Supreme Court of Zambia - 2000 October

13 judgments
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Results. 13 judgments found.

13 judgments
October 2000
The appellant admitted indebtedness, defaulted on instalments, and delay/preclusion of relief justified dismissal of the appeal.
  • Civil law — Order XIII judgment — application to set aside judgment — stay of execution — default on agreed instalments — acquiescence and delay — finality of litigation
31 October 2000
Rule 78 is limited to correcting clerical slips and cannot be used to re-hear or reopen an appeal.
  • Civil procedure — Rule 78 Supreme Court Rules — correction of clerical errors versus substantive re-hearing — jurisdiction to reopen or review the Court’s own judgment — finality of litigation.
28 October 2000
Ex parte appointment of a receiver requires urgency and must be followed by an inter partes hearing; failure to afford a hearing warrants reversal.
  • Civil procedure — Appointment of receiver — Ex parte relief under Order 30 Rule 1 — Limits on ex parte orders, urgency requirement and requirement for subsequent inter-partes hearing — Misapplication of stay application as inter-partes hearing
25 October 2000
Where material facts and essential documents are disputed, a court must order a trial rather than decide on written submissions.
  • Employment law — termination/early retirement — redundancy versus pension scheme entitlements — ZIMCO corporate terms v LASF — procedural requirement to order trial where material facts and documents are disputed.
18 October 2000
Employer repudiation of an employment contract justified damages limited to the contractual notice period, not full-term payment.
  • Company law — apparent authority of company representatives (Turquand rule) — third parties entitled to rely on authority; Employment law — repudiation by employer and rejection of non-consensual substitution of contract; Contract damages — assessment where breaching party had contractual termination option; Liquidated damages v. penalty — limits on enforcing full-term payment clauses
17 October 2000
Appeal dismissed; convictions for aiding escape and theft by public servant upheld due to inconsistent defence and overwhelming evidence.
  • Criminal law — aiding escape from lawful custody — credibility of accused — theft by public servant — possession and disposal of exhibits — evaluation of conflicting testimony.
17 October 2000
Belief in witchcraft can mitigate murder sentence; village committee confessions are not governed by Judges' Rules.
  • Criminal law — Murder — Cause of death: medical evidence not always required; Judges' Rules do not apply to village headmen/productivity committees; belief in witchcraft is an extenuating circumstance
16 October 2000
Pre-judgment interest follows Anderson principle; mitigation period irrelevant; 20% pre-judgment, 6% post-judgment.
  • Interest on judgment — Pre-judgment interest rate and period — Bank of Zambia v Caroline Anderson applied — Mitigation period for repair irrelevant to interest calculation — Post-judgment interest 6% preserved.
13 October 2000
Interest on loss-of-use damages awarded at 20% from writ to judgment; mitigation period irrelevant to interest calculation.
  • Civil procedure — Damages for loss of use — Award of interest — Appropriate rate from date of writ to date of judgment — Mitigation period irrelevant to interest calculation — Bank of Zambia v. Caroline Anderson followed
12 October 2000
Damages for a destroyed vehicle are assessed at value on date of loss; claimant must prove write-off and mitigate.
  • Civil damages — loss of chattel — measure is market value at date of loss — post-loss quotations irrelevant — claimant must prove write-off — duty to mitigate — failure to mitigate reduces award; interest and costs.
6 October 2000
Respondent's failure to mitigate and salvageable parts justified reducing awarded vehicle damages.
  • Tort — Damages — Assessment of vehicle loss and replacement value — Consideration of age, salvage value and duty to mitigate
5 October 2000
Internal publications accusing the respondent of theft were unjustified; liability upheld but damages reduced on appeal.
  • Defamation (libel) — justification (truth) defence — burden on defendant to prove allegations; internal circulars and memoranda as publications; qualified privilege not pleaded; quantum of damages; conduct short of theft may be reprehensible but not necessarily dishonest.
4 October 2000
Appeal dismissed: eyewitness identification and post‑mortem report upheld; inconsistencies and non‑production of firearm not fatal.
  • Criminal law — Identification evidence and identification parades — Allegation of staged parade; reliability of eyewitness identification in daylight. Criminal procedure — Section 191A admission of post mortem reports; calling the doctor to give oral evidence
  • Evidence — Material contradictions in dates and non‑production of exhibits (firearm) and their effect on safety of conviction
3 October 2000