Elipidius Mporokoso v Godfrey Gabriel Sikazwe (SCZ APPEAL NO. 26 OF 1992) [1994] ZMSC 174 (28 December 1994)

f .. -~ C, • ..:. •J·, • • -:'_ •.. : ' •: .. ' ' . . . . . 1 . '• < ' I I I I ~._./ • IN THE SUPREME COURT OF ZAMBIA SCZ APPEAL N0.26, OF 1992~"' ., . . . "- 'HOLDEN· AT LUSAKA B E . T W E E Ni t . ~- ,· . ELPlDIUS MPOR.9KOSO· Appellant · · and .- .·.- J .. • • • ~ • GODFRE'X' GABRI£L ~_IKA,ZWB: ._:::::· .· .. Respondent j • '., I • :~, .•• ,- • • ' •,-• • • ':" •• ,· 'I • • t f Coram: Ngult.tbe c·. J. • . G~r4n~~- and Chirw.a JJfi at Lusaka ... on 2nd June, 1994 and~~th ·b~ciember 1994. . . . ' ' ' Itor the Appellant /';~r. · ILN .• -~ _ndon~ _.of -Pf!.t'm~:~el'lt; Cba~bers . For the Respondent: Mr. K .. M .. Simbao of --~ul~_r.is,~;s~l Cbamb~rs ·."" :.·/~·· ... ' '~-- /~ .. -· .... -~ -~i ~ . . , . . ' . .- . .. . •. . • . . . . . : . . . ~ ·, ) I • • . _J ·: ti<n . G·.;,--Ji •N:::_i , ~· ~-.,: •~ • • 1::, . ~·". r .. .; ..... -t•·•~;,t~~1f·~ .. ~J~ • •.• •• ' • • • • • : V • . ... ; • • \ # , , , , , - • • • • • : • • • • .. .- \ ..-- ,,l • • • . •- • ., I t . : ., _-: •• • . ,,,,._ • - .. .. •: -,. ; . '• •• t. .' ' ;.· J .. ·r , • •• ,. • '· _t - •' ~ i • . • ••·I • ·-.. •• ~11 I'-;' •• ,, I .. , I" "· 1 .,.,., .- --~-- ... '.:~!·:...~ :- ~· • •• ~ ... ~ ... -~, ..... r. ~ ... ·-~-ii•:~~:-~.. : Chirwa. J. S. delivered · tbe1--, ..fudg~jJ]i,:~t'f ·--~l:.-~1. C-Qurt • .- ,A f'~~~•:~~•~ ..... ••~•.::-:•~• t~t. ,}•~,~•_./ ,►" ·_:;~,:>;...~!.-· .t .. ·.:- --\.,•./ • - t :'\ -~·: --\i"~l -... . · .. ~;:;·-'?': . :::;J. .. , ; .. ;:•,~_':~ ••, :• ~-~ In this judgme~t w~. w_fll -refsr J;l;i~,J.ipp~ll§lnti :· ·;-~ . \. ~:' El pi di us Mporo~oso as the pl~intiff· ~n4-",~l't~' r .~spon,d~~t;:.; : ·:. · · :, ·: . Godfrey Gabriel Sikazwe as t-l1e defend~J:lt;·: for; .~ha~~:.i$.:;.;wh~t .. i . _. ~'-.: ... :/.>f. •·.:,-;_~- ;··;.,':./,;:_- · '·'.;° they were in ':tr.he. co~rt ~elo~•i. • <t•~•ir-;1]1• • !:~::i ~--~~--. :he und.~~-~-~~_ed major iss".'_e.s:, :~~ -~ ~?.:~;.~~~r:e·t'-~tul~ .... ·; ~t \ ~~--l>~operty · uhe plaint if£ .. 1.µ_., 1985 w~s ~he 1:7eg·~~t-~J;e~; , known as R;ema1.n_i1;1g Extent o -~ . S/D -5() :of -S.lD . ..-. E· 'Of. far.m No . 609 ~ Lu~al4a ~_nd. in . Julr ~-~-~t _1,af :}1~}-li~~l 'f-~ ~e_ll that prop~rty t;o the oe~e-~f~~t ·'..~:~ ,K!?-·•_-°,:9i.itg~;._;:,r. T~-~-· ·:~_-,- · con&ract of aaJ.~ w~s _B_i~~~~'. ~! -- ~-t~{f~~~-- ~l~ f.~.!k_t~e-_ ~onditi~n~~ 9£ s~_le. _we.i:e, -t ~·a~_: a~~~!~-\~~-=~:'..f)(~i~~\ BJ~~~- ·:. would be. within . ,21 days· ft:C?ztf re9eipt' :.~f 1;9e:,S1tl;l.~e' ~ . Conse~t to a~sign; the' d_e·~~~,~t·j:o~"itai;\fa'. A~:~i~f~;~b~ .. }_.,_· . ,~ v ~·:. ... , purchase pr ice . of wb_i~Jl __ ~~ -· ~a~d_; , --~.h~_f\i_;~:~--'.:·~~~:.l .illl_e._· :of -~he signing o~ the contract ·.of sale . the 's4 .~~-4i!-~~1~nt-: wa:s · ip. · occµpa,t_ioq of .the prQper_~y as a tenant,, pai~ng:: ~··monthl_y rent . of K750.oo·: Upon ~btainivg Sqit~•'s''.\ion~e~t. _·to Assign. dated 31st January· 1986 the pla!ntiff ')i ~~vocat.e~,:wrote tbe · defenda_nts I advoc~.s ~s advisi_ng, them,• o_f: 'tA~-receip~ 0~ · the State 1 s Consent · t:·o ·Assi~p and '7equ,e~~ed t11em to ':_ac.t -on it. . "/, ·~fJ\11:r:,:,1'!~~ ,~f~ tr~,,' ,.~ .• . '. ! . , /:;r:,;,,J'··· ! ·. '-:. ·:,J·~:;:, ···~•1f'7~~ -j•t,•i. . . . . . ' . ,': : . !._ :_. - • •·. :, 1,• ·' •. . • . . • • • • '(• \ ~ ,:.:. . - 2 - •, , , · . The letter is dated l9t~ February, 19&6. · It is . _also not;. in '• . , . dispute that there was no response~from the d-fend$~t•s advocates to the letter. -. By let_te~. dated 30th June~. 1986 the defendant's advocates wr,ote the 'plaintiff Is advocates requesting them to complete '..the sale,. as the· consen_t• was to .· expire on 31st August i98~, ~ithin 't~~ -~ext· .few days. On 2nd July 1986 the plaint.iff p~rs~~aii1 wrote the defendant · · cancelling the deal and fixing tq.~ ·mot:1thl,y rentals ·at· K2, 600 from 1st July 1986. On,.··l0t,b F~bru'ary. 1988 t.be ·. ·~~·. . -.:L•Jt • ' : r••,\,• \ ',{ ,• 0 '. ' ',, . -:', • ·.: • 00 . . ' '.' '•. • . t •• ,· • • . . ' • • I ' . . I ' ' ; . . . ( ' " . . ' .. ' ·.._) r. ,r. •J!l• I . . .. : : • I:..: • ;' :}',1(1;;k ., •,:' \ly=· .. 1 ,'!' . ... { .:'.· i_!1-,,if, .•• ... • · , '. . ~ t~J'':J; ~\(,.'· ·• . • ;{ . • ,., ...., .. : ::"'-·; , :·.' ·. • . .,,. ·· "\ :~ I • • 't ,· •. -~ ,. ~-- '>'_. .: , _•VHo fur,th:er argued ~bat; _4f·te~ be•~-·_givera' DO~la~ :-t:h• .def4ittdan't 4 id nothing to complete th«, ••l• and• 1 ~ would J>.·: O•equl t•bJe -': •·,:. at chi• aeago t~ _o'rdef •pec~~~c p~l"f_o~n~~~~-i ue:·~~•o .. subr.sitt.ed t;ha~ the lettet. dated ind July 1936 dtd· not . ' : constitute 'rescis&1o~ ~t' ~b6. eon~i:-ae~· -b~t iwrel1-~aid-·~•t.' , the plaf.ntlff· \ilOUld 1nfo,::111··tttia itdvocate.e :c.o teacln<f th• : · •• ::1. :' , •_,.'I,~ •, •. , =.•• .'.~ I j i '. : · : ·) ' ' - • . • • ~ • • :. • •• ,. ..0 :,. ,•• • ' o -: o f , t • • • •~ "' .. • . ~ + • . 0 ' • • • • ( • • ' • • • : " .: · contt'"act. I • ' t • ••• \ o I • I • • : • -,. . .. . - I • ' ' , •• : ! I I I I • • • • • • • • r L O , . . • • I • • • • • • : ; / • " •• , ' •• , 'o •-• ' , ' • , . . . . . I •~ • • • • • . . . . . • .,. • • • O • 1 .. •, ,.• •, . : ' : - '~ . ' •·t, ~ ' . . •·, ·.·. . . . . ~ ~ • : ' , ,f\,.ar , - ,,. .-~ .. , . . . - , •'·:,"> . :., .- '!'\ ... . ... • r ~ 0 _:'. · ·.· : , ._ l : -,:.· .. < '· • • '• '., ... " • ' lo r-eply Mr,·. S~6tlt>ao for _t'he ~'Jef~nd~~~ · ,·~PfO,'tt~d _;.~• -learned trial Judge tb~'t:;,,\bo notice given waa u1:,~easoo~blai , ,,&ytnt that. •·tt-.-r obtajp1J!1G. su~,o·. con•ent -:~~d .t~• - aame · , · . · · hnvin_s brougb~ ~o t:bf;' at_t~-ot.io.n -~f tbe· ch•fendant, the , .. . .. : : ' --- ; 1.• {·>,_} • : pl1.1i 1 nt.i ff •b<-uld hove . 1:~,1:-,aded · the contract ·after 21. d~1•. · . . or give~ 14 'ilaye-::·U> .... ~oil·: ~•fonde~t to p~plet,e. . He saicf . /-. t.hia " ·· · · n~t -dotu1.t/ ·~.ha · CP'1~r•ct. i• :tho-ro·tor.e-.· lll►•'i~tt~g·~·: . Furth•~~-_tba~ "-~t•~ -~~~ ~~6'h . Co1u~~ _pr_~ceed.10,:\~;~h,_:~-,t~Jt~h~ . tendered· t(f· th•· pla!nt.iff '·kJJII as purc:baae pt.co -i:o ta1'e ,}$nto · account:· int~at..i~n eea11;.ina that the orig1~,41/ pUrt•~~~~ -.\Ptic~ ' : ot· 1'io.oao waa· not enougt., ·•ad . the l~ bas ·b~~.,: ~~!•ttt:64:-: by t.bo pla tnt 1 ff. , ru~t'her ~h~: d~fenda~t rodeomed·. t~l· 'i1·,:~,t ,1.~-f~ •. . mt>tgage · wr1th the Du+l~-~~~ ~iety · tn ~o~••q~~,~~JJ,~\~htch · .. tt,e d~fend~nt ~bc~ioo.d ~-;tle '!~•dt, to t~.e pr:~:~- V~f;fi}~)~~ftr t~:~~n.<rDe~ds ret;ii,tertng the High Co-.:ir.t Judgraeni;. with · t~e) ,. :·: ·.: ll•atat~y under \~e p~ovj"to~e -o~--·¥,qq._;io~, l_t./;. ~l~i¾•~--~ . ·'i~~~t ·i~i·::,/:i~'t: •iP.:1f'-' · • ... ; J, Court Act •.... &ap. - SQ.:· . , ; . •.:·· ~~::::::-.- .. ;,_._ :.,' ... 0:-···.\~ .. \ ·1 ·>."t:{' :·~-:Jf! . . ~1t1:j/::'.'.,(.'::·:-~:·;:i-•' ·. . ' W~, ~,.~~'· o~~a:~~~e~-~~i i:he ~,~~1~:~fo~~ ··~1~f~J~t~f~:~;-1.::~ftd .. _ , ~•o _tb~,; olt~•zi~~\ o~-. r:~~~~4-• :~ -~~-!P;~,,~.i~ .. :;,~~~,J~~f ~:)J~_;:·~.':f••·li~~;; . : fc,»r th.o platn~iff ._tb_ot -~-,i~.e \114&.~f,i-~~•~~• '.-~.~,:hlf•?:~P~t-~,•·t th~ learne4 ~~••l J~dg~ : ~ann~t ~ -~ r ··~•~-~ted . ~~ --1t~(~!t~1-'.~J::~'1 · ,~bta poiat . .. ~vin!J ~~~,,~~d=-t~•-~ ~_!~ }!~~-~~ .,~,-.e.[!-.e tQ::'tbiit . . '-i •tter-, on~ ~o\f~~ el•~_'-·.q,e•~toq.~)!l~t ·io~·ice . ;;:~t--ple~e•i~- ; ia•ued ·eo· tb~.,~&fo~4~&.~,f t: rr6~~~f'·iJr,aumon~_;)~t4jt:~f(.1~:~do~a • it itJ ale~,,. ~~~t ~~n~···~•:~_.-~iven and __ one_ ~ou~<(.~.•~·,tefQre aay I t~ac tbe ..:ont.tpct. ~• .et'.t.lf stanct~tl8• •\ :. _ :· . . . . ~<.:1 __ . ; '1,.-. · ... : : ,· ·· '-";'.lf-'!i.'~" ... ~t--- .~·,··-._,.,- :: ·:r;~()t;:Fi.,•,:.::._.,_. ·{_ , . •. ,t )- r •. t: .•• · , , • 11 . ','!·. . ·., ~/ ~- • .•. 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