Source: Chimene knocked out in ZNLWVA fight – DailyNews Live
26 October 2017
HARARE – The High Court has handed down a final order, barring
Manicaland provincial governor Mandiitawepi Chimene from interfering with
the operations of the Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans
Association (ZNLWVA) and declared Christopher Mutsvangwa the bona fide
leader of the organisation.
High Court judge Jester Charewa delivered the ruling yesterday.
The current litigation came about after Chimene and Mutsvangwa were
embroiled in bitter fallout last year over the association’s leadership.
This comes after the minister and her camp passed a vote of no confidence
in Mutsvangwa, with Chimene claiming to be the legitimate interim leader
of the association.
This forced the Mutsvangwa-led ZNLWVA – through its lawyer Tendai Mhlekiwa
– to take legal action against Chimene. The High Court first ruled in
February last year that Mutsvangwa was the legitimate leader.
The Mutsvangwa-led executive, which comprises secretary-general Victor
Matemadanda, spokesperson Douglas Mahiya and deputy chairperson Headman
Moyo, was excited yesterday with the ruling, which bars Chimene and her
colleagues including George Mlala from interfering with operations of the
ZNLWVA.
Since the granting of the interim order by High Court judge Happious Zhou,
Mutsvangwa has been in control pending confirmation of the final order
subsequently handed down yesterday.
When the interim order was granted, Justice Zhou also interdicted Chimene
from interfering and issuing press statements on behalf of the association
and its leadership.
“Respondent (Chimene) be and is hereby ordered not to interfere with
applicant’s (ZNLWVA) activities or give press conferences with regards to
applicant’s activities or give press conferences with regards to applicant
(ZNLWVA) and its leadership,” Zhou ruled then in the interim order.
At some point, Chimene approached the High Court seeking to have the same
ruling in Mutsvangwa’s favour reversed, but lost the bid to rescind.
Chimene had argued that the judgment was erroneously granted in favour of
the association.
“I only got knowledge of the existence of the provisional order through
press reports and I then approached my legal practitioners of record who
advised me that there was a need to launch this present application but
they could only do so upon a perusal of the record of proceedings under
case number HC 1673/16.
“Efforts were made by my lawyers to get a copy of the record of
proceedings from the registrar of this honourable court on the 18th of
August 2016, but they were told that the record was a security file which
could not be availed to them,” Chimene said.
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