News / National
Chamisa's supporters organise solidarity sit-in
20 Aug 2018 at 06:07hrs | Views
The MDC Veterans Activists Association (VAA) has started mobilising supporters and members of the organisation to back MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa during the Constitutional Court (ConCourt) challenge proceedings against President-elect Emmerson Mnangagwa on Wednesday.
Chamisa has petitioned the ConCourt to nullify Mnangagwa's victory after the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission on August 2 declared the Zanu-PF leader as winner of the presidential election, with 50,8% votes ahead of Chamisa's 44,3%.
Chief Justice Luke Malaba last week announced that the court challenge proceedings would start on Wednesday this week.
MDC VAA secretary-general Charles Musimiki told Southern Eye on Saturday that his organisation was in solidarity with Chamisa and the Zimbabwean electorate in the petition.
"The electorate clearly spoke their wish through the ballot. It is our sincere appeal to all veterans to get out of their schedules and join hands with our president on August 22 in Harare for the court proceedings. All roads should lead to Harare, come Wednesday," Musimiki said.
"Our country, our democracy, our vote is at stake and it needs us all as veterans of change to engage our commitment gear into motion to protect the aforementioned."
Musimiki said they had a responsibility, were duty-bound and trusted to protect the future for a proper democratic dispensation to unfold.
"Our leadership has gone out of its way and, thus, has engaged the services of best legal minds. It is, thus, our mandatory obligation to back up this noble initiative by ensuring that we team up our VAA constituency to the court come Wednesday. Our presence in numbers at court on Wednesday will convey so much impact. Let's never underestimate the value of our presence at the courts," he said.
"It is beyond any reasonable doubt that either locally or internationally, our convergence in Harare on Wednesday in solidarity with our presidium will reflect the message we conveyed through this very vote we are protecting."
The move comes shortly after soldiers fatally shot seven civilians, some of them suspected MDC Alliance protesters, over a similar matter.
Chamisa has petitioned the ConCourt to nullify Mnangagwa's victory after the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission on August 2 declared the Zanu-PF leader as winner of the presidential election, with 50,8% votes ahead of Chamisa's 44,3%.
Chief Justice Luke Malaba last week announced that the court challenge proceedings would start on Wednesday this week.
MDC VAA secretary-general Charles Musimiki told Southern Eye on Saturday that his organisation was in solidarity with Chamisa and the Zimbabwean electorate in the petition.
"The electorate clearly spoke their wish through the ballot. It is our sincere appeal to all veterans to get out of their schedules and join hands with our president on August 22 in Harare for the court proceedings. All roads should lead to Harare, come Wednesday," Musimiki said.
Musimiki said they had a responsibility, were duty-bound and trusted to protect the future for a proper democratic dispensation to unfold.
"Our leadership has gone out of its way and, thus, has engaged the services of best legal minds. It is, thus, our mandatory obligation to back up this noble initiative by ensuring that we team up our VAA constituency to the court come Wednesday. Our presence in numbers at court on Wednesday will convey so much impact. Let's never underestimate the value of our presence at the courts," he said.
"It is beyond any reasonable doubt that either locally or internationally, our convergence in Harare on Wednesday in solidarity with our presidium will reflect the message we conveyed through this very vote we are protecting."
The move comes shortly after soldiers fatally shot seven civilians, some of them suspected MDC Alliance protesters, over a similar matter.
Source - newsday
