News / National
Tsvangirai wins marriage suit
26 Apr 2012 at 04:02hrs | Views
High Court Judge, Justice Patel yesterday ruled as null and void attempts by Chief Luscious Chitsinde Negomo of Chiweshe to attach President Tsvangirai's property at his Harare residence.
In handing down the judgment on Wednesday, Justice Patel confirmed an earlier ruling by a Mashonaland Central provincial magistrate who, in February dismissed Chief Negomo's attempts to attach President Tsvangirai's property.
Justice Samuel Kudya wrote the judgment before Justice Bharat Patel handed it down.
Chief Negomo's traditional court had found Tsvangirai guilty of paying a bride price for Ms Locadia Karimatsenga on November 22 last year.
The month of November is deemed sacred in many local cultures and it is taboo to marry or conduct rituals in the month of November.
Tsvangirai was fined two cattle, two sheep, a 10-metre-long piece of cloth and a ball of snuff by Chief Negomo's court. The MDC-T leader did not pay the fine, a development that resulted in the chief attempting to attach property from the premier's Strathaven house in Harare. Last month a magistrate at Bindura Magistrates' Court confirmed the traditional court's decision, but Mr Fellex Mawadze, who is in charge of Mashonaland Central province, set aside the same decision.
To rectify the conflicting findings, Mr Mawadze referred the case to the High Court where a judge is expected to make a decision on which magistrate got it right. The law provides that a provincial magistrate may use his or her discretion to refer a matter to the High Court for review whenever necessary.
MDC-T says Chief Negomo's uncalled for actions have put the important role played by traditional leaders into disrepute after he allowed Zanu-PF to use him in an attempt to tarnish Tsvangirai's image.
"His actions have no doubt, left his subjects in Chiweshe communal lands and the people of Zimbabwe questioning his ability to act as a chief who should at all times be apolitical and be of sober behaviour," said MDC-T in a statement.
The MDC-T says it totally agrees with Justice Patel's ruling that the judgment by Chief Negomo at his community court was "null and void."
It says Chief Negomo's ruling was nothing but a part of Zanu-PF's grand political plot to destabilise the people's project and its leadership in delivering real change to Zimbabwe.
In handing down the judgment on Wednesday, Justice Patel confirmed an earlier ruling by a Mashonaland Central provincial magistrate who, in February dismissed Chief Negomo's attempts to attach President Tsvangirai's property.
Justice Samuel Kudya wrote the judgment before Justice Bharat Patel handed it down.
Chief Negomo's traditional court had found Tsvangirai guilty of paying a bride price for Ms Locadia Karimatsenga on November 22 last year.
The month of November is deemed sacred in many local cultures and it is taboo to marry or conduct rituals in the month of November.
To rectify the conflicting findings, Mr Mawadze referred the case to the High Court where a judge is expected to make a decision on which magistrate got it right. The law provides that a provincial magistrate may use his or her discretion to refer a matter to the High Court for review whenever necessary.
MDC-T says Chief Negomo's uncalled for actions have put the important role played by traditional leaders into disrepute after he allowed Zanu-PF to use him in an attempt to tarnish Tsvangirai's image.
"His actions have no doubt, left his subjects in Chiweshe communal lands and the people of Zimbabwe questioning his ability to act as a chief who should at all times be apolitical and be of sober behaviour," said MDC-T in a statement.
The MDC-T says it totally agrees with Justice Patel's ruling that the judgment by Chief Negomo at his community court was "null and void."
It says Chief Negomo's ruling was nothing but a part of Zanu-PF's grand political plot to destabilise the people's project and its leadership in delivering real change to Zimbabwe.
Source - Byo24News
