THE High Court has set aside the Cabinet’s decision which says only congregants who are fully vaccinated can attend church services.
Following the latest development that even those who are not yet vaccinated can now attend church services, the police have been barred from arresting them.
The ruling follows an application filed by human rights lawyer Obert Kondongwe challenging the Cabinet’s decision.
In his founding affidavit that was filed along with the application, Kondongwe wrote:
“The statement issued by the Information Minister Monica Mutsvangwa on the 11th of August on behalf of government following a Cabinet meeting on the compulsory Covid-19 vaccination of sit-in congregants in churches and barring unvaccinated sit-in congregants from churches is null and void to the extent that infringes constitutional rights and freedoms set out in the declaration of rights under sections 51, 52, 58 and 60,” Kondongwe argued.
He added that any purported ban on unvaccinated congregants who wish to attend churches services and their arrests or criminal proceedings enforced by the Home Affairs Minister (Kazembe) Kazembe are unlawful, null and void.
Following the application, it has been ordered that pending the full High Court ruling, unvaccinated congregants should be granted permission to attend church services.
“The statement issued by Mutsvangwa on behalf of the Cabinet barring unvaccinated sit-in congregants in churches be suspended pending the return date of this application.
It was also ordered that the conduct of Kazembe in enforcing the statement by Cabinet and conducting arrests and criminal proceedings against unvaccinated sit-in church congregants be suspended pending the return date of the application, New Zimbabwe reports.
In other news, iHarare had reported that the late former President Robert Gabriel Mugabe’s exhumation and reburial will proceed after a Chinhoyi magistrate dismissed an appeal by the deceased’s children.
Magistrate Ruth Moyo said the late Mugabe’s offspring, who include Bona, had no locus standi to contest the ruling by the traditional court that sat at Murombedzi, Zvimba in May this year.-iharare
