By Dorrothy Moyo| Renewal Democrats Of Zimbabwe leader Elton Mangoma has filed an application at Masvingo Magistrates Court for an order to declare as unconstitutional pronouncements by Chief Charumbira of the involvement of traditional leaders in partisan politics and support to ZANU PF.

The application (pictured) was submitted by the Zimbabwe Lawyers Of Human Rights. 

The case follows short on the heels of another one in which Charumbira, the National Council of Chiefs and Local Government minister July Moyo are cited as the respondents.

In the affidavit, Trust Maaada says Charumbira’s statements demanding chiefs to support Zanu PF were unlawful and unconstitutional.

“The respondent (Charumbira) has acted unlawfully and moreover has failed in his constitutional duty to respect and uphold the Constitution of Zimbabwe by staying nonpartisan and away from party politics, to respect the institution of traditional leadership and not bring the institution into disrepute and to not infringe the rights and fundamental freedoms of people,” Maanda said.

The application cited remarks Charumbira made in October last year at a meeting of the NCC, where he called on chiefs to support Zanu PF and its presidential candidate in this year’s elections.

“Former president (Robert) Mugabe having been deposed and president (Emmerson) Mnangagwa having taken over, on January 14, 2018, the first respondent (Charumbira) repeated his remarks that chiefs support the new president.”

According to Maanda, his organisation is now seeking an order declaring that Charumbira’s remarks violated the Constitution of Zimbabwe and that he be directed to retract the statements he made by publishing a counter statement in a newspaper with national circulation, on national radio and on national television.