Staff ReporterPresident Emmerson Mnangagwa vehemently dismissed allegations that he’s using the judiciary system to disqualify election opponents, calling such accusers ill-informed. His remarks come in the wake of a controversial ban imposed on independent presidential candidate Saviour Kasukuwere and twelve CCC Bulawayo parliamentary candidates.
The Supreme Court, on Friday, upheld an earlier High Court verdict favoring Zanu PF activist Lovedale Mangwana. The ruling disqualified Kasukuwere from running for public office due to his continuous 18-month absence from the country.
Kasukuwere, a former ally of the late President Robert Mugabe, was driven out of Zimbabwe in a military-backed coup that installed Mnangagwa as the nation’s leader in November 2017.
In a related development, the Bulawayo High Court blocked CCC candidates on grounds that they breached electoral law. The court upheld Zanu PF activists’ claim that the candidates had submitted their nomination documents past the deadline of 4 pm in June.
The ousted Kasukuwere, once a powerful Zanu PF political commissar and a significant potential obstacle to Mnangagwa’s re-election bid, has blamed the president for his political downfall.
The CCC has leveled similar accusations against Mnangagwa, claiming that he has manipulated the judiciary through substantial home loans and the dismissal of politically inflexible judges.
On Thursday, CCC spokesperson Fadzayi Mahere painted a bleak picture of the current administration, describing it as worse than Mugabe’s. She accused Mnangagwa of audaciously attempting to remove his political opponents from the ballot.
Responding to these allegations, President Mnangagwa categorically denied any involvement in court proceedings against his rivals. “I have never initiated any legal action against anyone, and I am not involved in any court proceedings. If they level such accusations, it reveals their lack of education,” said Mnangagwa, speaking from Robert Gabriel Mugabe Airport upon his return from Russia.
