High Court deems Asakhe Online’s application to livestream election cases as non-urgent
The Bulawayo High Court has ruled that an urgent chamber application by Asakhe Online to live stream election petition cases arising from the Nomination Court is not urgent.
Instead, High Court Judge Justice Bongani Ndlovu ruled that Asakhe Online’s application should be brought before the individual judges concerned in open court.
On July 7, 2023, Asakhe Online filed an urgent chamber application with the High Court seeking permission to livestream cases that are pending before the court concerning challenges to the acceptance of nomination papers of various candidates in the Nomination Court.
Read initial story here: https://cite.org.zw/asakhe-online-seeks-permission-to-livestream-election-cases-at-the-high-court/
Asakhe Online is seeking permission to use cellphones and or video cameras to livestream and broadcast the proceedings to the public through the internet in an orderly and unobtrusive manner.
However, in a letter dated 10 July 2023, the applicants were advised by the Registrar of the High Court that High Court Judge Justice Bongani Ndlovu had ruled that the matter is not urgent, and that the application should be brought before the individual judges concerned in open court.
The matters that Asakhe Online is seeking to broadcast live have meanwhile been postponed to 19 July 2023.
Read the background of election cases here: https://cite.org.zw/high-court-orders-ccc-to-consolidate-election-petition-cases/
The application by Asakhe Online was based on the High Court jurisdiction to regulate its own processes as per Section 13 of the High Court Act (Chapter 7:06).
Ncube Attorneys representing the media house stated that the primary objective of the application is the promotion of freedom of expression and access to information which is critical to Asakhe Online’s work. It is further stated that the matters are of public interest.
