{"id":115104,"date":"2026-02-09T23:37:47","date_gmt":"2026-02-09T21:37:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/all-news\/ed2030-case-gets-concourt-nod"},"modified":"2026-02-10T01:43:43","modified_gmt":"2026-02-09T23:43:43","slug":"ed2030-case-gets-concourt-nod","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/all-news\/ed2030-case-gets-concourt-nod","title":{"rendered":"ED2030 case gets ConCourt nod"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Zimbabwe. <\/strong><\/span>The legal challenge to a resolution by the ruling Zanu PF seeking to extend President Emmerson Mnangagwa\u2019s term of office to 2030 by Mbuso Fuzwayo and his Ibetshu likaZulu, got a boost on Monday after the Constitutional Court granted the applicants permission to directly approach the apex court, their lawyer said.<\/p>\n

The applicants say the ruling party\u2019s resolution at its national conferences last year and in 2024 violates key constitutional provisions relating to political rights and equality before the law. Their case centres on Zanu PF\u2019s Resolution Number One, which seeks to extend the President\u2019s term of office and the lifespan of Parliament by two years.<\/p>\n

Nqobani Sithole told journalists that his clients initially approached the Constitutional Court seeking leave for direct access in terms of Section 167(5) of the Constitution.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs you are aware, our clients, Mbuso Fuzwayo and Ibetshu LikaZulu filed an application to the Constitutional Court in terms of Section 167, Subsection 5 seeking leave for direct access to the Constitutional Court so that they can have their issue about Resolution No. 1, Section 24, by Exemptee of Challenge Status,\u201d Sithole said.<\/p>\n

He explained that the applicants allege the resolution violates Section 67 of the Constitution, which guarantees political rights, as well as Section 56, which provides for equal protection and benefit of the law.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat transpired in court before Justice Paddington Garwe, Justice Ben Hlatshwayo and Justice Bharat Patel is that the parties found each other and an order had been issued and we were given five days to file a substantive application to challenge that particular resolution,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Sithole clarified that Monday\u2019s proceedings focused solely on securing direct access to the Constitutional Court, which is not automatically granted.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe students who are now approaching this question have their issue or case ventilated by that court. You cannot have direct access to that court without making an application for sanction. So today it was just an application for direct access which has been granted,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

At the heart of the case is the interpretation of several constitutional provisions, including Sections 95 and 143, which deal with the tenure of the President and Parliament, as well as Section 328, which restricts constitutional amendments that extend terms of office for incumbents.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is happening is that ZANU-PF has made certain resolutions. Resolution number one, where it seeks to extend the president\u2019s term of office and the parliamentarian\u2019s lifespan,\u201d Sithole said.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, what Fuzwayo and Ibetshu LikaZulu are saying is that that kind of an arrangement is going to violate the constitution. More so if you look at Section 328. We are saying they should not benefit from this kind of an amendment because they are the ones that are in office now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sithole expressed confidence in the strength of the applicants\u2019 case, saying the Constitutional Court\u2019s decision to grant direct access already demonstrated the seriousness of the issues raised.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are very confident. We\u2019ve always been confident. We knew that we were going to be granted access and we were very confident that the Constitutional Court would make a pronouncement because the constitution is clear,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Responding to questions about his clients\u2019 motivations, Sithole described the matter as a continuation of public interest litigation efforts spearheaded by Fuzwayo.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe has always been doing that. That\u2019s public interest litigation. He is a human rights litigant. He\u2019s always been very active in this and this is not a different scenario at all,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He added that any alleged constitutional violation automatically elevates a case to one of public interest.<\/p>\n

\u201cLook, if there is a violation of the constitution, in our view, it\u2019s definitely public interest litigation,\u201d Sithole said.<\/p>\n

Looking ahead, Sithole indicated that the applicants expect wider participation from individuals and organisations interested in defending constitutional democracy.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are confident. The reason why we\u2019ve been granted direct access is because we have got a case to start with. The court would not have accepted this kind of decision if the matter was so advanced,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe hope to see quite a lot of individuals coming in and assisting Mbuso and Ibetshu likaZulu. Because it\u2019s public interest litigation, we\u2019re expecting all those that have got an input to come in so that we\u2019ve got a solid case. We protect our constitution. We\u2019ve got a duty to do so.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tichawana Nyahuma appeared for the respondents, Zanu PF, while Mike Chimombe from the Attorney General\u2019s Office represented the Ministry of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, the Speaker of Parliament, the Attorney General and the President of Zimbabwe.<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Zimbabwe<\/span> Follow Africa-Press<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Zimbabwe. The legal challenge to a resolution by the ruling Zanu PF seeking to extend President Emmerson Mnangagwa\u2019s term of office to 2030 by Mbuso Fuzwayo and his Ibetshu likaZulu, got a boost on Monday after the Constitutional Court granted the applicants permission to directly approach the apex court, their lawyer said. The […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":115103,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,12],"tags":[19],"class_list":["post-115104","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-policy","tag-zimbabwe"],"yoast_head":"\nED2030 case gets ConCourt nod - zimbabwe<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The legal challenge to a resolution by the ruling Zanu PF seeking to extend President Emmerson Mnangagwa\u2019s term of offic ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/all-news\/ed2030-case-gets-concourt-nod\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"ED2030 case gets ConCourt nod\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The legal challenge to a resolution by the ruling Zanu PF seeking to extend President Emmerson Mnangagwa\u2019s term of offic ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/all-news\/ed2030-case-gets-concourt-nod\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"zimbabwe\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-02-09T21:37:47+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-02-09T23:43:43+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/sites\/14\/2026\/02\/sm_1770680603.264126.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"803\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"438\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/all-news\/ed2030-case-gets-concourt-nod#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/all-news\/ed2030-case-gets-concourt-nod\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"ED2030 case gets ConCourt nod\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-02-09T21:37:47+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-02-09T23:43:43+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/all-news\/ed2030-case-gets-concourt-nod\"},\"wordCount\":781,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/all-news\/ed2030-case-gets-concourt-nod#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/sites\/14\/2026\/02\/sm_1770680603.264126.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Zimbabwe\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"policy\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/all-news\/ed2030-case-gets-concourt-nod#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/all-news\/ed2030-case-gets-concourt-nod\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/all-news\/ed2030-case-gets-concourt-nod\",\"name\":\"ED2030 case gets ConCourt nod - 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