President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s lawyer Tinomudaishe Chinyoka, who is also an applicant to the position of the Zimbabwe Anti Corruption Commission comissioner, has taken the speaker of parliament, Jacob Mudenda and Senate president, Mabel Chinomona, to court challenging the selection process.
Chinyoka was one of Mnangagwa’s legal team that represented him during last year’s Constitutional Court challenge after the July 30 elections.
Chinyoka has approached the High Court with an urgent chamber application challenging the selection process of Commissioners which is set for late this month.
At least 38 candidates will be interviewed on Friday June 21, in the National Assembly and Senate Chambers from 9am to 4.20pm and the candidates were split into two groups which will be interviewed simultaneously.
Chinyoka argues that the manner in which the interviews will be conducted is not constitutional.
“I have filed this application in order to challenge the manner in which it is proposed that those interviews are to be held. It is my belief that the proposed format for the interviews is unconstitutional,” he said.
“The format that the Committee on Standing Rules and Orders of the Parliament of Zimbabwe (CSRO) proposes to use for the interviews means that in being assessed for their suitability as Commissioners, each candidate will only be seen by half of the CSRO.”
“This proposed manner of proceeding is against the Constitution, namely that it is the entire CSRO that should send names of possible Commissioners to the President, not a sub-committee thereof.”
Chinyoka also argued that no criteria had been disclosed as to how particular individuals ended up on either list to be interviewed.