Supreme Court of Zambia - 2013 May

12 judgments

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12 judgments
Citation
Judgment date
May 2013
Second action for damages dismissed as multiplicity; appellant should have amended earlier proceedings under Order 20 Rule 8(8).
Civil procedure — multiplicity of actions — amendment of pleadings under Order 20 Rule 8(8) RSC — originating notice vs writ — wrongful execution and damages — requirement to prove lawful occupation.
29 May 2013
Appellant failed to prove respondent or agents committed illegal campaign practices; election upheld.
Electoral law – election petitions – illegal or corrupt practices – Section 93(2)(a) and (c) – burden and standard of proof; Character assassination in campaigns – hearsay and witness credibility; Appellate review – interference with trial court findings of fact and demeanour; Clerical errors by electoral body – effect on voter identification.
28 May 2013
A change in payment point to consignee did not relieve the shipper of liability to its agent absent a valid variation or proper 'collect' airway bill.
Agency — principal’s liability to agent for remuneration — third-party payments do not discharge principal without agreement; Contract variation — requires mutual agreement and consideration; unilateral concessions/forbearance insufficient; Aviation law — Air Services Regulations Art.4(7) applies where charges are ‘collect’ and consignee takes delivery; airway bill particulars (prepaid vs collect) determinative of shipper’s continuing liability.
28 May 2013
Appeal dismissed for want of prosecution where appellant failed to file the record within 60 days and seek timely extension.
Civil procedure — Appeal — Want of prosecution — Failure to file Record of Appeal within 60 days — Duty to apply promptly for extension — Appellants who delay until a dismissal application act at their peril — Court may preview merits when considering dismissal.
27 May 2013
Appellants’ non-attendance at inter partes hearings justified discharge of stay; late service warranted setting aside costs order.
Civil procedure – stay of execution – ex parte stay discharged at inter partes hearing; late service of affidavit – breach of rules but does not excuse applicant's unexplained non-attendance; costs – successful party normally entitled to costs but late filing may disentitle respondent from benefiting; duty of counsel to attend and to search court record.
22 May 2013
Time for appeal runs from when the judgment is signed/sealed/perfected; appeal dismissal set aside; costs in the cause.
Civil procedure — Appeals — Time for filing notice of appeal runs from when judgment is signed/sealed/perfected, not merely pronounced; interplay of Rules 49(2), 54, 55 and Order 42/3/9; improper use of Rule 55 to dismiss appeal where Rule 54 compliance at issue.
21 May 2013
Appellant failed to satisfy the due diligence, materiality and credibility tests to admit new documentary evidence on appeal.
Appeal — Further evidence — Applicant must show due diligence in obtaining evidence at trial, materiality to outcome, and prima facie credibility; unsigned or unauthenticated documents insufficient — motion to admit new evidence dismissed.
17 May 2013
A unanimous shareholders' agreement limiting board seats to shareholders holding 10%+ governs entitlement and nomination rights.
Shareholders' agreements – Contractual interpretation – Clauses limiting board entitlement to shareholders holding 10%+ – Clause protecting against dilution – Effect of unanimous shareholders' agreement vis-à-vis articles of association and statutory appointment procedures.
16 May 2013
Whether the President may constitutionally appoint a tribunal under Article 98(3) without following Article 91/Judicial Code procedures.
Constitutional law – Article 98(3)(5) Presidential power to appoint tribunal – Article 98 standalone – relation to Article 91(2) and Judicial Code of Conduct – judicial review of executive disciplinary action – procedural impropriety and Wednesbury unreasonableness.
9 May 2013
Court set aside security-for-costs order, finding it would block indigent local appellants' access to appeal.
Civil procedure — security for costs on appeal — Rule 56 Supreme Court Rules — Order 23 not mandatory — large class actions and indigence — access to justice — discretionary setting aside of security-for-costs order.
6 May 2013
Donation to a church coupled with a solicitation for votes amounted to bribery justifying nullification; boreholes were government philanthropic projects and not petitionable.
Electoral law – corrupt and illegal practices – donations to groups/charities coupled with solicitation of votes – bribery under s.79(1)(c) and nullification under s.93(2)(c); government developmental/philanthropic projects and use of facilities – not necessarily petitionable; distinction between s.93(2)(a) (majority‑effect) and s.93(2)(c) (candidate‑attributable acts).
6 May 2013
Respondent’s dismissal for approving inflated invoices was lawful; lower court erred by re-evaluating employer’s disciplinary findings.
Employment law — unfair dismissal; disciplinary procedure — gross misconduct for approving inflated supplier invoices; differential treatment of employees; limits on judicial review of internal disciplinary decisions; standard of appellate review in industrial disputes.
2 May 2013