by Chief reporter
The President of the Republic of Zimbabwe, Cde Emmerson Mnangagwa has joined other regional and international leaders in wishing the British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson a speedy recovery after his COVID-19 symptoms had worsened.
PM Johnson was yesterday taken to an intensive care unit in hospital, after announcing two weeks ago via twitter that he had tested positive for coronavirus. He also said he would be working from home as he had developed mild symptoms which included a temperature and persistent cough.
Conveying his well wishes via twitter, President Mnangagwa said: “On behalf of the people of Zimbabwe, I wish Prime Minister @BorisJohnson a speedy recovery and return to good health. We stand in solidarity with him and the British people during these challenging times.”
Citizens applauded the President for setting aside political differences to express solidarity with the British premier. Political analysts say President Mnangagwa is the least expected leader to wish President Johnson a speedy recovery considering the freezing relations between London and Harare.
“That’s a sign of maturity. You would not expect ED to convey such a message considering that Britain imposed sanctions on Zimbabwe. I hope Britain will appreciate the essence of re-engagement,” said Timothy Chinhoro, a Harare based political analyst.
President Mnangagwa has been seeking to build bridges with Britain, Zimbabwe’s former colonial power after two decades of strained relations between the two countries. President Mnangagwa has since expressed keen for Zimbabwe to rejoin the Commonwealth, the club of Britain’s former colonies.
Since taking over in November 2017, Zimbabwe Government ministers have been granted audience in London and the UK ministers have also undertaken official visits to Zimbabwe. Britain has also regarded the New Dispensation as legitimate much to the chagrin of the MDC which has been throwing spanners in the re-engagement process.
The MDC has been sending delegations to the UK to convince the British government to reconsider its conciliatory stance towards President Mnangagwa. To reinforce their point, the opposition party and its allies in the civil society organisations have been fabricating human rights violations to that end.
