RESPONSE TO AN ARTICLE TITLED “SAD DAY FOR DEMOCRACY” PUBLISHED IN THE NEWSDAY OF THE 8TH OF OCTOBER 2020 BY DESMOND CHINGARANDE AND VENERANDA LANGA

Parliament notes with apprehension the article in the Newsday of Thursday 8th of October 2020, which alleges that Parliament ignored a Court Order. Nothing could be further from the truth. The fact of the matter is that when the Members were sworn in, at 1415 hours and 1430 hours in the National Assembly and Senate respectively, there was no Court Order that barred Parliament from executing its constitutional mandate. Parliament of Zimbabwe respects the rule of law and the Courts. As such, Parliament has never gone against a Court Order.

It is critical to note that the Constitution of Zimbabwe being the supreme law of the land imposes certain obligations on institutions of the State and on holders of specific offices. Parliament is obliged, once it receives a notice from the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission to action the notification and administer the oath of office in terms of section 128 of the Constitution. It is imperative to bear in mind that this is a constitutional obligation that can only be barred by a Court Order. The filed Court application mentioned in the article could not stop a constitutional process in the absence of a valid Court Order.

The matter is now sub-judice as it is before a Judge of the High Court and hence does not invite further comments from Parliament save to say Parliament acted in terms of the law. Parliament urges reporters to check their facts before they rush to print. Parliament has always maintained an open door policy in its interactions with the media and has never refused to respond to issues raised by Journalists.