No further postponements of Mutumbuka case – Judge warns lawyers
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GARIKAI MAFIRAKUREVA
HARARE – Justice Benjamin Chikowore has accused lawyers representing Harrison Marange, the man who bought Dzingai Mutumbuka’s US$600 000 house for only US$45 000 of delaying the matter and warned that there will be no further postponements of the case.
Today, Marange and his wife Demiteria Zirenga’s lawyer asked for a postponement of the case at the High Court in Harare allegedly because his principal Tererai Hilary Gunje of Gunje & Chasakara lost a brother. Advocate Method Ndlovu was also not available because of the same funeral.
Justice Chikowore said he would not have accepted the postponement had it not been for visually impaired lawyer Maimba who applied for the postponement. He said Maimba could not be ordered to read the papers and be ready in a short while.
Laywer Maimba told the court that he got the papers a few hours before coming to court and therefore had no time to read them.
Mutumbuka who is staying in the USA and is a senior World Bank executive is challenging the sale and eviction from his Chispite house.
Justice Chikowore postponed the case to Wednesday 20 March, 2024.
Dr Mutumbuka’s lawyer, Tomukudza Mudzimbasekwa of Sawyer & Mkushi Legal Practitioners opposed the postponement.
Justice Webster Nicholas Chinamora who resigned last year following corruption allegations granted the order for Mutumbuka to vacate his house on a technicality. The order issued on September 18, 2023, instructed Mutumbuka to vacate the house (Case number HCH 4912/22) and assist the purported buyer with the necessary paperwork. The buyer of the house armed with Chinamora’s order sought for Mutumbuka’s immediate eviction. Mutumbuka then appealed.