GWERU-High Court Judge, Justice Martin Makonese has warned those bent on causing violence and other disturbances ahead of the 2023 elections that they will be decisively dealt with by the courts.
Makonese gave the stern warning when he officiated at the opening of the 2023 legal year, in Gweru on Monday.
He said that Zimbabwe was a democracy where political contestation should be done in a peaceful environment.
“As the country prepares for the 2023 harmonised elections it is expected that the general peace that prevails in every part of this country will be maintained.
“In terms of section 164 of the Constitution, the independence of the judiciary is guaranteed.
“To that extent any person who shall disturb the general peace that is prevailing must be warned that the courts are ready to deal decisively with those who cause violence, chaos or any other such conduct designed to disturb the peace in the country, “he said.
He said Zimbabwe is a Constitutional democracy and as such elections must be conducted in a free and fair atmosphere.
“Those members of the public who shall violate the laws of this country will only have themselves to blame,” he added.
Makonese said peace and security were key in any functional democracy.
“Any contestation among political parties must be done within the confines of the laws of Zimbabwe.
“Political violence has no place in a democratic state,” he said.
He made the clarion call after a spate of political violence reports recorded in the Midlands province in last year’s by-elections.
