by RICHARD MUPONDE/MIRRIAM MANGWAYA/BEAUTY NYUKE     PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa has announced a coterie of punitive measures designed to coerce citizens to undergo COVID-19 vaccination following a low uptake of the jab since the launch of the programme on Thursday last week. Addressing villagers in Nyamandlovu in Bulawayo on Thursday where he officiated at the ground-breaking ceremony for the Zambezi Water Project pipeline at Epping Forest pumpstation, Mnangagwa warned of a tough time ahead for those who refuse to be vaccinated. He said there was no reason why people should refuse to be vaccinated, but maintained  that the immunisation programme was voluntary. “You are not forced to be vaccinated, but time shall come when those who are not vaccinated won’t get jobs and won’t be able to board Zupco buses. So you have to see what you can do now, the vaccines are free,” he said. After Mnangagwa’s threats, presidential spokesperson George Charamba posted on his @Jamwanda2 Twitter handle urging citizens who resist vaccination to be prepared to face the trade-off. “Testing strong snuff by nostrils: Well, there you have it folks! The President of Zimbabwe, Cde ED Mnangagwa, today broke his silence on whether or not the COVID-19 vaccination remains voluntary forever” Charamba tweeted. “Those wishing to abstain from the vaccination programme are free to do so for as long as they accept the onerous trade-off: namely that they may have to be barred from public spaces, including accessing offices, shops or riding on mass transits like Zupco.” He said Mnangagwa instilled confidence in the public by inviting his deputy Constantino Chiwenga, who is Health minister, to become the first Zimbabwean to be inoculated. “The President invited Vice-President up as proof that the Sinopharm vaccine was indeed safe. Vice-President Chiwenga commissioned the vaccination programme by taking the first jab himself last week. “Many medical staff, themselves the core frontline in the fight against COVID-19, have been vaccinated under the programme which is wholly government-funded and is meant to get Zimbabwe back to normalcy,” he said. Earlier in the week, Charamba had hinted on mandatory vaccination. Human rights groups and medical doctors yesterday said Mnangagwa’s call for all citizens to participate in the vaccination programme was noble, adding that government needs to ramp up its information dissemination programme to increase uptake of the drug. Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum executive director Musa Kika said the President’s declaration was a balancing exercise to enhance proper management of the Public Health Act in fighting COVID-19. “Those who are not interested in getting vaccinated should be ready to face the consequences,” Kika said. “As much as everyone must enjoy their rights, they are limited by section 86 of the Constitution. Rights of individuals should not infringe those of others. Sometimes setting out conditions was reasonable as it was meant to encourage citizens to get vaccinated.” He said what Mnangagwa outlined was likel