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The Supreme Court in Harare has set aside the Bulawayo High Court ruling by Justice Bongani Ndlovu, which had disqualified the main opposition CCC’s parliamentary candidates.
The ruling means that the Chamisa led CCC’s candidates will be on the ballot for the August 23, 2023 elections.
Many analysts have hailed the ruling as a victory, not just for the CCC, but across the entire Bulawayo electorate, which must choose its own representatives in parliament from a full spectrum of candidates on offer.
Bulawayo is an opposition stronghold, and the CCC expects to win most, if not all, of the 12 seats.
The CCC candidates had been disqualified from participating in the elections after Zanu Pf activists had approcahed the High Court, claiming that the 12 opposition candidates had filed their nomination papers after 4PM on the last day of nomination, alleging that they had violated a section of the electoral act which requires all nomination submissions to be handed in before by 4PM.
Bulawayo High Court Judge, Justice Bongani Ndlovu ruled favour of the application and barred the CCC’s candidates.
Addressing journalists after the ruling, CCC spokesperson Fadzai Mahere urged Zimbabweans to vote in their numbers on August 23, saying her party would rejuvenate the country’s battered economy.
“Our MP’s will represent people on August 23, but it pains us because they were not supposed to be removed from the ballot in the first place.
“To all Zimbabweans, I urge you to vote in the upcoming polls, so that we win big, because President Nelson Chamisa said we need to build Zimbabwe for all of us, not what President Emmerson Mnangagwa and his Zanu PF colleagues are doing,” she said.
Lawyer Douglas Coltart described the ruling as an important victory, adding that it has opened doors for senators and women’s representatives to be a part of the upcoming polls.
“I am sure you heard the appeal was allowed with cost, so this means that not only the 12 MP’s are back on the ballot, but also senators and women representatives. This is also important for the provincial council, so it’s a significant and important victory,” said Coltart.