Supreme Court of Zambia - 1997 May

7 judgments
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Results. 7 judgments found.

7 judgments
May 1997
Whether dismissal constituted unlawful discrimination under s.108 (social status) and the sufficiency of ballistic expert evidence to rebut employee’s account.
  • Industrial Relations Act s.108 — meaning of "social status" — discrimination — evidentiary assessment of ballistic expert evidence — appropriateness of reinstatement remedy.
29 May 1997
Bank may charge agreed compound interest, but penal interest is unlawful; arrangement fee awarded; recalculation required.
  • Banking law — Interest — Compound interest permissible only by express agreement or acquiescence; Penal (punitive) interest is not customary in Zambia and is unenforceable as a common‑law penalty (and is statutorily banned); arrangement fee awarded; recalculation of compound interest ordered.
28 May 1997
Court refused petitioners' application to review orders excluding subpoena and witness character evidence against the respondent.
  • Constitutional jurisdiction — Supreme Court sitting as court of first instance — power to review own decisions (adoption of Order 39) — limited grounds for review (clerical error, accidental slip, failure to express intention, newly discovered material evidence) — admissibility of character/propensity evidence — subpoena duces tecum — exclusion of witness evidence.
27 May 1997
Whether the Supreme Court can review its own rulings in original jurisdiction and whether peripheral evidence is relevant in a presidential petition.
  • Constitutional jurisdiction — Supreme Court’s power to review its own rulings when sitting in original jurisdiction; relevance of academic records and evidence of trade-union constitution amendments in presidential election petitions; application of Order 39 review grounds and Thynne exceptions.
27 May 1997
Damages for mental distress and inconvenience are recoverable for wrongful refusal to employ; transport costs may be estimated on meagre evidence.
  • Damages — breach of employment contract — award for inconvenience and mental torture recoverable; transport/upkeep may be estimated on meagre evidence; advocate-sworn affidavits in contentious matters undesirable
15 May 1997
A High Court cannot stay execution of a final Supreme Court judgment; such stays are void.
  • Judgment — Finality of Supreme Court decisions — Stay of execution — High Court lacks jurisdiction to stay execution of a final Supreme Court judgment — Proper remedy is application to full Court under Supreme Court Act and Rules
11 May 1997
A properly conducted disciplinary dismissal will not be set aside absent unfairness; statements showing an employer's decision are not hearsay.
  • Employment law — unfair dismissal — disciplinary procedure under collective agreement — court’s role to assess fairness, not rehear disciplinary findings — hearsay rule: statements admissible to show they were made and considered — standard required of employers: genuine belief, reasonable grounds, reasonable investigation.
4 May 1997