CHIEF Bramwell Bushu will know of his fate regarding his bid to contest the 2018 parliamentary elections as a ZANU PF party candidate when on Wednesday 06 June 2018, High Court Judge Justice Amy Tsanga presides over an urgent chamber application seeking to bar the traditional leader from participating in the impending harmonised polls.
Justice Tsanga will hear and make a determination on the urgent chamber application filed by Leman Pwanyiwa, an opposition MDC-T party member, who will contest for the Shamva South constituency which Chief Bushu is seeking to contest during the impending general elections as a ZANU PF party candidate.
Through his lawyer, Noble Chinhanu of Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, Pwanyiwa petitioned the High Court on Friday 01 June 2018 seeking an order to bar Chief Bushu from participating in the harmonised elections as a candidate for ZANU PF party.
Pwanyiwa argued that by contesting in the just ended ZANU PF party primary elections and by also seeking to contest as a legislator for ZANU PF in the parliamentary elections for Shamva South constituency, scheduled for next month, Chief Bushu violated the Constitution and his bid to contest the elections is unconstitutional.
The aspiring opposition legislator added that by his conduct, Chief Bushu acted in a partisan manner, which will further the interests of ZANU PF party or its cause.
Pwanyiwa argued that the High Court recently ruled that the involvement of traditional leaders in partisan politics and declaration of allegiance to ZANU PF party is a breach of the right to free and fair elections as enshrined in section 67 of the Constitution and hence Chief Bushu should be ordered to discontinue his membership in ZANU PF party or any other political party in accordance with section 281(2)(a) of the Constitution.
Source: Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights