The upcoming ZIFA elections could be postponed if a court application to stop them is successful.
Hope Chizuzu a journalist filed an urgent application to the High Court this week seeking the postponement of the election arguing that the ZIFA Electoral Committee is illegal and should be dissolved and another formed before conducting elections.
Chizuzu confirmed filing the papers saying “We filed the papers and just waiting the allocation of the judge who will then set the matter down for a hearing date.
Chizuzu had given ZIFA up to Monday to respond to his request which he never received.
In his papers Chizuzu states that “Article 3 of the code clearly states that only members of Zifa shall constitute the electoral committee. Article 10 of the constitution itself does describe who the members of the Zifa are. These are fully admitted affiliates of Zifa as listed therein.
“It cannot be said with any seriousness that the committee of Messers Tendai Madzorera, retired Labour Court Judge Honourable Sello Nare, Musekiwa Mbanje, TK Hove, Tichawana Nyahuma, Ralph Maganga and Madam Elizabeth Banda are members of Zifa as defined by the constitution and were installed by the Zifa congress.
“This is more so when one reads article 3(3) together with article 5 (6). Even assuming the congress did indeed install them such an installation would be wrong and unconstitutional as that power is not there in the governing documents.
If Chizuzu’s application is successful elections will likely be postponed and new committee appointed and the verification of candidates done again by the installed committee.
Chizuzu potentially has a strong case after ZPC Kariba’s Said Sangula made a similar application in 2014 but though High Court judge Justice Francis Bere agreed the committee was not constituted the application was dismissed on the grounds of coming too late to stop the elections that were eventually won by Cuthbert Dube.
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