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Daniel Nemukuyu Senior Reporter
THE local authorities’ inaugural meetings and the election of mayors and chairpersons throughout the country has been set down for Monday morning. Local Government, Public Works and National Housing Minister Ignatius Chombo yesterday confirmed the development saying everything was now in place and that only elected councillors would be considered for the positions of mayors and chairpersons.
Minister Chombo said the event would take place at all the 92 local authorities throughout the country at 10am.
“The inauguration of mayors and council chairpersons will be held on Monday throughout the country at 10am.
“Everything in now in place and the permanent secretary Mr Killian Mupingo has already communicated the position to all councils,” said Minister Chombo.
Contrary to MDC-T’s arguments to the contrary, Minister Chombo said the mayors and chairpersons would come only from elected councillors.
He said the Government would only be guided by the Constitution and not what the MDC-T wants.
“We are conducting the inauguration in terms of the Constitution of Zimbabwe which stipulates that only elected councillors may be appointed mayors and chairpersons,” he said.
The decision to hold the meetings was announced two days after the High Court had thrown out an urgent chamber application by MDC-T in which it sought to compel the Government to allow non-councillors to be appointed mayors and chairpersons.
Justice Francis Bere on Wednesday dismissed the application by the opposition party for failure to prove that the case was urgent.
This means the MDC-T may proceed by way of filing a normal court application, which, according to legal experts cannot stop the inauguration.
Mr Terence Hussein of Hussein and Ranchod said the inauguration should go ahead and that at law, nothing can stop.
“The process has to move on. MDC-T cannot, at this time stop the inauguration.
“Even if ever they think of persisting with the application through a normal court application, they are allowed but that cannot stop the inauguration process,” said Mr Hussein.
Professor Lovemore Madhuku said in the absence of a court order stopping the process, the process should go on.
“Mere filing of a court application does not stop the inauguration process.
“In the absence of a court order no changes can be effected,” he said.
MDC-T’s lawyers started by filing the urgent chamber application at the Electoral Court.
After Government lawyer Mr Joseph Mandizha successfully argued before the judge that the matter had nothing to do with elections, MDC-T lawyers Mwonzora and Associates quickly withdrew the application.
They redirected the same application to the High Court where Justice Bere refused to hear it as an urgent matter for failure by the lawyers to establish the urgency of the case.
Online Reporter