The Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans’ Association’s (ZNLWVA) bid to stop the election of new leadership took a new twist yesterday after the High Court threw out the application for procedural deficiency.

Only two weeks ago, the ZNLWVA successfully sought an interdict blocking six members of a splinter group — Cdes George Mlala, Charles Mpofu, Joseph Chinotimba, Esther Munyaradzi, Stephen Moyo and Robert Mukwena — from convening a special meeting to elect a new executive.
But, the other seven — Cdes George Matenda, Patrick Nyaruwata, Future Piriyana, Wellington Chitehwe, Rueben Chikono, Thomas Matambe and Thomas Kunaka — stood their ground, attacking the urgency of the matter and the inadequacies that were fraught in the urgent application.
After hearing submissions on the preliminary points raised by the seven’s lawyers, Advocate Garikayi Sithole, T B Ndoro and F F Hwenira, the court ruled in favour of the seven.
Justice Joseph Musakwa ruled that the deponent to the affidavit on behalf of the association Cde Agnes Siyakurima had no legal basis to institute the proceedings.
He also found the certificate of urgency to be invalid because it was “a mere rehash of some portions of the founding affidavit” among other inadequacies.