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| Edmore Veterai |
…as
High Court dismisses magistrate’s elections ruling
Beatific Gumbwanda
Former Zimbabwe Republic Police
(ZRP) Senior Assistant Commissioner Edmore Veterai was recently reinstated as
Zimbabwe Sugarcane Development Association (ZSDA) chairperson by the High Court
following his appeal seeking the overturning of election results which he
argued were rigged.
Zimbabwe Sugarcane Development
Association (ZSDA) last year held elections to select the new administrative
executive after Chiredzi Magistrate Rogers Mawarire, under court order GL54/19,
ruled that elections be held by July 18, 2019.
The elections were held despite
protestation by the rival Elisha Tamirepi camp which had sought a court order
to postpone elections on the basis that obtaining conditions that time would
give the Veterai camp an unfair advantage.
The elections were held at Pore
Pore Hall in Mkwasine and were convened by Chiredzi Rural District Council chairperson
Edward Matsilele. The Tamirepi camp defeated the Veterai camp by 74 votes to 60
but Veterai disputed the result on the basis of rigging, claiming that non-association
members were allowed to vote.
[Read related story here https://tellzim.com/2019/07/elections-threaten-to-tear-zsda-apart.html ]
In his High Court submissions Veterai
argued that Mawarire’s ruling was compromised as the Tamirepi camp had
clandestinely solicited for a favourable ruling.
Veterai also lodged a complaint
to the Chief Magistrate’s officer over what he said was Mawarire’s unbecoming
behavior.
He then obtained relief from the
High Court judge, Justice Neville Wambambo and Justice Sunsley who set aside
Mawarire’s judgement and restored the chairmanship to him.
“The point in limine in
jurisdiction is upheld and the application be and is hereby dismissed for want
of jurisdiction,” reads the High Court ruling.
The Tamirepi camp was ordered to
meet the costs of the appeal.
During the time of waiting for
the High Court judgement, ZSDA had split into two groups that never missed an
opportunity to malign each other.
Veterai said he will now work
hard to heal past divisions for the common good of all the organisation’s
members.
