Court to rule on Shoko suspension

Court to rule on Shoko suspension

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By Staff Reporter

THE High Court on Tuesday reserved judgment in the case in which Chitungwiza mayor Misheck Shoko is seeking the nullification of his suspension.

Addressing journalists soon after the chamber hearing, Shoko’s lawyer, Tendai Biti, said Justice Anne Marie Gowora would pass judgment either on Friday or Monday.

“Judgment has been reserved. Judgment would be made either on Friday or next Monday,” said Biti.

Local government minister, Ignatius Chombo and Chitungwiza municipality are the respondents.

Shoko went to court last week seeking the reversal of Chombo’s suspension saying it was driven by “political malice”.

Shoko added that his suspension was unlawful and was undertaken without consultation, in violation of the law.

He also claimed the minister had orchestrated a plan to cripple the municipality, including cutting fuel supplies to Chitungwiza in order to find grounds to hound him out of office.

“The respondents' actions were grossly unreasonable, were motivated by political malice and capriciousness and were done when no reasonable grounds existed justifying invocation of Section 54 (2) of the Urban Councils Act Chapter 29:15," said Shoko in his founding affidavit.

Chombo has since appointed a commission composed of Zanu PF apologists to run the affairs of Chitungwiza. He has done the same in Harare and Mutare where elected opposition mayors have been replaced by his appointees with an unlimited term.
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