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Lawy
ers for Zimbabwe opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai on
Thursday applied to have a petition heard challenging President
Robert Mugabe's victory in polls last year.
South African-based lawyer Jeremy Gauntlet, heading a team of
lawyers representing Tsvangirai, said he was seeking a "simple
directive" from Judge Benjamin Hlatshwayo to set a date for the
matter to be heard.
The opposition, along with most Western observers, condemned last
year's presidential poll as flawed. They said it had been marred by
political violence and intimidation mainly aimed at supporters of
Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC).
The Commonwealth, a 54-member grouping of former British colonies,
suspended Zimbabwe following an adverse report on the poll by its
election observers.
Gauntlet said yesterday that justice was being denied to his
client, who lost to Mugabe in the poll by 400 000 votes, because he
was not being given a chance to meet his opponents in court.
"To delay access is to assure the consequence that justice delayed
is justice denied," Gauntlet told the judge at a hearing held in
his chambers at the Harare High Court.
Mugabe's lawyer, Terrence Hussein, opposed the application saying
there were still outstanding matters to be cleared up before the
petition could begin.
He said Tsvangirai was claiming prejudice only because he believed
that he should be president.
"That's the reason why he (Tsvangirai) wants this matter heard
urgently. He wants to be in State House (Mugabe's official
residence)," Hussein said.
The judge said he would decide on the matter as soon as
possible.
In April last year the MDC filed its petition to challenge Mugabe's
victory in the poll the previous month. - Sapa-AFP.
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