Constitutional Court of Zambia - 2020

18 judgments
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18 judgments
Citation
Judgment date
December 2020
Early retirement accepted by employer qualifies under Article 189(2); employee must be retained on payroll receiving salary until full pension payment.
Constitutional law – Article 189(1) & (2) – pension benefits – early retirement accepted by employer qualifies for constitutional protection – meaning of "retained on payroll" as continued salary payments until full liquidation of pension benefit – reinstatement to effect instalment payments insufficient.
10 December 2020
Accepted early retirement attracts Article 189(2) protection; employer must retain employee on payroll until full pension payment.
Constitutional law — pensions — Article 189(2) — meaning of "retained on the payroll" — early retirement accepted by employer qualifies for pension protection — payroll retention requires continued salary payments until full pension liquidation.
10 December 2020
November 2020
Interlocutory motion dismissed; Article 154's interpretation on conditions of service requires full adjudication, not a preliminary ruling.
Constitutional interpretation – Article 154 – conditions of service for mayors and council chairpersons; procedure – issues in limine under Order 33 r7; requirement to file affidavit in opposition under Constitutional Court Rules; interlocutory motions vs merits determination.
24 November 2020
19 November 2020
3 November 2020
October 2020
28 October 2020
20 October 2020
Court expunged several documents as irrelevant or unnecessary; affirmed judicial notice of statutes and authentication rules.
Civil procedure – discovery and inspection – timely objection to production of documents; Judicial notice – statutes and public Acts (Interpretation and General Provisions Act s.6(1)); Bills vs enacted law – draft Bills are proposed law and not admissible in place of enacted provisions; Parliamentary materials – debates and committee reports as opinion evidence; Authentication of foreign/public documents – requirements under Authentication of Documents Act; Interlocutory expunction of documents.
16 October 2020
September 2020
A party seeking to correct a full Court judgment must obtain leave of the full Court; an extension to file that application is competent.
Constitutional Court procedure – correction of accidental slips or omissions – Order XV Rules 3(1) and 7 CCR – extension of time by single Judge – requirement of leave of full Court where judgment delivered by full Court.
20 September 2020
July 2020
Court exercised discretion to allow respondent to file Answer out of time and awarded costs to the petitioner.
Civil procedure — Extension of time — Order XV Rule 7 Constitutional Court Rules and Order 3 Rule 5(2) White Book — Court’s discretion to extend time after expiry — considerations: reasons for delay, inordinate delay, prejudice and costs.
17 July 2020
The Constitutional Court ruled it lacks jurisdiction to quash or examine the contents of a bill proposing constitutional amendments.
Constitutional law — jurisdiction of Constitutional Court — pre-enactment review of bills — Article 128 — limits on challenging proposed legislation; Constitutional amendment — Article 79 formalities; national values and principles (Articles 8, 9, 61) — procedural legitimacy and public participation; doctrine of exclusive cognisance — limited where constitutional breaches alleged; dissent — preventive review to protect constitutional values.
3 July 2020
May 2020
29 May 2020
Article 189(2) protects retirees retained on the payroll; "salary" may include payroll allowances such as housing and utilities.
Constitutional law — Article 189(2) — meaning of "salary" — payroll entitlements — allowances (housing, utilities) may form part of last salary — Public Service Management Division Circulars — partial invalidation of administrative circulars — purposive interpretation.
20 May 2020
April 2020
Court granted extension to seek leave to correct an alleged accidental omission, guided by promptness and prejudice.
Constitutional Court procedure – extension of time under Order XV r7 CCR – correction of accidental omission – discretionary relief guided by promptness and prejudice – duty to do substantive justice (Article 118).
24 April 2020
February 2020
A committal notice must state on its face the exact particulars of alleged contempt; failure to do so is fatal.
Contempt of court — committal proceedings — Order 52 White Book — notice must be headed in the main action — particulars of alleged contempt must appear on the face of the notice or in an attached schedule — cannot rely on affidavit for particulars — failure to particularise is fatal.
19 February 2020
Court held Speaker exceeded powers by interpreting Article 72 and ruling on a sub judice matter; petition dismissed, each party to bear own costs.
Constitutional law – Separation of powers – Parliamentary exclusive cognisance – limits where alleged constitutional breach occurs; Speaker’s power to regulate proceedings; interpretation of the Constitution is a judicial function; sub judice rule and waiver; Article 72 (vacation of parliamentary seat), Article 77(1), Article 119; declaratory relief and justiciability when by-election and third-party interests exist.
18 February 2020
Section 97(2)(b) applies to ECZ conduct; widespread third‑party violence alone did not annul the Sesheke by‑election.
Electoral law – Electoral Process Act s.97(2)(b) – pertains to conduct of elections by the Electoral Commission of Zambia; annulment threshold – attributable misconduct; relevance of Josephat Mlewa under current law; electoral violence and burden of proof in election petitions.
5 February 2020
January 2020
Whether Article 104(3) requires the Speaker to perform presidential functions when a petition under Article 101(4) is filed.
Constitutional law – Presidential election petitions – Interpretation of Articles 101, 102, 103 and 104 – Applicability of Article 104(3) and Speaker's assumption of executive functions.
30 January 2020