Bulawayo High Court - 2005 April

13 judgments
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13 judgments
Citation
Judgment date
April 2005
A lawyer should not sign urgency certificates or attest affidavits for a client represented by the lawyer's own firm.
Urgent procedure – Rule 242(2)(b) – Certificate of urgency – Conflict of interest – Legal practitioner from same firm signing certificate – Impartiality of commissioners of oaths – Attestation of affidavits
27 April 2005
Applicant held in contempt for refusing to surrender title deeds; release refused and punitive costs awarded.
Contempt of court – disobedience of court order – requirements for contempt (valid order, service/notice, disobedience) – purging contempt by surrender of property – entitlement to be heard while in contempt – punitive costs (attorney-and-client) for dishonesty and deplorable attitude.
27 April 2005
Court interdicted execution on a satisfied writ, finding unlawful alteration and awarding attorney-and-client costs for bad faith.
Civil procedure – execution – use of a satisfied writ – unlawful alteration of writ by legal practitioner – urgency of relief to prevent perverse conduct – award of attorney-and-client costs for lack of bona fides.
27 April 2005
Urgent relief refused where applicant manufactured urgency by continuing operations after licence cancellation.
Administrative law — Cancellation of media registration (s71 AIPPA) — Appeal to Administrative Court — Urgent interim relief — Self-created urgency and lack of bona fides — Abuse of urgency certificate — Balance of convenience not available to one who created urgency.
27 April 2005
Urgent interdict to restrain spouse from disposing of matrimonial property dismissed for non-disclosure and lack of evidence of disposal.
Urgent civil relief – duty of full and frank disclosure in urgent applications – interlocutory interdict against disposal of property registered in spouse’s name – balance of convenience and prejudice to registered owner.
20 April 2005
Confirmed execution sale stands where debtor failed to object in time; eviction granted and punitive costs awarded.
Execution sale – confirmation under order 26 rule 7(15) – failure to object within prescribed period – setting aside sale requires exceptional circumstances; Eviction – transfer of property after auction – occupier's right to resist absent timely objection; Costs – abuse of process warrants legal practitioner and client scale.
20 April 2005
Judge recused herself because prior involvement with respondent gave rise to a reasonable perception of bias.
Recusal — reasonable apprehension of bias — appearance versus actual bias — prior judicial involvement in related proceedings — objective test for disqualification.
20 April 2005
An employer who defies a binding NEC determination cannot obtain injunctive relief until it complies with or properly challenges that determination.
Labour law – NEC determinations – Employer bound by NEC reinstatement direction pending review or appeal; compliance required before court will grant injunctive relief; procedural impropriety of seeking interim relief in chamber application when identical to final relief; validity and applicability of an employer’s code of conduct after transfer of undertaking and regulatory amendment.
20 April 2005
Court confirmed provisional interdict enforcing applicant's right of first refusal and set aside sale procured by intimidation.
Property law – right of first refusal – existence and timely exercise; Agency – authority of administrator to negotiate; Contract/Public policy – agreement procured by intimidation/undue pressure unenforceable (contra bonos mores); Confirmation of provisional interdict; Costs awarded to applicant.
20 April 2005
DNA paternity evidence upheld; supernatural tampering allegations insufficient—appeal dismissed with costs.
Family law — custody — presumption of legitimacy for children born in wedlock — paternity established by accredited DNA testing — supernatural allegations inadmissible — Witchcraft Suppression Act — children’s welfare paramount.
20 April 2005
The applicant failed to prove urgency to alter company records; only reinstatement as director and shareholder was granted.
Company law — validity of share allotment and director appointment — CR14 and allotment forms; Urgency — principles for urgent chamber applications and need to show good cause; Interim relief — anti-dissipation threats insufficient without showing irreparable prejudice; Relief refused where urgency not established.
20 April 2005
Unduly lenient sentence for high-value theft; inadequate sentencing reasons led to withholding of review certificate.
Criminal law – Sentencing – Theft of agricultural infrastructure – High value and partial non-recovery – Moral blameworthiness – Inadequate reasoning by trial court – Review and withholding of certificate.
20 April 2005
Bail refused: serious rape charge, strong state case and prior illegal departures created real abscondment risk.
Bail (pending trial) — interference with witnesses — mere suspicion insufficient; abscondment risk — factors: seriousness of charge, strength of state case, ability to flee, past conduct — bail refused.
13 April 2005