The number of cholera cases recorded in Zimbabwe has risen past the 65 000 mark, with more than 3 300 deaths since the outbreak began, latest data from the World Health Organisation (WHO) showed on Wednesday.
A figure of 65 739 people have been infected by the disease since August 2008, and 3 323 among them have died, the WHO said in its latest daily update.
Since the previous update on Tuesday, 1 038 new cases and 28 deaths have been added .
On Monday, United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon said Zanu-PF leader Robert Mugabe had agreed to allow a top-level UN team to visit Zimbabwe to find ways of curbing the cholera epidemic and a hunger crisis.
Mugabe on Tuesday blamed Western sanctions for his country’s economic collapse, which has left millions jobless and hungry, and left health services in disarray.
Meanwhile, Zimbabwe’s rival parties on Wednesday postponed a parliamentary debate on constitutional amendments that would pave the way for the formation of a unity government, party officials said.
Both the Zanu-PF and Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) said the debate had been postponed to allow negotiators more time to discuss outstanding issues.
Zanu-PF chief whip Joram Gumbo said ”there are some sticky issues which are being raised by other members of the house” and that the negotiators had been summoned to talks by South African mediators.
”The negotiators were summoned by the convener in South Africa to finalise the outstanding issues on the talks,” he added.
”The negotiators are supposed to be coming back on Saturday. Although the Parliament is supposed to re-convene on February 17, it can be recalled for any urgent business.”
MDC chief whip Innocent Gonese said: ”Since the negotiators are somewhere finalising issues related to the constitutional amendment … the motion on the amendments will not be moved today [Wednesday] pending the finalisation of those issues which we feel have to be addressed.”
He said he hoped the discussions would be completed before the February 11 swearing-in of MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai as prime minister. — AFP
