News / National
Strip Mudede powers to oversee production of voters' roll
28 Oct 2011 at 06:25hrs | Views
Members of the public have called on Registrar-General Tobaiwa Mudede to be stripped of powers to oversee production of the voters' roll and for election results to be announced within 48 hours of the end of voting.
They made their submissions during a public hearing on the contentious Electoral Act Amendment Bill in parliament on Monday.
Members of the public also demanded that the secretariat of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission be reconstituted to weed out officials who botched the last elections.
Meanwhile, the High Court has reserved judgment on whether an application for Registrar-General Tobaiwa Mudede to be jailed for contempt of court should be heard on an urgent basis.
A Canada-based Zimbabwean Mr Sebastian Piroro filed a court application seeking the civil imprisonment of Mr Mudede after his office defied a court order compelling it to immediately issue him a passport.
Justice Chinembiri Bhunu, sitting in his chambers, heard the case yesterday, which was brought under a certificate of urgency.
The order that declared Mr Piroro a true Zimbabwean in March this year also directed the RG's Office to issue him with a passport within 14 days.
Since March, Mr Piroro has not been issued the passport and he is now afraid of losing his job in Canada.
Mr Piroro is a specialised accountant and strategist for a Canadian bank.
The Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights have filed an application for contempt of court against Mr Mudede.
While the said application was pending, the lawyers have decided to mount an urgent chamber application for the contempt of court hearing to be set down as a matter of urgency.
After hearing arguments on the urgency of the matter from both parties Justice Bhunu reserved ruling to a later date.
Lawyers from both parties yesterday confirmed that judgment had been reserved, but the lawyer for RG's Office Ms Caroline Mudenda referred The Herald back to Mr Mudede's office.
They made their submissions during a public hearing on the contentious Electoral Act Amendment Bill in parliament on Monday.
Members of the public also demanded that the secretariat of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission be reconstituted to weed out officials who botched the last elections.
Meanwhile, the High Court has reserved judgment on whether an application for Registrar-General Tobaiwa Mudede to be jailed for contempt of court should be heard on an urgent basis.
Justice Chinembiri Bhunu, sitting in his chambers, heard the case yesterday, which was brought under a certificate of urgency.
The order that declared Mr Piroro a true Zimbabwean in March this year also directed the RG's Office to issue him with a passport within 14 days.
Since March, Mr Piroro has not been issued the passport and he is now afraid of losing his job in Canada.
Mr Piroro is a specialised accountant and strategist for a Canadian bank.
The Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights have filed an application for contempt of court against Mr Mudede.
While the said application was pending, the lawyers have decided to mount an urgent chamber application for the contempt of court hearing to be set down as a matter of urgency.
After hearing arguments on the urgency of the matter from both parties Justice Bhunu reserved ruling to a later date.
Lawyers from both parties yesterday confirmed that judgment had been reserved, but the lawyer for RG's Office Ms Caroline Mudenda referred The Herald back to Mr Mudede's office.
Source - Independent I Herald
