Daniel Shunba the leader of the United People’s Party (UPP) plans to sue Mbeki if he is not immediately included in the on-going SADC-mediated talks.
Shumba was barred from submitting his papers as a candidate in the
March 29 presidential election to the nomination court in February
after failing to meet the deadline.
However, in a judgment last Friday, the supreme court ruled that the
refusal of the nomination court to accept Shumba’s papers was not in
accordance with Section 46 (7) of the Electoral Act.
Shumba on Tuesday engaged a South African law firm, Van Huyssteen
Incorporated Attorneys to write to Mbeki about the need to include
him in the negotiations to work out a solution to the Zimbabwean
crisis.
He says that ballot papers for the March 29 presidential election
included his name as one of the candidates therefore he is “entitled
to participate in the on-going consultations that are taking place
concerning the affairs of Zimbabwe under the auspices of Honourable
President T. Mbeki appointed by the SADC countries as the facilitator
in this regard.
“Our client has a direct and substantial interest in the outcome of
the talks; any process of consultation concerning the democratic
future of Zimbabwe is fundamentally flawed if it is limited to only
two parties,” reads part of the letter Shumba’s lawyers wrote to
Mbeki.
