Administrative Review

Anjin Investments (Private) Limited v The Minister of Mines and Mining Development & 3 Others (CCZ 6/18, Constitutional Application No. CCZ 38/16) [2018] ZWCC 6 (27 June 2018);

REPORTABLE        (6)

 

 

ANJIN     INVESTMENTS    (PRIVATE)     LIMITED

v

  1.  

 

 

 

CONSTITUTIONAL COURT OF ZIMBABWE

MALABA CJ, GWAUNZA JCC, GOWORA JCC,

HLATSHWAYO JCC, PATEL JCC, GUVAVA JCC,

MAVANGIRA JCC, UCHENA JCC & ZIYAMBI AJCC

HARARE, 19 JULY, 2017 AND 27 JUNE, 2018.

 

 

 

 

The applicant, had received a letter from the Secretary for Mines and Mining Development alerting them that their special grants for mining had expired and they had to cease all mining activities and vacate the covered mining areas. The Minister further issued a press statement on the consolidation of all diamond mining activities in the grant areas.

The applicant averred that the above decisions had prejudicial effect on it which also violated its property rights.

The respondents alluded that the application was improperly brought before the court as it appeared to be a response to the judgment of the High Court which the applicant had previously lodged but never appealed and that the cause of action was res judicata and that the avoidance principle applied here. The court, therefore, had to decide on these three main points.

The court held that the appeal had been disguised as a case concerning constitutional points and should have been brought in terms of s167(5)(b) of the Constitution.

It held that although the basis of the application had changed with the introduction of the constitutional question, the effect of the relief sought remained the same.

The court also held that the bulk of the applicant’s case was on right to just administrative action which was protected under the Administrative Justice Act which had sufficient grounds to deal with the rights they alleged had been infringed.

The matter was dismissed with costs.

Bubye Minerals (Pvt) Ltd v Registrar of the High Court and Others (HC 2939/07) [2008] ZWHHC 49 (17 June 2008);

BUBYE MINERALS (PVT) LTD                                                               

versus

THE REGISTRAR OF THE HIGH COURT

and

THE MINISTER OF MINES AND MINING DEVELOPMENT

and

THE MINING COMMISSIONER, MASVINGO

and

The matter at hand arose following a decision in the High Court which the applicant wanted to appeal. In compliance with rule 15 of the Rules of the Supreme Court, the registrar of the High Court prepared the record of appeal and, thereafter, invited the parties to inspect the record before forwarding it to the Supreme Court.

The applicant’s legal practitioner inspected the record and opined that the record was incomplete. An exchange of letters then followed between the registrar and the practitioner about the relevance of the alleged missing information. In the process, the prescribed ten days for inspection lapsed, prompting the registrar to inform the applicant that he had, therefore, abandoned the appeal.

The court had to determine the meaning of ‘inspection’ in terms of the rules and whether the applicant complied with the rules for inspection or not.

The court held that the word ‘inspect’ meant ‘to look at or examine carefully’ and where such examination has occurred, the examiner should certify this. To merely examine without such a seal would be of no relevancy to the process.

The court held that the applicant’s practitioner had done this as evidenced by opining after the fact for the inclusion of information, but failed to comply with the signing off requirement which he refused to do and, therefore, could not have been said to comply with the rules of the court in that aspect and as a result the time lapsed.

Accordingly, the appeal failed.

Subscribe to Administrative Review