Take Charge: 179 489: NCA APPEALS AGAINST DISMISSAL OF REFERENDUM DATE CHALLENGE

NCA Alert

04 March 2013

NCA APPEALS AGAINST DISMISSAL OF REFERENDUM DATE CHALLENGE

The National Constitutional Assembly (NCA) on Friday 1 March 2013 filed a notice of appeal in the Supreme Court challenging Judge President George Chiweshe’s dismissal of the constitutional reform body’s application seeking to defer the holding of the referendum on a new draft constitution. The NCA charged that Justice Chiweshe erred and misdirected himself when he dismissed the NCA’s urgent chamber application filed on Tuesday 19 February 2013 by prominent human rights lawyer Alec Muchadehama.

On Thursday 28 February 2013, Justice Chiweshe ruled that the NCA application could not be heard by the High Court because the court had no jurisdiction to question the President. The NCA want Proclamation No. 1 of 2013 issued last month as Statutory Instrument No. 19/2013 to be declared unlawful and ultra-vires Section 3 of the Referendum Act Chapter 2:10. We hope that the highest court in the land will deal with our case expeditiously and give the people of Zimbabwe more time and more copies of the draft before voting in the referendum. It is now clear from the wide consultations that we have been conducting countrywide that a majority of the citizens are yet to set their eyes on the draft charter.

As the NCA we will continue with our grassroots meetings in all parts of the country campaigning for the rejection of the COPAC draft. Over the weekend the NCA Take Charge meetings were taking place in Gokwe, Goromonzi, Chipinge, Bulawayo and Mutare.

Weekend meetings in pictures.