Mnangagwa’s lawyer representing Tshabangu in CCC recall challenge

President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s lawyer Lewis Uriri is the one representing controversial politician Sengezo Tshabangu in the case in which 14 opposition Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) Members of Parliament (MPs) are challenging their recall from parliament.

Advocate Uriri represented Mnangagwa in the 2018 presidential election challenge.

The legislators were recalled at the instigation of Tshabangu who declared himself the party’s interim secretary general.

The affected MPs approached the High Court challenging their recall by claiming that Tshabangu is not a member of CCC and has no locus standi to initiate recalls.

They want the decision by the Speaker of Parliament Jacob Mudenda of announcing vacancies in the affected constituencies to be reversed.

High Court judge Justice Munamato Mutevedzi reserved the ruling and promised to announce it before November 7 when the nomination court is expected to sit.

Advocate Amanda Sihle Ndlovu, representing some of the affected MPs said they had successfully submitted their case before the court.

“It was a long battle, there have been many legal minds that have been involved in reaching the point that we are at now

“Now the matter is safely before the courts’ hands and we have been promised a determination before the nomination court sits which is very relevant to us because that is going to determine where we go from here,” she said.

Zimbabwe held harmonised general elections on the 23rd and 24th of August this year. Soon after the plebiscite, Tshabangu emerged claiming he was the party’s interim secretary general before writing to Mudenda claiming he was recalling 14 CCC MPs.

Mudenda endorsed Tshabangu’s letter and announced vacancies in the affected constituencies.

Mnangagwa went on to gazette the Statutory Instrument 188 of 2023, Proclamation 8 of 2023, fixing November 7 as the date for the sitting of the nomination court and December 9 as the by-elections date.

The opposition believes that Tshabangu is being sponsored by Zanu-PF to recall CCC MPs in order to gain more seats in Parliament and attain a two thirds majority.