Mnangagwa ally Ziyambi blocks top SA lawyer representing Chamisa

HARARE: Justice Minister and top Mnangagwa ally, Mr Ziyambi Ziyambi, has refused to issue a certificate of exemption to Advocate Jeremy Gauntlett, a top South African legal mind who was due to join Nelson Chamisa’s legal team for his Presidential Petition hearing starting Wednesday, August 22.

Earlier, Ziyambi Ziyambi had said he would not block the lawyer.

“My secretary has indicated that indeed we have their application for their advocates to operate and we will process it. We don’t want to be seen to be blocking what they are trying to do,” Ziyambi said in the morning.

He clearly indicated that there was not going to be any issues with the South African legal experts.

“As practice, we will forward the application  to the Law Society of Zimbabwe and if they grant the request, so be it. But we will not block anyone. Our hope is that the Constitutional Court will apply its mind to the issues being raised,” he promised before changing his mind at last-minute.

Ziyambi advised Chamisa to take the work permit route which is practically useless due to time constraints.

Alex Magaisa, a law expert and academic  said Ziyambi was “conflicted” because he was Mnangagwa’s election agent.

“The minister is also using the wrong version of the Legal Practitioners Act. That’s why he refers to “subparagraph (iii) of paragraph (a) of subsection (1) of section five” which was removed in 2004 by the Law Reviser because it was an error,” Magaisa said.