SW Radio Africa news - The Independent Voice of Zimbabwe
Court applications seeking to have the date of the elections changed to later in the year, are set to be consolidated into one major case.
The Constitutional Court on Wednesday postponed three election date related cases, with lawyers planning to meet Chief Justice Godfrey Chidyausiku on Thursday to discuss a ‘consolidation’.
In its busiest day since the Court was formed, a total of six cases linked to the elections were placed before the bench of nine judges on Wednesday.
This included the controversial application filed by Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa in a bid to have the July 31st election date changed. The Court postponed that case, allowing it more time to hear a counter-application filed by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and MDC leader Welshman Ncube. The two political leaders want the Court to review its order, passed down in May, to have elections by July 31st.
Read full details here
The court also postponed hearing a case filed by human rights defender Nixon Nyikadzino, who also wants an extension on the July election date. He has argued that having the elections in such a short time would infringe his human rights, because of the critical reforms that are yet to be implemented.
Nyikadzino told SW Radio Africa that his lawyers will be in chambers on Thursday to discuss combining his case with others challenging the election date.
“If the arguments are consolidated it could make the case much stronger. My issue is one of time and the passage of time… if the case is delayed I’m afraid it may become an academic result that may not actually carry out a remedy to make sure that when we go to elections they will be credible and fair,” Nyikadzino said.
The Court also postponed hearing a case filed by Bulawayo woman Maria Phiri, who also wants an extension of the election date. She is arguing that there is not enough time to allow former ‘aliens’ to register to vote before the July poll.
Kumbirai Mafunda, the spokesperson for the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, explained that Phiri’s case looks set to be combined with the other election date cases.
“This was also postponed to consider consolidating it with the case of Patrick Chinamasa seeking an extension of the election date.
Mafunda meanwhile also explained that an application filed by the Zimbabwe Development Party, which was also heard by the Constitutional Court on Wednesday, was dismissed. The Party was seeking a Court order that would force the Government to pay for its election campaign.
The other case heard on Wednesday was that of businessman Mutumwa Mawere about dual citizenship. The full details of that case can be read here.
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