Outspoken chief Nhlanhlayamangwe Felix Ndiweni who is now based in the United Kingdom after falling out with President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s regime for standing up against human rights abuses and maladministration has petitioned the international community to force Zimbabwean authorities to reverse the controversial barring of 12 opposition Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) aspiring Bulawayo MPs from contesting in the upcoming harmonised general elections.
This comes after a Bulawayo High Court last week barred 12 CCC parliamentary candidates from contesting citing that they had allegedly filed their nomination papers after the 4pm deadline.
This was, however, viewed as the beginning of a process to manipulate the electoral process in favour of Zanu-PF especially after the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) itself confirmed that the CCC nomination papers were submitted on time.
Chief Ndiweni is petitioning the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to pile pressure on the Zanu-PF administration to end human rights abuses and reinstate the 12 affected candidates.
Chief Ndiweni said in the petition : “This affects the whole of Bulawayo, the second city of Zimbabwe. It affects intensely the southern Region of Zimbabwe and also the whole country.
“The High Court judge who barred these twelve prospective candidates from standing ruled that they had handed their candidature papers late to the Zimbabwean Election Commission, Zec, that facilitates the election.
“Yet Zec in their Nomination Court and also at the High Court said these twelve prospective candidates handed in their papers on time. At the High Court no other evidence was presented that contradicts this yet the judge barred the prospective candidates from standing.
“The twelve barred candidates were all from the main Opposition, Citizens Coalition for Change, CCC. The ruling party is Zanu PF and it controls the judges with an iron fist.
“In these elections which are due on the 23rd August 2023 , Zanu PF is trailing far behind the CCC. Commentators predict that CCC will win this election, bringing change to Zimbabwe for the first time in 43 years.
“It now comes to light that there were a number of Zanu PF candidates that handed in their papers late, after 16;00, yet nothing was done to them.”
Chief Ndiweni further cited that the banning of CCC Bulawayo candidates worsens the marginalisation of the second largest city in Zimbabwe.
“This is a frontal assault upon democracy itself , aside from any politics that may be there. To make matters worse, Bulawayo and the southern part of Zimbabwe have been marginalised by the Zanu PF government for 43 years with respect to development and service delivery by Zanu PF.
“In addition Bulawayo suffered atrocities in one of its suburbs called Ntumbane in the early 1980’s perpetrated by Zanu PF. Then in the period 1983 -1987 Bulawayo and the southern provinces suffered a Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity, once again perpetrated by Zanu PF,” read the statement accompanying the petition.
Chief Ndiweni added: “We are asking for the 12 candidates that have been barred, to be allowed to stand in these elections on the 23 August 2023
“We are asking the international arena to apply pressure to the Zimbabwean government for it to operate within the internationally acceptable norms of practice for elections as it has already pledged to do so.
“We are asking the international arena to encourage the countries around Zimbabwe, SADC, to be firm with Zanu PF, with respect to these elections, the rule of law, and the principles of democracy.
“We are asking for your participation in this petition so as to show that the world is watching and also to encourage other governments to take a stronger position against the Zanu PF government.”
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