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Jurisdiction re: Functus Officio iro Approach

HH107-12 : TAWANDA LAMECK MUZONDA and TICHAONA MCDONALD MUZONDA AND THREE OTHERS vs LORRAINE USAYIWEVHU AND DEPUTY SHERIFF CHITUNGWIZA AND ONE OTHER
Ruled By: MUTEMA J

This is the first and final distribution account in terms of which the executor awarded the house to the applicants...the Master approved the account. Once the account was approved the executor became functus officio.
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HH205-10 : AFRICA CONSOLIDATED RESOURCES (PVT) LIMITED AND FOUR OTHERS vs MINISTER OF MINES AND MINING DEVELOPMENT AND TWO OTHERS
Ruled By: HUNGWE J

Secondly, counsel for the applicants took the point that as this court had pronounced itself in the judgment of the 24th September 2009, this court was functus officio. The first issue to resolve is whether this court is properly seized with this matter. As I pointed out in my directive to the first respondent's legal practitioners, the allegation of ...
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HH35-12 : DEBRAH GLORIA KOUMIDES vs PAUL KOUMIDES
Ruled By: GUVAVA J

Whilst it is accepted that this court has inherent jurisdiction under common law to supplement, clarify, or correct its own judgments, it can only do so in very limited circumstances. The rationale being that once a court has delivered a judgment it becomes functus officio. The authors HERBSTEIN and VAN WINSEN in...outline the circumstances in ...
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HH157-12 : JOROME OKEKE vs CHIEF IMMIGRATION OFFICER
Ruled By: MTSHIYA J

The endorsement that the matter is not urgent reflects the prima facie view of the court on the papers without the benefit of oral argument from the parties. Until the matter has been fully argued orally and a determination made thereafter, His Lordship is not functus officio and he can hear oral argument on ...
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HH113-09 : DIDYMUS MUTASA vs NGONI NDUNA N.O. and ATTORNEY-GENERAL and COMMISSIONER-GENERAL OF POLICE and ROBERT MCKERSIE
Ruled By: PATEL J

The applicant herein is the Minister of State responsible for Presidential Affairs. He was formerly the Minister responsible for Land Reform and Resettlement. The applicant originally sought an order, inter alia, staying and eventually setting aside the execution of a warrant of arrest issued against him on the 6th of ...
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HB43-09 : THULANI NDLOVU vs SHEPERD MUKURUVA and GRACE MUGWAGWA and REGISTRAR OF DEEDS
Ruled By: NDOU J

The applicant and the second respondent only entered into their Agreement of Sale on 9 September 2003. The second respondent did not honour this Agreement as well, resulting in the applicant approaching this court in 2004. On 20 February 2004, he obtained a provisional order interdicting the second and third respondents from selling and transferring the property ...
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HH105-10 : THE CHURCH OF THE PROVINCE OF CENTRAL AFRICA vs THE DIOCESAN TRUSTEES FOR THE DIOCESE OF HARARE
Ruled By: MAVANGIRA J

On 20 May, the respondent's legal practitioners raised preliminary points, the first of which was that this court is functus officio and cannot hear the matter as it had already made a final determination that the matter is not urgent and the determination had been communicated to the parties. Reference was made to Chirambasukwa v ...
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HH232-10 : ANDREW RICHARD BRUFORD vs THE ATTORNEY GENERAL and THE MINISTER OF LANDS AND RURAL RESETTLEMENT and MAGISTRATE JARABINI and OTHERS
Ruled By: CHIWESHE JP

Counsel for the applicant argued that the magistrate had no jurisdiction to order execution pending appeal. She contended that the Magistrate Court Act [Chapter 7:10] was silent in granting criminal courts further jurisdiction to issue orders to suspend or execute pending appeal any judgment given under criminal law. Section 3(5) of the Gazetted Land (Consequential ...
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HH233-10 : YAKUB SURTEE vs SHAUN EVANS and PAUL FRIENDSHIP and COLLIN MacMILLIAN and RODNEY FINNIGAN and ACROSS ENTERPRISES PL
Ruled By: MTSHIYA J

In this application, the applicant seeks the following relief:“1. The respondents be and are hereby held to be in contempt of this Honourable Court Order granted on 19 May 2009.2. The respondents be and are hereby incarcerated for a period of ninety (90) days each.3. Costs of this application shall ...
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HH276-10 : DAVID CHIGODORA and NELIA CHIGODORA vs THOMAS C. T RODRIGUES and THOMAS C.T. RODRIGUES (N.O.) and THE REGISTRAR OF DEED and THE MASTER OF THE HIGH COURT and THE DEPUTY SHERIFF
Ruled By: MTSHIYA J

As I have already indicated, the intention to regularize did not constitute a formal decision on the part of the Master of the High Court, and, therefore, the issue of him being functus officio never arose.
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HB51-10 : MORRIS CHINGUWA vs SIPHO NYONI and MAGISTRATE ZVISHAVANE and MR MUTSUNGUMA N.O. THE MESSENGER OF COURT/D/SHERIFF
Ruled By: MATHONSI J

It is clear that the procedure followed by the Magistrates' Court was irregular. From the time the judgment of the Chief's Court was confirmed by that court and a writ issued in favour of the applicant the same court became functus officio and could not lawfully reverse its own decision. In addition to that, the ...
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HH110-13 : THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF ZIMBABWE vs ABEDINICO BHEBHE and NJABULISO MGUNI and NORMAN MPOFU
Ruled By: CHIWESHE JP

The respondents contend that the court has become functus officio. Whereas in the past the applicant has sought extensions within which to abide by the order, what is presently sought is a different relief which the court cannot entertain….,. The applicant avers that it is competent for the court to hear an applicant who seeks to have ...
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HH56-14 : MABWE MINERALS ZIMBABWE PL vs CHIROSWA MINERALS PL and BASE MINERALS PL and ORBERT MPOFU (Minister of Mines) and THE ATTORNEY GENERAL N.O. and MRS E. KAHONDE N.O. (Mining Commissioner)
Ruled By: CHIGUMBA J

The parties appeared…, before me for oral argument, at the applicant's insistence, after I had initially indicated that the application did not meet the requirements of urgency. The letter from the applicant's legal practitioners, dated 21 August 2013, addressed to the Registrar, read in part, as follows: “We note that pursuant to perusing the urgent chamber ...
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HH22-15 : MILTON MADYAUTA vs MAZVIONA MADZIVA
Ruled By: UCHENA J and MWAYERA J

The appellant and the respondent had a dispute over land which they took to Headman Ganje for determination. Headman Ganje presided over the same dispute twice giving two different judgments. He initially found in favour of the appellant, but, subsequently, found in favour of the respondent. The respondent was aggrieved by Headman Ganje's ...
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HH631-15 : GOLDEN REEF MINING (PRIVATE) LIMITED and FERBIT INVESTMENTS (PRIVATE) LIMITED vs MNJIYA CONSULTING ENGINEERS (PTY) LIMITED and THE SHERIFF
Ruled By: MAFUSIRE J

The respondent's second point in limine was that this court was now functus officio. The argument was that the application before me was basically the same matter as determined by NDEWERE J before. It was said that the arguments proffered before NDEWERE J would be the same arguments to be proffered before me. The order ...
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HH722-15 : GOLDEN REEF MINING (PRIVATE) LIMITED and FERBITT INVESTMENTS (PRIVATE) LIMITED vs MNJIYA CONSULTING ENGINEERS (PTY) LIMITED and THE SHERIFF-GWERU N.O. and THE SHERIFF-MT DARWIN N.O.
Ruled By: MANGOTA J

Whether or not the court is functus officio in regard to the present application does, by and large, depend on the circumstances of this case. The first respondent stated that, in dismissing the application for rescission of default judgement, the court pronounced itself on the point that the applicants were in wilful default. It submitted ...
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SC32-18 : ZESA HOLDINGS (PRIVATE) LIMITED vs ITAYI UTAH
Ruled By: GWAUNZA JA, GUVAVA JA and MAVANGIRA JA

The learned authors, HERBSTEIN VAN WINSEN, 'The Civil Practice of the High Courts and the Supreme Court of Appeal of South Africa', 5th ed, state that: “The general principle, now well established in our law, is that once a court has duly pronounced a final judgment or order, it has itself no authority to correct, alter or ...
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HH57-16 : MOSES PIKAI SHONIWA vs NYUKWA SHONIWA (NEE MAZENGEZA)
Ruled By: CHITAPI J

I was faced with a situation in which I was functus officio but at the same time having power to use the provisions of Rule 449 to revisit my order. However, the powers provided to the court or judge under Rule 449 are exercisable on application.The Rule refers to an ...
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HH343-15 : SOURCE-NET (PVT) LTD and NELSON BANYA and ALFONCE MBIZWO and BERNARD MPOFU vs STEWARD BANK LIMITED and ECONET WIRELESS
Ruled By: MUSAKWA J

When the matter was set down for hearing, the Registrar erroneously notified the present applicants. Nonetheless, they were not served with the application itself. It turned out that they attended at the High Court after the matter had been disposed of and after the other parties had already left. They sought audience notwithstanding that I was ...
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HB160-16 : VICTORIA FALLS MUNICIPALITY vs S. C MUTARE N.O and DICKSON MUKOMBWE AND 16 OTHERS
Ruled By: MATHONSI J

The arbitrator who has made an award is functus officio and cannot entertain the same matter again….,.
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HH151-15 : CMED (PRIVATE) LIMITED vs KENNETH MAPHOSA and SHERIFF OF ZIMBABWE N.O. and ZIMBABWE REVENUE AUTHORITY
Ruled By: CHIGUMBA J

In the case of Church of the Province of Central Africa v Diocesan Trustees, Diocese of Harare 2010 (1) ZLR 346…, where this court said the following: “…., while normally a court does not have jurisdiction to interfere with its own judgments because, in relation thereto, it is functus officio, it does have such jurisdiction over orders made ...