CCC 12 case likely to be rgued on Wednesday or Thursday at Supreme Court

The Supreme Court has called for a case management meeting at 10 AM on Monday in the appeal by 12 Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) candidates from Bulawayo who were barred by the High Court from running for MP.

The matter is likely to be argued on Wednesday or Thursday.

Nelson Chamisa's CCC was dealt a heavy blow in Bulawayo, one of its strongholds after the court nullified the candidature of 12 of its parliamentary contestants ahead of the general elections in Zimbabwe.

Since the turn of the century, Bulawayo has been a stronghold for the opposition - which, at the time, was known as the Movement for Democratic Change.

With the opposition out of the way, the ruling will likely hand Zanu-PF a walkover.

In the 2018 elections, the opposition lost one constituency in Bulawayo after the party fielded two candidates, resulting in a split vote, which handed Zanu-PF's Raji Modi the seat.

Learning from past mistakes, the CCC claimed to be guarding against double candidates this time when its selection process, which came to be known as "strategic ambiguity" among critics, came into effect.

This process led to the delay of nomination papers reaching the nomination court in Bulawayo in time - from Harare, the capital city where decision-making had been centralised.

The case presented before the courts by Zanu-PF-linked activists was that CCC candidates filed their papers past the 16:00 nomination court deadline.

Justice Nokuthula Moyo delivered the judgment, nullifying the candidature of CCC's parliamentary contestants.

But the CCC said it would challenge the judgment, which would then be suspended, in the hope that the party candidates could stand for election.

The anticipated walkover by Zanu-PF means that CCC can also miss out on provincial council seats, which are awarded on the strength of parliamentary votes.