First Lady gets huge response in Kotwa

Tendai Rupapa in KOTWA

THE vaccination drive being spearheaded by First Lady Auxillia Mnangagwa got overwhelming response here yesterday, forcing medical authorities to designate an inoculation centre at Kotwa Secondary School to cope with the large number of villagers seeking jabs.

This was necessitated by the First Lady’s awareness campaign on vaccination and Covid-19 with the elderly at the school. 

Amai Mnangagwa is the country’s health ambassador and prior to her intervention, people, mostly in rural communities shunned vaccination owing to widespread misinformation that they would die or get paralysed, among many other unverified claims.

So keen were the elderly men, women and those with disabilities to be vaccinated that they refused to leave Kotwa Secondary School without being vaccinated.

The medical authorities had to set up a vaccination centre at the school where the elderly trooped after the interactive meeting.

Mudzi District medical officer Dr Sam Mutapure confirmed the surge in demand for vaccination following the First Lady’s interactive session. 

“We welcome this initiative by our mother and we are also grateful for the foodstuffs and blankets she gave the vulnerable groups. We are thankful for the teachings on Covid-19 and vaccination especially in relation to the elderly. They have accepted the teachings,” he said.

“She told the elderly the importance of being vaccinated so as to keep the virus at bay and the demand was so huge that a truck had to bring in more vaccines. 

“Kotwa Secondary School was not a vaccination centre, but with the demand she has created, we shall continue giving people jabs here. In rural areas people had no knowledge and feared death and sickness but Amai’s teachings have opened their eyes.”

Villagers who got vaccinated were upbeat that they could now plan for the future without fearing for their health.

Gogo Muchaneta Tembo from Karumba Village in Mudzi was thankful to the First Lady for clearing some of the misconceptions they had.

“We thank our mother who gathered us here and made us understand because we were being lied to. We were told that we would die or would fall sick, but we have seen that these were all lies because of the eye-opening teachings that have come. I am happy that I have taken my first jab here at Kotwa Secondary School. If it wasn’t for Amai, we would have remained in the dark,” she said.

One of the villagers, Mrs Dawa Kamuziso from Dengwa 1 Village, could not hide her joy after the vaccination.

“I have taken it upon myself to get this jab today. We feared being vaccinated because some people threatened us that we would die. We have seen that these were lies because of the teachings we received from Amai vedu vane rudo,” she said.

81-year-old Sekuru Mukombwe Gurupira from Kanjera Village said he would encourage his peers to be inoculated and disregard the wrong information they were being fed.

“We thank Amai Mnangagwa heartily because I have seen it for myself that we were being fed with lies. I am proceeding to encourage others to follow suit in our village. I will make them understand that what we were telling each other in communities was wrong. The First Lady was jabbed but is not facing any health complications. I am happy that she does not want to leave anyone behind and encouraging us all to embrace vaccination,” he said.

During yesterday’s educative session, the First Lady was represented by Minister of State for Mashonaland East Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Aplonia Munzverengwi.

Amai Mnangagwa told the people that they had to conform to the instructions of health authorities to survive.

“This pandemic has spread worldwide. The way we lived in the past has changed. We now have to always wear masks to keep this disease which has affected many things at bay. To fight this disease is to avoid its spread, we need to get vaccinated. I wish that everyone, including the elderly be vaccinated to prevent this disease,” she said.

Amai Mnangagwa asked what the elderly knew about vaccination and if they had taken heed of the vaccination programme.

Gogo Stella Kondo from Nyakuchena Ward in Mudzi said she made a wise decision to get the jab last month. 

“I was taught by health officials in our ward and admitted to get the jab to protect myself, my family and the whole nation of Zimbabwe,” she said.

The First Lady applauded her and many others who got vaccinated for taking the bold stance.

“To those who were vaccinated I applaud you, but I urge you to keep protecting yourselves. To those who are yet to be vaccinated, I urge you to do so,” she said. 

The vaccines are there. Our Government is sourcing these medicines which are continually coming,” she said.

She asked whether there were any reasons for people not to be vaccinated whereupon Sekuru Passmore Kachepe highlighted some of the misconceptions people held against getting the jab.

“I was vaccinated, but my peers in our village believe they will die if they do so because they were lied to. The elderly were fooled into believing that they would get paralysed. The vaccines are readily available in clinics but because of listening to lies from unqualified people, they are remaining behind. This makes it difficult to defeat the pandemic. We thank you for coming with this educating and encouraging session. I hope now that as a mother you have said so they will listen. I am going back to my village and educate those who failed to come about the vaccine,” he said.

The First Lady implored people not to listen to people who spread wrong information.

“Let’s not listen to people who speak ill about the vaccine which protects our health. The vaccine does not kill, follow advice from health personnel. If we all get jabs and achieve herd immunity, we shall emerge victorious,” she said.

The First Lady spoke against domestic violence saying there were increased numbers of GBV cases across the country due to national lockdown measures introduced to curb the spread of Covid-19.

She urged people to make use of her National Call Centre, the 575 hotline, to get help.

“In this lockdown period, let us live in harmony in the home without violence. In my office we established a toll-free helpline to help people troubled by domestic violence. 

“I discovered that this challenge had risen significantly during lockdown. No, let’s live together harmoniously,” she said.

She said the cold season was over, yet it remained cold and it was essential for people to keep themselves warms.

She then donated blankets and groceries to the vulnerable groups.

“If we are exposed to the cold, we contract diseases like pneumonia and coughs, among many others. Those with surgical operations feel pain when exposed to the cold. As a result, I have brought blankets so that you remain warm. I have also brought foodstuffs so that we can be assisted,” she said.

She also encouraged them to eat traditional healthy foods.

The First Lady further implored the elderly to use their wisdom and teach today’s youths the do’s and don’ts of life.

Speaking at the same occasion, Senator Langton Chikukwa of Mashonaland East Province, who is Chief Nechombo, said he was grateful to the First Lady for visiting his area of jurisdiction.

“I want to thank the First Lady for the programme she is moving around with countrywide. She is encouraging vaccination against Covid-19. This is good especially for rural areas where people were afraid of being jabbed. People were afraid of false beliefs that they would die, but her teachings and the knowledge she has given us has made many people to be vaccinated today,” he said.

Chief Nechombo said there was nothing new about the vaccines since people grew up being vaccinated since time immemorial to protect them from diseases. The function was held in accordance with Covid-19 prevention measures.