CCC appeals High Court ruling on disqualified candidates

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The Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) has filed an appeal at the Supreme Court to challenge a High Court ruling that disqualified 12 of its parliamentary candidates in Bulawayo.

The High Court judge Justice Bongani Ndlovu had ruled on Thursday that the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) had erred in accepting the nomination papers from the candidates after the 4pm deadline when the nomination court sat on June 21.

CCC spokesperson Fadzayi Mahere confirmed that the appeal had been filed and said that the noting of the appeal suspended the operation of the judgment.

“Our candidatures are accordingly still on the ballot and remain there until the appeal is heard and determined,” Mahere said.

The High Court ruling had given Zanu PF three seats, namely Cowdray Park, Bulawayo South and Bulawayo North, without contest. Nine other seats were still going to have an election as there were more than three contesting parties.

The CCC is one of the opposition parties that is vying for power in the upcoming general elections scheduled for August 23 ¹. The elections are expected to be closely monitored by local and international observers, including the European Union ².

However, the electoral process has been marred by several court disputes involving candidates from various parties. There are currently 133 election court disputes before the courts ³.

One of them involves self-exiled presidential candidate Saviour Kasukuwere, who was challenging his disqualification by the ZEC on the grounds that he was not a registered voter in Zimbabwe.

The Supreme Court dismissed his appeal on Friday and upheld a High Court ruling that disqualified his candidacy. Kasukuwere’s team said they would lodge another appeal ⁴.

Kasukuwere is a former cabinet minister and a loyalist of former president Robert Mugabe, who was ousted by a military coup in 2017. He is facing corruption charges in Zimbabwe and has been living in South Africa since then.

The ruling party Zanu PF, led by President Emmerson Mnangagwa, is accused of resorting to the courts to stay in power and eliminate competition. Mnangagwa is seeking a second term in office after winning a disputed election in 2018 ⁵.