Lumumba turns to Concourt

Former Zanu-PF youth leader William Mutumanje - popularly known as Acie Lumumba - accused of insulting President Mugabe, has approached the Constitutional Court seeking permission to bring his constitutional challenge directly to the highest court in the land.

Mutumanje last week had his application for referral of the criminal case to the Constitutional Court dismissed when he appeared before Harare provincial magistrate Mr Vakayi Chikwekwe.Having lost the application, Mutumanje on Wednesday filed a chamber application for leave to bring his constitutional challenge before the nine-member bench directly.

While that application was pending before the Constitutional Court, Mutumanje filed an urgent chamber application seeking stay of the criminal trial at the magistrates' court.

The two applications are yet to be determined by the Constitutional Court.

The decision of the Constitutional Court on the urgent chamber application will determine whether or not Mutumanje's criminal trial will go ahead on Monday.

Mutumanje is being charged with undermining the authority of, or insulting the President as defined in Section 33 (2) (b) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act.