Self-exiled former minister Saviour Kasukuwere’s campaign team has vowed to press ahead with election campaigns for their man, despite a court ruling nullifying his presidential candidacy.
A High Court judge said Kasukuwere failed to prove why he should remain a candidate, after a Zanu PF member challenged his nomination papers. The judge said Kasukuwere’s 18 months abroad violated the Constitution.
But Kasukuwere has appealed the ruling at the Supreme Court, and his Bulawayo campaign executive Richard Musiyadzaanikwa urged supporters to stay united.
“We got communication from our top comrades giving us the green light to carry on with our campaigns,” he said. “So as Bulawayo constituency convenors we are not going to be stopped…Let’s rally support for our president Saviour Kasukuwere.”
Kasukuwere, known as ‘Tyson’ in Zanu PF circles, fled Zimbabwe during the 2017 coup that ousted Robert Mugabe. Police say he faces arrest over pending cases and Zanu PF claims he faces criminal charges.
But his campaign team seems ready for a fight. Musiyadzaanikwa told members: “So it is the duty of everyone of us to take the campaigns to a higher level…we can only accept the directive from his office.”
Kasukuwere’s campaign joins other long shots in the race for Zimbabwe’s top job, showing how determined outsiders will challenge the status quo – regardless of court rulings or criminal accusations.
