Exileds independent presidential aspirant Saviour Kasukuwere, has vowed to defy arrest threats and fly back to Harare to launch his election campaign.

Police said Kasukuwere had two pending warrants of arrest for absconding court and not surrendering his passport.

Justice ministry secretary Virginia Mabhiza told the State media on Saturday that Kasukuwere was expected to come home and face justice after he fled to neighbouring South Africa.

They claim the former Zanu-PF political commissar and Cabinet minister absconded court and failed to surrender his passport when ordered to do so by the courts in 2019.

Kasukuwere is one of the 11 candidates vying for the presidency in the August 23 poll.

Exiled former minister Walter Mzembi, who is chairperson of Kasukuwere’s campaign team, on Saturday accused President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s administration of “weaponising” the law against rivals.

Mzembi said Kasukuwere was unmoved and determined to launch his campaign on a soon-to-be announced date in the capital.

“No amount of intimidation and weaponisation ofthe law will intimidate Kasukuwere. He is going to be in Harare,” Mzembi said while addressing the media in South Africa on Saturday.

He said the only legal matter involving Kasukuwere was quashed by the country’s High Court.

There are fears in Zanu-PF that Kasukuwere may split the ruling party’s votes to the advantage of the opposition.

Kasukuwere told SABC News last week that he would soon fly to Zimbabwe and traverse the country canvassing for votes.

Kasukuwere said he was organising “500 buses or so” to transport Zimbabweans domiciled in neighbouring countries home to vote on August 23.

Meanwhile, the late President Robert Mugabe’s eldest son Robert (Junior) was among dignitaries at the Zanu-PF campaign launch in Chipinge on Saturday. This is not the firsttime Mugabe’s son has been to Zanu-PF events since the death of his father who vowed that he would not back people who “tormented” and elbowed him out of power in 2017.

-Newsday