Western hand in MDC-T decisions exposed

Herald Reporter
THE move by European Union head of mission Mr Aldo Del’Arricia to write letters to the Judiciary in a bid to influence its decisions has exposed the Western hand in MDC-T decisions given similar letters written by party leader Mr Morgan Tsvangirai. In the run-up to the July 31 harmonised elections, Mr Tsvangirai’s legal team is reported to have produced a letter, in chambers, asking the Constitutional Court to disregard the application filed by Justice and Legal Affairs Minister Patrick Chinamasa seeking to extend poll dates from July 31 to August 14.

Mr Tsvangirai came under fire with legal experts saying he should be advised that courts dealt with sworn affidavits not ‘‘Auntie Rhoda-type letters’’.

That was not the first time the MDC-T leader had tried to influence the Judiciary as he also wrote to High Court judge Justice Tedius Karwi on February 24, 2009 offering himself as surety in Roy Bennett’s bail application.

Bennett, the party’s treasurer-general and fugitive from the law, was facing treason charges and Mr Tsvangirai’s actions, which Justice Karwi described as “unprecedented” drew the ire of State counsel Mr Chris Mutangadura who equated them to executive interference with the Judiciary.

In his judgment in February 2009, Justice Karwi rapped Mr Tsvangirai for putting himself as surety describing the move as “unprecedented”.
“We don’t want politicians to interfere with the work of the Judiciary. I hope that they will take heed of that, because we don’t want a clash of the Executive and the Judiciary,” he said.

Not to be outdone, US Ambassador to Zimbabwe Mr Bruce Wharton has also been busy letter-writing targetting ZBH, the Zimbabwe Republic Police and the Registrar-General’s Office.

In a letter dated July 1, 2013 to ZBC, Mr Wharton expressed concern about what he termed lack of access by some political parties to the national broadcaster, while his letter to Commissioner-General of Police Cde Augustine Chihuri wanted the police chief to clarify the participation “of serving members of the force in Zanu-PF primary elections.”

From the RG’s Office, Mr Wharton demanded answers on several issues relating to voter registration.
He said he was concerned with the way voter registration was conducted in urban areas a situation which he said was counter to the intent of the Zimbabwean law and the Sadc guidelines on elections.