Mugabe's party says typhoid outbreak 'biological warfare'

Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe’s Zanu-PF party has attributed the typhoid outbreak that has affected 1,500 people in the capital Harare to biological warfare and Western sanctions.

The claim was made by a Zanu-PF spokesperson in Harare Mr Claudious Mutero as Health and Child Welfare Minister Dr Henry Madzorera warned the outbreak would spread to other towns because of collapsing water and sewer infrastructure.

“The sanctions induced typhoid does not discriminate whether one is MDC (Movement for Democratic Change) or Zanu-PF as it attacks all people irrespective of their sex, ethnic or religious background,” he told state media.

“We suspect biological warfare by imperialists who are using nationals worldwide as conduits.

“Councillors must unite and call for the removal of these sanctions.”

President Mugabe, in power since 1980, has blamed sanctions imposed on his inner circle for the southern Africa country’s economic collapse.

He told the African Union summit early this week that the West wanted to recolonise the continent as evidenced by the Arab Spring.

Water

But critics say the claims of renewed imperialism were meant mask the 87 year old ruler’s failed policies including a land grab that destroyed the country’s agriculture based economy.
Dr Madzorera, a member of Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s MDC party has blamed the outbreak on collapsing water and sanitation systems in the capital.

He dismissed suggestions of a link between typhoid and the British.

“Some Zanu-PF officials have been quoted in the State media falsely claiming that the outbreak was as a result of the British government, but no further evidence was made by the officials or the State media to support their claims,” Dr Madzorera said.

“We owe it to ourselves and there is need to remedy the situation.

“As a country, we should not be suffering from medieval diseases.
“The problem is that we are receivers of a failed economy.”

He said government must invest more on water and sanitation to prevent the outbreaks from recurring.
“This is not the first time that Zanu-PF has made ridiculous claims against foreign countries,” Dr Madzorera said.“A few years ago, the struggling party alleged that the foreign countries were responsible for the abnormal rainfall in the country.”

Zimbabwe is a former British colony but relations between the two countries are strained over President Mugabe’s alleged human rights violations and electoral fraud.