In practice, corruption charges are levied against dissident ZANU-PF members and especially against the main opposition Movement for Democratic Change Alliance (MDC-A), which faces leadership tussles that the ZANU-PF regularly seeks to exploit further. This takes place against a backdrop of an increasingly politicised judiciary that plays into such efforts, while hampering attempts to confront graft effectively.
The current lockdown may be extended beyond January as numbers continue to rise, and the health system remains overwhelmed.
The virus's reported further spread among government and ZANU-PF officials could exacerbate institutional instability.
Conditions for prisoners, including political detainees, will likely deteriorate further amid the latest lockdown.
