijing scrap plays out, Africa will emerge as a key player.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping made preserving diplomatic ties in Africa a centrepiece of his opening address at the World Health Assembly last week as Beijing faces a backlash among some Western democracies for its role in the coronavirus pandemic. At the gathering of WHO member states, Xi pledged to give $2bn to the WHO over the next two years to assist developing economies and reminded Africa that its long relationship with Beijing had seen Chinese aid help treat 200m Africans over the past seven decades. He also committed to helping 30 hospitals in Africa, setting up a pan-African health authority on the continent and supporting an affordable vaccine there, once one has been found. CNN reports that Xi's offerings weren't just about taking the lead in Africa: they were about securing support at a critical and precarious juncture in Beijing's relationship with the continent. ‘Each time the US or the West ramps up its criticism of China, the Chinese Government turns back to its long-time, all-weather friendship in Africa,’ says China-Africa analyst Lina Benabdallah, assistant professor in politics at Wake Forest University. The report notes that China and African states will next year reconvene for the Forum for China Africa Cooperation in Senegal and, no doubt, the figure Beijing commits to will be closely analysed as African nations try to bring their economies through the havoc wreaked by the virus.

Meanwhile, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (Serap) has sued Rivers State and the federal government in the Ecowas Court of Justice in Abuja over alleged human rights violations. The Vanguard reports that its solicitors, Kolawole Oluwadare, Atinuke Adejuyigbe and Opeyemi Owolabi, accuse Governor Nyesom Wike of using the Covid-19 pandemic as a pretext to step up repression and systematic abuses against the people of Rivers State, ‘including, carrying out mass arbitrary detention, mistreatment, forced evictions, and imposing pervasive controls on daily life’. As previously reported in Legalbrief Today, Wilke ordered the demolition of three hotels in the state which were suspected of violating lockdown regulations. The organization, which has slammed the ‘brutal crackdown’, is seeking a trial date.

The pandemic continues to dominate the news across the continent, notes Legalbrief. Tanzanian President John Magufuli and his Kenyan counterpart Uhuru Kenyatta have agreed that Ministers from the two countries should meet to resolve an on-going border dispute over coronavirus testing. BBC News reports that Magufuli ordered regional commissioners of border towns to meet with officials from Kenya to resolve any underlying issues. ‘This is a time to build the economy. Coronavirus did not start in Africa, and so it shouldn’t be a source of wrangles within the East Africa Community,’ he said. The intervention comes just days after Kenyatta closed Kenya's border with Tanzania, except for cargo vehicles. Until Saturday, any driver had been able to cross borders as they tested negative for Covid-19.

Bulawayo resident Levison Ncube died from 'subarachnoid haemorrhage and head trauma' days after police allegedly beat him for allegedly violating Covid-19 lockdown rules in April. The cause of his death is contained in a post-mortem report conducted by a government pathologist at the local United Bulawayo Hospitals, says TimesLIVE. Ncube and his pregnant girlfriend were on their way to the shops to buy basic commodities when police reprimanded them. The deceased’s family has filed a notice of intent to sue police Commissioner-General Godwin Matanga. Mehluli Dube, a lawyer with Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, representing the Ncube family, said his clients were claiming compensation for medical expenses, funeral expenses, general damages for loss of support and any other ancillary damages suffered as a result of the death. It marks the third case of the government being sued for violations committed during the national lockdown period.

In SA, Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng says the lockdown and State of Disaster implemented to curb the spread of the coronavirus cannot function above the Constitution. The head of the judiciary was speaking to News24 from under a tree on his farm, where he encouraged citizens to challenge government decisions they deem to be infringing their rights. ‘Even a constitutionalist function(ing) State of Emergency is subject to constitutional review. Our constitutional rights are crucial and there can never be a situation (where) any of us are not subject to constitutional review,’ he said. Mogoeng said this was why he did not agree with the view that courts should have been shut down during the early phase of the nationwide lockdown because people should have the option to challenge any violation of their rights during this period. ‘I encourage every citizen who believes his or her rights have been infringed to, without hesitation, approach our courts,’ he said. He said Covid-19 and the related lockdown have made a bad situation worse in the judiciary, with cases piling up.

On the issue of having matters heard virtually, the CJ said some lawyers have rebuffed the idea. ‘You risk people saying, if they don't succeed … I did not succeed because I was compelled by the court to present my cases under most unusual circumstances,’ Mogoeng said. According to News24, he said for many years he has been pushing for a court modernisation along the lines of SARS. ‘But you need funding to be able to do that. As you know, the public purse is highly challenged. There are so many key areas competing for the limited resources,’ Mogoeng said. The CJ pointed out the lockdown has exacerbated court backlogs that were already a serious concern prior to the lockdown. ‘And the challenge is we really aren't able to plan effectively around the lockdown because we don't even know when it's going to end,’ he said, adding courts would have to prioritise cases impacting the economy and gender-based violence.

Government officials in the DRC have denied manipulating the number of coronavirus cases and deaths. This after health officials announced that 63 deaths have been recorded from 2 025 cases, mostly in Kinshasa. A report on the News24 site notes that it said 312 patients have recovered. The government on Friday reported that a doctor and a hospital administrator had been arrested and later released over accusations of falsely declaring coronavirus cases. ‘A negative media campaign is being waged against our country by some foreign media, with the aim of tarnishing its image in connection with the management of Covid-19,’ the Council of Ministers said in a statement.

In other news:

* Two journalists have been arrested in Zimbabwe on suspicion of contravening coronavirus regulations and ignoring police orders. Police spokesperson Paul Nyathi said they were charged in a Harare court on Saturday for attempting to interview three opposition lawmakers in hospital who had allegedly been abducted two weeks ago. They are being held in custody until their bail hearing tomorrow.

* Botswana President Mokgweetsi Masisi, who visited Zimbabwe on Tuesday for a SADC meeting, is undergoing self-quarantine for the third time. His spokesperson Batlhalefi Leagang said circumstances had forced the meeting to be held in person despite the pandemic which has spurred virtual meetings worldwide.

* Five humanoid robots have been delivered to Rwanda where they will assist in coronavirus screening, delivering food and drugs to patients, as well as act as video-conferencing links between patients and doctors. Each robot has been given a Rwandan name – Akazuba, Ikizere, Mwiza, Ngabo and Urumuri. Their main purpose is to reduce health workers' exposure to Covid-19 patients. The robots are manufactured by a Belgium-based company.