MDC Reportedly Approached The Courts To Have Ban On Demo Lifted
The opposition MDC is reported to have approached the courts to effect a lift of the ban on the planned demonstrations slated to start on the 16th of August.
This comes after the police served the MDC a Prohibition Order which banned and illegalised participation in the protests.
Law expert and former advisor to the late former Prime Minister of Zimbabwe, Morgan Tsvangirai posted on Twitter indicating that a lift of such prohibition was possible since there was a precedent to that case. Magaisa’s Twitter thread read:
I’m advised the organisers have gone to court to get the order lifted. The regime waited until darkness to issue a dark order hoping to sow confusion and doubt. This isn’t the first time such an order has been issued and it has been Much now rests in the hands of the court.
It should be stated that the Constitutional Court has previously struck down as unconstitutional a provision of POSA which similarly allowed the police to issue similar prohibition orders. It confirmed a decision in 2016 where Justice Chigumba ruled against a police ban.
It is iro Nic that the regime has had to rely on a discredited piece of legislation which it claims to be in the process of repealing. There’s no moral authority in relying on legislation which you are repealing presumably to claim credit for political reforms.
In fact, the People’s March which is also about political reforms is being thwarted by the very piece of political arsenal which it is calling for reform. If ever there was confirmation that the regime has no appetite for real & substantive political reforms, this is it.