CCC candidate wins election disqualification appeal

The Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) has won one of its two appeals against the disqualification of its candidates for local authority elections in Gwanda, Matabeleland South.

Joseph Khumalo of Ward 6 in Gwanda RDC had his papers rejected by the nomination court on June 21.

His appeal was heard by Justice Dube Banda of the Bulawayo High Court on Wednesday.

His lawyer Professor Welshman Ncube told ZimLive: “He was disqualified on the basis that his name did not appear on that ward’s voters roll.

“ZEC conceded that they made a mistake and that he was improperly disqualified, and we got a court order reinstating him as a candidate.”

The CCC failed, however, to have the disqualification of Mandlenkosi Moyo, its candidate for Ward 2 in Gwanda urban, overturned.

Ncube explained: “He was disqualified on the basis that he was not a registered voter in Ward 2. It was confirmed that the delimitation had removed him from Ward 2 and put him in Ward 7. We couldn’t get him instated because he is now outside the boundaries of Ward 2.

“The map was redrawn in such a way that his polling station and his physical address where he lives were all moved to Ward 7 out of Ward 2, so we conceded that he was properly disqualified because he is not a registered voter in Ward 2 but in Ward 7.”

A list gazetted by ZEC shortly after the sitting of the nomination court on June 21 showed Zanu PF had fielded all 1,974 candidates for local authority elections while the CCC had managed to field in 1,869 – 105 short of target.

The CCC has several appeals in court to overturn some of the disqualifications.

Zimlive