Behaving like ZEC’s spokesperson you risk being dragged to court alongside it in case of litigation, Jonathan Moyo warns Ziyambi Ziyambi

Exiled former cabinet minister Jonathan Moyo has blasted Legal and Parliamentary Affairs minister Ziyambi Ziyambi for behaving as if he were the spokesperson of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC).

Moyo says while Ziyambi is entitled to his own opinion, he must not speak on behalf of ZEC.

He says besides, everything that ZEC touches or does tends to end in court; the delay in the printing of ballot papers and the impact of that delay on the dispatch of postal ballot papers already appears to be headed for the courts, and the minister of justice would be well advised to keep his distance otherwise he’ll be made a party to the disputes likely if not certain to ensue.

Moyo writes:

The printing of ballot papers is critical and time bound; and because the election date is fixed, everything else – especially ballot printing – must align with the fixed election date abd not be indefinitely driven by or be subject to pending litigation on electoral disputes before the courts.

Already, concerns are growing over whether the recipients who are all over the place in and outside the country to receive and send back postal ballot papers within the legally stipulated timeliness before the election on 23 August 2023.

In the circumstances, while like everyone else or as a member of the ZanuPF politburo justice minister Ziyambi Ziyambi is free to comment or express his opinion on ZEC matters, it’s not right for him as justice minister to speak as if he’s ZEC spokesperson, not least because, ZEC is an independent chapter 12 constitutional body which must not be under the authority or direction of anyone.

Therefore ZEC must speak for itself, on the record.

Besides, everything that ZEC touches or does tends to end in court; the delay in the printing of ballot papers and the impact of that delay on the dispatch of postal ballot papers already appears to be headed for the courts, and the minister of justice would be well advised to keep his distance otherwise he’ll be made a party to the disputes likely if not certain to ensue.