Sadc petitioned to re-establish tribaunal

THE Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition (CiCZ) is petitioning Sadc seeking the re-establishment of the Sadc Tribunal to deal with what it describes as the country's legitimacy crisis.

CiCZ said the July 30 harmonised elections failed the test of resolving the State legitimacy question following the November 17 coup that saw President Emmerson Mnangagwa taking over from Robert Mugabe.

Mnangagwa who was sworn in on Sunday will rule the country for five years. The African Union and Sadc have since acknowledged Mnangagwa's Presidential victory.

"The 30 July 'election' has no capacity to solve the State legitimacy question and return to constitutional order. We are also concerned that the constitutional crisis is set to escalate after the ConCourt ruling. CiZC will continue to provide thought leadership as well as canvassing for support from regional, continental and international partners in resolving the Zimbabwean crisis," CiCZ said in a statement.

"We are already escalating our calls and appealing to citizens and heads of States in the Sadc region for the re-establishment of the Sadc Tribunal as an independent avenue for justice for citizens in closed and troubled democracies such as Zimbabwe."

MDC Alliance presidential aspirant Nelson Chamisa challenged Mnangagwa's victory citing vote fraud, among several other electoral malpractices, but the Constitutional Court upheld the poll result.

"As CiZC, we have maintained that the process through which Mnangagwa was 'elected' was [fraught] with electoral irregularities and that the July 30 elections failed the credibility test. If anything the shambolic July 30 elections perpetuated the legitimacy crisis. While the ConCourt ruling is final, it has to be noted that it does not in any way resolve the legitimacy and constitutional crisis in Zimbabwe," CiCZ added.

The MDC Alliance has since revealed plans to petition the African Commission on Human and People's Rights challenging Mnangagwa's victory.