Anxious wait for Chamisa’s lawyers in Harare
Advocates Dali Mpofu and Tembeka Ngcukaitobi were on Tuesday night still battling to get approval to represent Zimbabwe opposition MDC Alliance candidate Nelson Chamisa in his challenge of the July 30 presidential election results.
Zimbabwe was on tenterhooks on Tuesday night and the army and police were put on high alert ahead of Wednesday’s court hearing.
Mpofu and Ngcukaitobi were roped in as part of Chamisa’s high-profile legal team that includes several top Zimbabwean lawyers and advisers from the US and Kenya.
Chamisa is seeking to nullify the election results that saw the incumbent, President Emmerson Mnangagwa, win the vote with 50.8% to his 44.3% in a tightly contested poll.
The two SA advocates have been in Zimbabwe since last Friday but it was not clear on Tuesday if they would get permission to defend Chamisa in the ConCourt after Zimbabwean justice minister Ziyambi Ziyambi said the duo’s application papers were not in order.
The case is one of Zimbabwe’s most eagerly anticipated court battles in recent times and its outcome will have far-reaching implications on the future of the troubled nation.
The court ruling will either endorse the election result or nullify Mnangagwa’s narrow win with 2,460,463 votes to Chamisa’s 2,147,436. A ruling is expected by Friday.
Spokesperson for Chamisa’s legal team, advocate Sylvester Hashiti, on Tuesday told Business Day he was still hopeful the government would grant Mpofu and Ngcukaitobi permission.
“The South African-based advocates are part of the team and they have made their applications and are pending approval,” he said.
“The last communication we got from the minister [on Monday afternoon] was requesting further proof of their qualifications, which we have given to the minister, and we now await for him to do his consultations and issue duly the certificate.”
In a first, the case will also be broadcast live by the ZBC. Private media organisations on Tuesday accused the broadcaster of exorbitantly charging them $13,000 to get a feed.
Police spokesperson Charity Charamba said: “The ZRP and other security services are on high alert and will maintain law and order while ensuring that the public is safe and able to conduct their business in the [Harare] CBD in a peaceful environment. We want to warn all those bent on instigating violence that the law will be applied without fear or favour.”