Government has not suspended rent payments – Spokesperson

Contrary to what some fake secular that is doing the rounds, Zimbabwe president Emmerson Mnangagwa has not suspended payment of rents, according to Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Permanent Secretary Nick Mangwana.

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Mangwana said the issue was discussed with the taskforce tackling Covid-19 but could not be effected for legal reasons:

Certainly the President has not issued a moratorium on the payment of rentals. The #Covid19Zim Taskforce discussed this request from some citizens and concluded that Govt cannot interfere with this civil contract under the current laws.

Some countries have put in such measures during national lockdowns due to loss of income with nations like Spain set to introduce a Universal Basic Income (UBI) that will run for the foreseeable future.

For Zimbabwe, what makes a rent intervention complicated is that a lot of landlords will be relying on that income when it becomes available for survival. In an economy that is already struggling, basically on its knees, it is complicated.