Coltart urges opposition parties to take Zanu PF to court for holding meetings & rallies at schools

Former Education Minister David Coltart has urged opposition parties to take Zanu PF to the Constitutional Court (ConCourt) to seek a ruling ordering it to stop holding its meetings and rallies at schools although there is no enabling act.

However Coltart said that Zanu-PF was contravening Section 19(2)(c) of the Constitution compels the State to adopt policies that protect children from ‘any form of abuse’. Said Coltart:

There is nothing opposition parties can do to stop Zanu PF from using school facilities and abusing children in this way. There is nothing in the Education Act, which bars schools being used in this way. When I barred all schools from being used for political meetings, that was merely a policy directive, not something made into law. Although Section 19(2)(c) of the Constitution compels the State to adopt policies that protect children from ‘any form of abuse’, it is difficult to enforce this provision. However, there is no doubt in my mind that the ruining party [Zanu PF] is in violation of this section of the Constitution and a more robust Constitutional Court would rule against Zanu PF and in favour of children.

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