High Court blocks CCC bid to obtain voters' roll as poll draws closer

President Emmerson Mnangagwa's opponents are now set to take part in elections next week blind of what is contained in the voters' roll after the High Court has ruled as not urgent, an application filed by CCC seeking the release of an up-to-date voters' roll by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC).

This was after CCC secretary for elections, Ian Makone had filed an urgent High Court application seeking an order to compel ZEC to provide an up-to-date copy of the voters' roll and final list of polling stations for the 23 August 2023 general elections.

Makone listed as respondents, ZEC, its chairperson and the poll authority's Chief Elections Officer.

But in a ruling on Monday, High Court judge Never Katiyo dismissed the matter as "not urgent".

"Whereupon after reading documents filed of record, it is ordered that the matter is not urgent," read the ruling by the judge.

This means that the election shall be held with Zanu-PF opponents not knowing what is contained in the document to be used for the much-awaited balloting process.

The release of the voters' roll has been a recurrent bone of contention in successive Zimbabwean elections amid concerns that the ruling Zanu-PF authority which controls the operations of ZEC tinkers with the document to rig the vote.

The opposition's many attempts to find recourse with local courts has repeatedly drawn blanks amid claims that Zimbabwean courts are "captured" by the ruling Zanu-PF party.

Zanu-PF opponents who feel hard done by the current electoral environment have lost a majority of appeals filed within the courts.

Commenting on claims that he has manipulated the courts to come up with unfavourable rulings against opponents, President Emmerson Mnangagwa said recently he has never personally taken anyone to court to warrant the claim that he is using the judiciary to disadvantage his challengers.