HARARE,
(CAJ News) – THE deadlock between the government and civil society organisations over the holding of by-elections in Zimbabwe remains unresolved and is playing out in the courts.
By-elections have been postponed indefinitely because of the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak early last year.
The High Court Justice Siyabona Musithu earlier this week quizzed lawyers representing President Emmerson Mnangagwa, Health and Child Care Minister, Constantino Chiwenga, and Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) for their alleged bureaucratic stance in not lifting the suspension of by-elections.
This is despite the government easing the lockdown.
Chiwenga, then in his capacity as the acting president, announced the ban, which was challenged in the High Court.
quizzed lawyers representing President Emmerson Mnangagwa, Health and Child Care Minister Constantino Chiwenga and Zimbabwe Electoral
Commission (ZEC) for their bureaucratic foot-dragging in not lifting
the indefinite suspension of by-elections.
Government in 2020 suspended the holding of by-elections with Chiwenga
issuing Statutory Instrument 225 of 2020 which indefinitely banned the
holding of all by-elections claiming that it was a precautionary
measure to contain the spread of coronavirus.
But Chiwenga’s ban of by-elections was challenged at the High Court on
13 October 2020 by Women’s Academy for Leadership and Political
Excellence (WALPE), Election Resource Centre (ERC) and six Harare and
Marondera residents namely Ellah Tayengwa, Moud Chinyerere, Agnes
High Court Judge Justice Siyabona Musithu on Monday 24 May 2021 quizzed lawyers representing President Emmerson Mnangagwa, Health and Child Care Minister Constantino Chiwenga and Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) for their bureaucratic foot-dragging in not lifting the indefinite suspension of by-elections.
Government in 2020 suspended the holding of by-elections with Chiwenga issuing Statutory Instrument 225 of 2020 which indefinitely banned the holding of all by-elections claiming that it was a precautionary measure to contain the spread of coronavirus.
But Chiwenga’s ban of by-elections was challenged at the High Court on 13 October 2020 by Women’s Academy for Leadership and Political Excellence (WALPE), Election Resource Centre (ERC) and six Harare and Marondera residents namely Ellah Tayengwa, Moud Chinyerere, Agnes Togarepi, Gracious Matsunga, David Gwanzura and Loice Gwangwara.
Zimbabwean Kate Nicholl who fled civil strife now lord mayor of Belfast
First citizen: Alliance’s Kate Nicholl, who will be the next Lord Mayor of Belfast, outside City Hall. Credit: Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph
The next lord mayor of Belfast is to be the Alliance Party councillor Kate Nicholl, who was born in Zimbabwe.
She is the first person in recent times to hold the position who was not born in the UK or Ireland.
Ms Nicholl, 33, grew up in Marondera, in Zimbabwe, but when violence broke out in 2000, her family left the country and moved to Belfast.
She said her rise to the position of lord mayor in the city was a “positive message to all other newcomers”.