Zimsec case deferred

THE High Court has postponed to today the hearing of an application seeking to nullify the resitting of the November 2017 Ordinary Level English Language Paper 2 public examination.

Zimbabwe Schools Examinations Council last week ordered a resit of the examination on allegations that the paper leaked through social media. The resit is slated for this Friday.

Justice Loice Matanda-Moyo postponed the hearing of the case, which was brought under a certificate of urgency to enable lawyers representing all the parties deal with certain issues important to the case.

Mr Denford Halimani of Wintertons, who has been instructed by the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights in collaboration with Justice for Children’s Trust to act for the parents suing the examination body, confirmed the latest development.

“The matter has been stood down to tomorrow for hearing of argument. In the meantime the judge has asked the parties to address certain issues and file supplementary documents,” he said.

The litigation was initiated by two livid Harare parents — Messrs Victor Mukomeka and Chingasiyeni Govhati — who are also suing Primary and Secondary Education Minister Professor Paul Mavima for breaching constitutional provisions by annulling the results.

It is the parents’ argument that the minister acted beyond his authority of which the Act empowers, in Section 34, only the examinations board to annul examination results.