HARARE – Exiled former cabinet minister Saviour Kasukuwere, who is battling to overturn his ban from contesting this month’s presidential election, will wait up to Tuesday to know whether the Constitutional Court will hear his case or not.
Kasukuwere filed a court application earlier this week seeking direct access to the apex court after his Supreme Court appeal against a High Court decision to nullify his nomination as an independent candidate was dismissed.
Justice Paddington Garwe Thursday presided over the case management before telling parties that the application for direct access will be heard Tuesday.
“Our client had filed an urgent chamber application seeking to stop ZEC from printing the ballot without his name… alternatively that it must print with his name because we still believe that he is part of the ballot papers because the order of the High Court has not been confirmed.
“So, he filed an application for direct access.
“He then filed an application on urgent basis and parties had a conversation and we saw that it was prudent and economic that the present application for stopping ZEC from printing ballot papers be removed from the roll but at the same time expedite the hearing of the application for direct access.
“So, we are coming back to the constitutional court to finally deal with this matter on Tuesday at 9:30 AM,” said Kasukuwere’s lawyer Method Ndlovu soon after the set-down.
The exiled former cabinet minister feels the Supreme Court infringed on his rights by dismissing his appeal.
He contends he has the right to contest in elections as he is a Zimbabwean and a registered voter.
Kasukuwere was removed from the ballot following an appeal by a Zanu PF activist, Lovedale Mangwana who argued that the politician ceased to be a registered voter because he has been out of the country for a continuous period of 18 months.
He buttressed his argument using provisions of the country’s electoral law.
