Michelo v Chilopya (Appeal 76 of 2015) [2017] ZMSC 154 (8 December 2017)

I N T H E S U P R E M E C O U R T O F Z A M B I A A P P E A L N O . 7 6 / 2 0 1 5 H O L D E N A T N D O L A ( C i v i l J u r i s d i c t i o n ) B E T W E E N : S I M O N M I C H E L O A N D A P P E L L A N T B E T S O N C H I L O P Y A R E S P O N D E N T C o r a m : W o o d , M a l i l a a n d M u s o n d a , J J S o n 5 t h D e c e m b e r , 2 0 1 7 a n d 8 t h D e c e m b e r , 2 0 1 7 F o r th e A p p e lla n t: M r . M a r s h a l M u c h e n d e , D in d i & C o . F o r th e R e s p o n d e n t: N/A JUDGMENT M U S O N D A ,J S , d e l i v e r e d t h e J u d g m e n t o f t h e C o u r t C a s e s r e f e r r e d t o : 1 . L i n d i w e K a t e C h i n y a n t a - v - D o r e e n C h i w e l e & J u d i t h T e m b o : ( 2 0 0 7 ) Z . R .2 4 6 2 . U n d i P h i r i v . B a n k o f Z a m b i a ( 2 0 0 7 ) Z . R . 1 8 6 3 . S t a n d a r d C h a r t e r e d B a n k Z a m b i a L i m i t e d P L C v . W i l l a r d S o l o m o n N t h a n g a a n d 4 0 2 O t h e r s : S C Z J u d g m e n t " N o .,1 3 o f 2 0 0 8 4 . A u g u s t i n e K a p e m b w a - D a n n y M a i m b o l w a & A - G : ( 1 9 8 1 ) Z . R . 1 2 7 5 . A - G v . M a r c u s A c h i u m e : ( 1 9 9 8 ) Z . R . 1 . 6 . S p i r o s K o n i d a r i s v . R a m r a l D a u d i k e s : S C Z A p p e a l N o . 1 5 7 o f 1 9 9 9 L e g i s l a t i o n r e f e r r e d t o : \ 1 . T h e I n t e s t a t e S u c c e s s i o n A c t , C h a p t e r 5 9 o f t h e L a w s o f Z a m b i a J2 T h is is a n a p p e a l a g a in s t a ju d g m e n t o f a H ig h C o u rt J u d g e s ittin g in a n a p p e lla te . c a p a c ity w h o d is m is s e d , w ith c o s ts , a n a p p e a l w h ic h th e a p p e lla n t h a d la u n c h e d a g a in s t a ju d g m e n t o f a m a g is tra te o f th e s u b o rd in a te c o u rt o f th e firs t c la s s w h o h a d a ls o s a t in a n a p p e lla te c a p a c ity in re la tio n to a n e a rlie r ju d g m e n t o r o rd e r o f a lo c a l c o u rt w h ic h b e c a m e th e s u b je c t o f a n a p p e a l to th e .' la tte r c o u rt. F o r c o m p le te n e s s , th e m a g is tra te h a d h e a rd th e a p p e a l w h ic h h a d e m a n a te d fro m th e lo c a l c o u rt denouo p u rs u a n t to th e p ro v is io n s c o n ta in e d in S e c tio n 5 8 (2 ) o f th e L o c a l C o u rts A c t, C A P . 2 9 o f th e L a w s o f Z a m b ia . T h e b a c k g ro u n d fa c ts s u rro u n d in g th e p re s e n t a p p e a l a re fa irly s tra ig h t fo rw a rd . T h e a p p e lla n t w a s a p p o in te d a s a d m in is tra to r o f th e e s ta te o f th e la te L a m e c k C h ilo p y a w h o d ie d in te s ta te o n 2 4 th J a n u a ry , 1 9 9 2 . T h e a p p o in tm e n t o f th e a p p e lla n t a s a d m in is tra to r a ro s e fo llo w in g th e re v o c a tio n o f th e . e a rlie r a p p o in tm e n t o f R ib b o n C h ilo p y a a s a d m in is tra to r o f th e s a id e s ta te . T h e re v o c a tio n o f R ib b o n C h ilo p y a 's a p p o in tm e n t a s a d m in is tra to r b y th e lo c a l c o u rt h a d a ris e n a t th e b e h e s t o f th e ) J3 deceased's family members who had applied to that court seeking that relief on the basis that, Ribbon Chilopya, the then administrator, had sold part of the herd of the cattle which had formed part of the deceased's estate and that, following that sale, Ribbon Chilopya did not share the arising proceeds with those who were claiming to have been the legitimate beneficiaries, nor did he distribute the deceased's cattle which had not been the subject of the sale earlier mentioned in accordance with the law. Following .the appointment of the appellant as the administrator of late Chilopya's estate, disputes over the estate in question continued, not only with regard to the complete make-up of the estate but the distribution which had been effected by the appellant. On 12th June, 2000 the respondent, Betson Chilopya, instituted a civil action in the Choongo Local Court, Division 'B' against Simon Michelo, the appellant, in terms of which the respondent sought to have the appointment of the appellant as the administrator of the estate of the late Lameck Chilopya revoked. J4 T h e b a sis o n w h ic h th e re sp o n d e n t h a d so u g h t th e re v o c a tio n o f th e a p p e lla n t's a p p o in tm e n t a s a d m in istra to r w a s th a t h e , th e a p p e lla n t, h a d n o t p ro p e rly a d m in iste re d th e e sta te o f L a m e c k C h ilo p y a . W h e n th e m a tte r w a s h e a rd b y th e L o c a l C o u rt o n 2 5 th S e p te m b e r, 2 0 0 0 , th e re sp o n d e n t's c la im w a s d ism isse d o n th e b a sis th a t th e fa m ily w a s d iv id e d in th a t th e m a jo rity d id n o t lik e th e re sp o n d e n t. F o llo w in g th e d ism issa l o f h is a c tio n b y th e L o c a l C o u rt o n 2 5 th S e p te m b e r, 2 0 0 0 , th e re sp o n d e n t im m e d ia te ly file d a N o tic e o f a p p e a l to th e S u b o rd in a te C o u rt o f th e F irst C la ss a t M o n z e . A fte r se v e ra l a d jo u rn m e n ts a n d re -a llo c a tio n s o f th e m a tte r b y /b e tw e e n d iffe re n t m a g istra te s, th e a p p e a l w a s e v e n tu a lly h e a rd de novo. In th e c o u rse o f th e de novo h e a rin g b e fo re th e M a g istra te , e v id e n c e w a s le d b y b o th p a rtie s w h ic h w a s n o t lim ite d to th e re d re ss o f re v o c a tio n o f th e a p p e lla n t's a p p o in tm e n t a s a d m in istra to r. T h e tw o se ts o f w itn e sse s d e lv e d in to w h a t th e \ J5 m ak e-u p o f th e d eceased 's estate w as at th e tim e w h en th e ap p ellan t assu m ed h is ro le as ad m in istrato r an d h o w th e estate w as 'su p p o sed ly ' d istrib u ted . O n e o f th e co m p lain ts w h ich th e su b o rd in ate co u rt h eard fro m th e resp o n d en t an d h is w itn esses w as th at th e ap p ellan t h ad ap p ro p riated to h im self so m e o f th e d eceased 's estate an d d id n o t d istrib u te th e h erd o f cattle to th e law fu l b en eficiaries w h o in clu d ed th e d eceased 's w id o w s. In h is ju d g m en t w h ich w as d eliv ered o n 1 4 th A p ril, 2011 allo w in g th e resp o n d en t's ap p eal, th e m ag istrate m ad e a n u m b er o f fin d in g s o f fact in clu d in g th e fact th at th e ap p ellan t h ad ad m itted th at th e d eceased 's w id o w s w ere n o t g iv en th eir sh are o f th eir d eceased h u sb an d 's estate. T h e m ag istrate also fo u n d , as fact, th at th e ap p ellan t h ad d istrib u ted so m e o f th e d eceased 's estate o n ly to b en eficiaries th at h e, th e ap p ellan t, k n ew . T h e m ag istrate fu rth er fo u n d , as fact, th at th e estate in q u estio n h ad n o t b een d istrib u ted in acco rd an ce w ith th e d ictates o f th e In testate S u ccessio n A ct, C h ap ter 5 9 o f th e L aw s o f Z am b ia. In sh o rt, th e m ag istrate d eterm in ed th at th e ap p ellan t h ad failed to ad m in ister late L am eck C h ilo p y a's estate in acco rd an ce w ith th e law . T h e J6 m a g is tra te a c c o rd in g ly p ro n o u n c e d a ll th e d is trib u tio n s w h ic h th e a p p e lla n t h a d e ffe c te d u p to th a t p o in t ille g a l a n d , th e re fo re , n u ll a n d v o id . A ris in g fro m th a t d e c la ra tio n , th e m a g is tra te o rd e re d th e a p p e lla n t to a c c o u n t fo r a ll th e e s ta te w h ic h h e w a s s u p p o s e d to , a d m in is te r, n a m e ly , 2 2 .h e rd o f c a ttle , a .3 7 5 rifle , 1 0 iro n s h e e ts , a p lo u g h a n d c u ltiv a to rs . T h e m a g is tra te fu rth e r o rd e re d th a t a fte r a c c o u n tin g fo r th e e s ta te , th e a p p e lla n t s h o u ld p ro c e e d to re d is trib u te th e s a m e b y n o t la te r th a n 1 4 th J u n e , 2 0 1 1 in a c c o rd a n c e w ith th e In te s ta te S u c c e s s io n A c t, C A P . 5 9 o f th e L a w s o f Z a m b ia . T h e a p p e lla n t w a s n o t p le a s e d w ith th e ju d g m e n t w h ic h w a s - p ro n o u n c e d b y th e s u b o rd in a te c o u rt. A c c o rd in g ly , o n 1 3 th M a y , 2 0 1 1 , h e file d a N o tic e o f A p p e a l in th e H ig h C o u rt fo r Z a m b ia a t th e P rin c ip a l R e g is try . T h e b a s is o f th e a p p e lla n t's a p p e a l w a s a s o lita ry g ro u n d w h ic h w a s e x p re s s e d in th e fo llo w in g te rm s : (a) "The court below misdirected itself to order distribution of the estate of the late Lameck Chilopya instead of directing itself to the sought remedy of revocation of the appellant's appointment as administrator." J7 In his arguments before the Court below, the appellant contended that the magistrate had gone beyond the scope of what he ought to have properly adjudicated upon, namely, the revocation of the order of appointment of the appellant as administrator. In the view which the appellant took, the order of the magistrate requiring the appellant to redistribute the estate in question went beyond the proper realm of the case as instituted which was limited to the revocation ofthe appellant's appointment. For the removal of any doubt, the record does, in fact, attest to the fact that in the action as instituted by the respondent in the local court, the redress which was sought was for the revocation of the appointment of the appellant as administrator. , Relying on what had transpired in the magistrate's court, the learned judge, from whose decision the seed of the appeal now before us was planted, reasoned that she could not fault the magistrate on account of any of the orders which that inferior court had pronounced. Indeed, the leamed judge below embraced those orders as if they had been her own. J8 In the view of the ~udge below, merely revoking the order of appointment of the appellant as administrator would not have addressed the real issues which had been in contention around the estate in issue, namely, the rendering of an account relating to the manner in which the appellant had administered the estate and ensuring that all the beneficiaries received their respective entitlements or shares of the same. The judge accordingly concluded that the magistrate did not err when he granted the orders earlier mentioned as he had been obliged to adjudicate upon all the issues which had been brought before him in pursuance of the action which had been instituted. Having reached the above conclusion, the judge below then proceeded to examine the law which was germane to the issues which had been at play before that court. The judge started off by citing our decision in Lindiwe Kate Chinyanta v. Doreen Chiwele & Judith Tembo1 where we said, at page 255: "Wewish to make it clear that the courts will intervene in matters of administration of a deceased's estate where there is sufficient evidence of breach of the law." I n t h e c o n t e x t o f t h e m a t t e r b e f o r e h e r , t h e j u d g e b e l o w o b s e r v e d t h a t t h e m a g i s t r a t e h a d c o r r e c t l y h i g h l i g h t e d i n h i s j u d g m e n t t h a t t h e m a n n e r i n w h i c h t h e a p p e l l a n t h a d p u r p o r t e d t o a d m i n i s t e r t h e e s t a t e i n q u e s t i o n h a d f a l l e n b e l o w t h e r e q u i r e m e n t s o f t h e I n t e s t a t e S u c c e s s i o n A c t , C A P . 5 9 i n t h a t t h e a p p e l l a n t h a d n o t o b s e r v e d t h e p r o v i s i o n s o f t h a t s t a t u t e a n d h a d e v e n i g n o r e d s o m e o f t h e p r i m a r y b e n e f i c i a r i e s o f t h e e s t a t e s u c h a s t h e d e c e a s e d 's w i d o w s . T h e l e a r n e d j u d g e a l s o n o t e d t h a t t h e i s s u e s w h i c h t h e m a g i s t r a t e h a d h i g h l i g h t e d i n h i s j u d g m e n t h a d b e e n t h e s u b j e c t o f i n t e r r o g a t i o n i n t h e c o u r s e o f t h e p r o c e e d i n g s b e f o r e t h a t c o u r t . U n d e r t h o s e c i r c u m s t a n c e s , t h e l e a r n e d j u d g e o p i n e d t h a t t h e m a g i s t r a t e w o u l d h a v e f a i l e d i n h i s d u t i e s h a d h e n o t c o n s i d e r e d a n d a d j u d i c a t e d o n t h e i s s u e s w h i c h h a d a c t u a l l y b e e n a r g u e d b y t h e p a r t i e s . R e t u r n i n g t o o u r d e c i s i o n i n Lindiwe Kate Chinyanta v. Doreen Chiwele and Judith Tembo1 , t h e l e a r n e d j u d g e n o t e d t h a t t h e a p p e l l a n t , a s a d m i n i s t r a t o r o f L a m e c k C h i l o p y a 's e s t a t e , w a s o b l i g e d t o f o l l o w i n g t h e l a w a s w e h a d s p e l t i t o u t i n t h a t c a s e i n t h e f o l l o w i n g t e r m s : n o " T h e r e i s s u f f i c i e n t p r o t e c t i o n f o r b e n e f i c i a r i e s a s w e l l a s a d m i n i s t r a t o r s u n d e r t h e l a w . A n a d m i n i s t r a t o r h a s l e g a l d u t i e s t o t h e b e n e f i c i a r i e s a n d o t h e r i n t e r e s t e d p a r t i e s i n c l u d i n g c r e d i t o r s : a n a d m i n i s t r a t o r m a y b e c a l l e d u p o n b y a c o u r t t o a c c o u n t f o r t h e a d m i n i s t r a t i o n o f t h e e s t a t e o r f o r d e f a u l t . T h e d u t y o f t h e a d m i n i s t r a t o r i s n o t t o i n h e r i t t h e e s t a t e , b u t t o c o l l e c t t h e d e c e a s e d ' s a s s e t s , d i s t r i b u t e t h e m t o t h e b e n e f i c i a r i e s a n d r e n d e r a n a c c o u n t . " T h e c o u r t b e l o w a l s o o b s e r v e d t h a t a l t h o u g h t h e a c t i o n w h i c h t h e r e s p o n d e n t h a d i n s t i t u t e d i n t h e l o c a l c o u r t h a d b e e n c o n f i n e d t o t h e r e s p o n d e n t 's s e a r c h f o r o n e r e m e d y , n a m e l y , t h e r e v o c a t i o n o f t h e a p p e l l a n t 's a p p o i n t m e n t a s a d m i n i s t r a t o r , t h e t r i a l c o u r t w a s n o t p r e c l u d e d f r o m c o n s i d e r i n g a n d g r a n t i n g a n y o t h e r i n c i d e n t a l o r a u x i l i a r y r e l i e f a s a p p r o p r i a t e a n d i n l i n e w i t h S e c t i o n 1 9 ( 1 ) o f t h e I n t e s t a t e S u c c e s s i o n A c t , C h a p t e r 5 9 o f t h e L a w s o f Z a m b i a w h i c h e n a c t s a s f o l l o w s : " 1 9 ( 1 1 . T h e d u t i e s a n d p o w e r s o f a n a d m i n i s t r a t o r s h a l l b e _ (al ( b l T o e f f e c t d i s t r i b u t i o n o f t h e e s t a t e i n a c c o r d a n c e w i t h t h e r i g h t s o f t h e p e r s o n s i n t e r e s t e d i n t h e e s t a t e u n d e r t h i s A c t . ( c l W h e n r e q u i r e d t o d o s o b y t h e c o u r t , e i t h e r o n t h e a p p l i c a t i o n o f a n i n t e r e s t e d p a r t y o r o n i t s o w n m o t i o n _ ( i l T o p r o d u c e o n o a t h i n c o u r t t h e f u l l i n v e n t o r y o f t h e e s t a t e o f t h e d e c e a s e d ; a n d , J 1 I (ii) To render to the court an account of the administration of the estate." T h e a b o v e p r o v i s i o n s o f t h e l a w , a c c o r d i n g t o t h e j u d g e b e l o w , d o g r a n t t h e c o u r t p o w e r t o o r d e r a n a d m i n i s t r a t o r t o r e n d e r a n a c c o u n t e v e n o n i t s o w n m o t i o n a n d . e v e n i n t h e a b s e n c e o f a n a p p l i c a t i o n a t t h e i n s t a n c e o f a n i n t e r e s t e d p a r t y . T h e j u d g e a c c o r d i n g l y c o n c l u d e d t h a t t h e m a g i s t r a t e b e l o w w a s o n f i r m g r o u n d w h e n h e o r d e r e d t h e a p p e l l a n t n o t o n l y t o r e n d e r a n a c c o u n t a s t o h o w h e h a d a d m i n i s t e r e d t h e d e c e a s e d ' s e s t a t e f o l l o w i n g h i s a p p o i n t m e n t b u t t o r e - d i s t r i b u t e t h e h e r d o f c a t t l e t o a l l t h e l e g a l l y e n t i t l e d b e n e f i c i a r i e s . T h e j u d g e a c c o r d i n g l y d i s m i s s e d t h e a p p e l l a n t ' s a p p e a l w i t h c o s t s f o r w a n t o f m e r i t . I n a d d i t i o n , t h e j u d g e d i r e c t e d t h e a p p e l l a n t t o e f f e c t u a t e t h e o r d e r s o f t h e m a g i s t r a t e u p o n t h e r e n d e r i n g o f a n a c c o u n t i n r e s p e c t o f t h e e s t a t e a n d r e - d i s t r i b u t e t h e h e r d o f c a t t l e o n o r b e f o r e 3 0 t h A p r i l , 2 0 1 3 . T h e a p p e l l a n t w a s n o t s a t i s f i e d w i t h t h e o u t c o m e o f h i s a p p e a l t o t h e c o u r t b e l o w a n d h a s n o w a p p r o a c h e d t h i s c o u r t o f l a s t r e s o r t o n t h e b a s i s o f t h e 4 g r o u n d s w h i c h h a v e b e e n p r e s e n t e d i n t h e m e m o r a n d u m o f a p p e a l i n t h e f o l l o w i n g t e r m s : J12 "GROUND (1) T h e learn ed C o u rt b elo w m isd irected itself b y g ran tin g o n h er o w n acco rd an o rd er fo r d istrib u tio n . o f th e estate o f th e L ate L am eck C h ilo p y a w h en th e claim w as fo r rev o catio n o f th e letters o f rep resen tatio n o r o rd er o f ad m in istratio n g ran ted to th e A p p ellan t. GROUND (2) T h e learn ed C o u rt b elo w erred in law an d in fact b y to tally ig n o rin g th e law an d relev an t facts relatin g to rev o catio n o f o rd ers o f ad m in istratio n v id e sectio n 2 9 (1 1 o f th e In testate S u ccessio n A ct C ap 5 9 o f th e L aw s o f Z am b ia. GROUND (3) T h e learn ed C o u rt b elo w fell in to g rav e erro r w h en it aw ard ed rath er th an ad v isin g th e C o m p lain an t to co m m en ce p ro p er p ro ceed in g fo r, d istrib u tio n o f estate if th at w as th e d issatisfactio n . GROUND (4) T h e co u rt b elo w erred in fact an d cam e to a w ro n g fu l co n clu sio n th at th e estate w as n o t d istrib u ted w h en th ere w as ev id en ce o n th e reco rd clearly p o in tin g to th e fact th at th e estate w as firstly w asted b y th e first ad m in istrato r an d w h at rem ain ed w as later d istrib u ted b y th e ap p ellan t. L earn ed co u n sel fo r th e ap p ellan t filed H ead s o f A rg u m en t to b u ttress th e fo u r (0 4 ) g ro u n d s o f ap p eal. T h ree o f th e fo u r g ro u n d s w ere arg u ed to g eth er. A t th e h earin g o f th e ap p eal, co u n sel fo r th e ap p ellan t, M r. M u ch en d e, in fo rm ed u s th at h e w as g o in g to rely u p o n th e J 1 3 A p p e l l a n t 's f i l e d H e a d s . o f A r g u m e n t . L e a r n e d c o u n s e l a l s o i n f o r m e d u s t h a t i t w a s , w i t h o u r l e a v e , h i s d e s i r e t o a u g m e n t c e r t a i n s a l i e n t e l e m e n t s o f t h e f i l e d h e a d s o f a r g u m e n t o r a l l y . C o u n s e l o p e n e d t h e a p p e l l a n t 's w r i t t e n H e a d s o f A r g u m e n t b y g o i n g f o r t h e j u g u l a r a n d c o n t e n d i n g t h a t t h e r e s p o n d e n t 's c l a i m i n t h i s m a t t e r w a s f o r t h e r e v o c a t i o n o f t h e o r d e r o f a p p o i n t m e n t o f t h e a p p e l l a n t a s a d m i n i s t r a t o r o f t h e e s t a t e o f t h e l a t e L a m e c k C h i l o p y a a n d n o t f o r t h e r e d i s t r i b u t i o n o f h i s e s t a t e . T h i s p o s i t i o n , a c c o r d i n g t o c o u n s e l , w a s a m p l y c o n f i r m e d b y t h e j u d g e b e l o w i n h e r j u d g m e n t n o w u n d e r a t t a c k w h e n s h e s a i d : "Perusal of the record and the trial court's judgment confirms that the respondent's claim was for the revocation of the appellant's administratorship of the estate of the late Lameck Chilopya... " (at p. J3) C o u n s e l f o r t h e a p p e l l a n t f u r t h e r c o n f i r m e d i n h i s a r g u m e n t s t h a t e v e n t h e l o c a l c o u r t a c t i o n w h i c h t h e r e s p o n d e n t h a d i n s t i t u t e d i n t h e l o c a l c o u r t a ~ a i n s t t h e a p p e l l a n t h a d b e e n i n s t i t u t e d f o r t h e p u r p o s e o f s e c u r i n g t h e r e v o c a t i o n o f t h e a p p o i n t m e n t o f t h e a p p e l l a n t a s t h e a d m i n i s t r a t o r o f t h e e s t a t e o f l a t e L a m e c k C h i l o p y a . J 1 4 A c c o r d i n g t o t h e a p p e l l a n t 's c o u n s e l , f o l l o w i n g t h e d e c i s i o n o f t h e L o c a l C o u r t d e c l i n i n g t o r e v o k e t h e a p p e l l a n t 's a p p o i n t m e n t a s a d m i n i s t r a t o r a n d t h e s u b s e q u e n t e s c a l a t i o n o f t h e m a t t e r t o t h e M o n z e S u b o r d i n a t e C o u r t , t h e l a t t e r c o u r t p r o c e e d e d t o g r a ~ t a n o r d e r w h i c h h a d n o t b e e n s o u g h t i n t h e a c t i o n i n q u e s t i o n . T h a t o r d e r b y t h e m a g i s t r a t e h a d b e e n e x p r e s s e d i n t h e f o l l o w i n g t e r m s : - "... It is hereby ordered that he [the appellant] should account for [what] he was supposed to adm inister, nam ely, the .375 rifle, the 10 iron sheets, plough, cultivators. The adm inistrator cannot be said to have discharged his duty if he did not distribute the estate within the confines of the Intestate Succession Act, Chapter 59 of the Laws of Zam bia which cam e into force ... two years before the dem ise of late Lam eck Chilopya. As to the num ber of cattle ... the correct num ber claim ed by the [respondent] and his witnesses ... appears to [be] 22 herds of cattle. It is hereby ordered that the said redistribution be done on or before the 14th day of June, 2011." H a v i n g r e c i t e d t h e a b o v e p o r t i o n o f t h e m a g i s t r a t e 's j u d g m e n t , c o u n s e l f o r t h e a p p e l l a n t t h e n w e n t o n t o c r i t i c i z e t h e c o u r t b e l o w f o r h a v i n g s u p p o r t e d t h e m a g i s t r a t e 's o r d e r t o h a v e t h e a p p e l l a n t r e n d e r a n a c c o u n t i n r e s p e c t o f h i s a d m i n i s t r a t i o n o f t h e l a t e L a m e c k C h i l o p y a 's e s t a t e a n d t o h a v e h i m r e d i s t r i b u t e t h e c a t t l e t o t h e e n t i t l e d b e n e f i c i a r i e s . J 1 5 A c c o r d i n g t o c o u n s e l f o r t h e a p p e l l a n t , h i s c l i e n t d i d , i n f a c t , r e n d e r t h e a c c o u n t w h i c h h e w a s b e i n g r e q u i r e d t o r e n d e r . I n t h i s r e g a r d , l e a r n e d c o u n s e l d r e w o u r a t t e n t i o n t o t h e f o l l o w i n g p o r t i o n o f t h e j u d g m e n t o f t h e c o u r t b e l o w : "It is apparent from the trial court's judgment that the learned magistrate took into consideration the fact adduced by the appellant that there was nothing left to distribute" (at p. J4). C o u n s e l t h e n w e n t o n t o c r i t i c i s e t h e H i g h C o u r t j u d g e 's r e l i a n c e u p o n t h e c a s e o f Undi Phiri v. Bank of Zambia2 o n t h e b a s i s t h a t , u n l i k e t h e Undi Phiri Judgment2 , t h e j u d g m e n t o f t h e c o u r t b e l o w h a d c r e a t e d o r s u p e r i m p o s e d i t s o w n r e l i e f , b a s e d o n t h e e v i d e n c e b e f o r e i t . C o u n s e l f u r t h e r a r g u e d t h a t t h e w h o l e a p p r o a c h b y t h e c o u r t b e l o w w a s w r o n g a d d i n g t h a t t h e j u d g e i n q u e s t i o n s h o u l d , i n s t e a d o f p r o n o u n c i n g a w r o n g r e m e d y , h a v e s e n t t h e m a t t e r b a c k t o t h e t r i a l c o u r t s o t h a t t h a t c o u r t c o u l d a d d r e s s t h e r e l i e f o f r e v o c a t i o n w h i c h t h e p u r s u e r o f t h e a c t i o n h a d b e e n s e e k i n g . C o u n s e l w e n t o n t o c i t e o u r j u d g m e n t i n Standard Chartered Bank Zambia Limited PLC v. Willard Solomon Nthanga and 402 Others3 w h e r e , a t p a g e s J 4 1 - J 4 2 , w e s a i d : J16 " It is c le a r to u s th a t th e tria l ju d g e w a s in v ite d to d e te rm in e th e c la im o f sa la ry a rre a rs o n th e b a sis o f th e d o c u m e n ta ry e v id e n c e a n d su b m issio n s. B u t th e tria l ju d g e d id n o t a d d re ss h im se lf to th e c la im fo r sa la ry a rre a rs. In th e c irc u m sta n c e s, sittin g a s a n a p p e lla te c o u rt, w e c a n n o t d e te rm in e th a t c la im . T h e c ro ss-a p p e a l is, th e re fo re , d ism isse d . B u t w e re fe r th e c la im fo r sa la ry a rre a rs to th e tria l ju d g e to m a k e a p ro n o u n c e m e n t o n it." A c c o rd in g to c o u n se l fo r th e a p p e lla n t's fin a l a rg u m e n ts a ro u n d th e first 3 g ro u n d s, th e a p p e lla n t w a s a m b u sh e d b y th e c o u rt b e lo w w h e n it in flic te d th e re m e d y o f re d istrib u tio n w h ic h th e a p p e lla n t h a d n o t p re p a re d fo r. C o u n se l a c c o rd in g ly u rg e d u s to se t a sid e th e ju d g m e n t o f th e c o u rt b e lo w o n th e b a sis th a t th e re a l c o n c e rn o f th e p a rtie s w a s n o t a d d re sse d . In th e v ie w o f le a rn e d c o u n se l, w h a t th e p a rtie s w a n te d w a s re v o c a tio n a n d n o t re d istrib u tio n . U n d e r th e 4 th a n d fin a l g ro u n d o f a p p e a l, c o u n se l fo r th e a p p e lla n t a rg u e d th a t th is c o u rt h a s p o w e r to in te rfe re w ith fin d in g s o f fa c t m a d e b y a tria l c o u rt if su c h fin d in g s a re fo u n d to b e su c h a s n o tria l c o u rt, w ith a p ro p e r v ie w o f th e e v id e n c e a n d a c tin g c o rre c tly c a n re a so n a b ly m a k e . T o su p p o rt th is p ro p o sitio n , le a rn e d c o u n se l re fe rre d u s to o u r d e c isio n s in Augustine J17 K a p e m b w a - D a n n y M a i m b o l w a & A - G 4 and A - G v . M a r c u s A c h i u m e . 5 Counsel went on to argue that the trial court's finding that the late Lameck Chilopya had 22 herd of cattle and not 14 was hardly supported by any reasoning or rationalization on the part of that court. According to counsel, the appellant had explained that he received 14 herd of cattle from the kraal at Monze Police Station. W ith respect to whether or not the appellant had distributed the estate, counsel for the appellant quoted the following passage from the judgment of the court below: " U p o n h e a r i n g a l l t h e p a r t i e s a n d t h e i r o p p o s i n g e v i d e n c e , t h e l e a r n e d m a g i s t r a t e f o u n d f o r t h e r e s p o n d e n t w h o s e e v i d e n c e w a s i n s o m e a s p e c t s a c k n o w l e d g e d b y t h e a p p e l l a n t . I t w a s t h e a p p e l l a n t ' s e v i d e n c e t h a t t h e r e w a s n o r e m a i n i n g p a r t o f t h e e s t a t e w h i c h w a s u n d i s t r i b u t e d a n d t h a t h e c o m p l e t e d t h e d i s t r i b u t i o n o f t h e e s t a t e s o m e t i m e i n 1 9 9 2 w i t h i n 9 0 d a y s o f a p p o i n t m e n t . " On the basis of the passage we have quoted above, counsel for the appellant submitted that there was no question of his client not having distributed the estate in question. 1 1 8 A c c o r d i n g t o t h e a p p e l l a n t 's c o u n s e l , e v e n t h e m a g i s t r a t e h a d a c k n o w l e d g e d t h e f a c t t h a t t h e a p p e l l a n t h a d a t t e n d e d t o t h e d i s t r i b u t i o n w h e n h e s a i d : "The distribution which was effected by the [appellant) was illegal hence null and void." T h e a p p e l l a n t 's c o u n s e l f u r t h e r o b s e r v e d t h a t e v e n t h e j u d g e b e l o w h a d a l s o a c k n o w l e d g e d t h a t t h e d i s t r i b u t i o n s h a d s i n c e t a k e n p l a c e w h e n s h e s a i d , a t p . J 4 o f h e r j u d g m e n t t h a t : "It is apparent from the trial court's judgment, that the learned magistrate took into consideration the fact adduced by the appellant that there was nothing left to distribute despite acknowledging that the widows and possibly other dependants were not given any share of the deceased's estate. The proceedings and the evidence of the parties show that the main contention of the parties was the distribution of the estate in that some legitimate beneficiaries were overlooked by the appellant as administrator. It was on this basis that the magistrate ordered that the cattle be redistributed to ensure that all the beneficiaries got their entitlement. " T h e a p p e l l a n t 's c o u n s e l t h e n w e n t o n t o c o n t e n d t h a t t h e r e m e d y o f 'r e d i s t r i b u t i o n ' i s n o t a v a i l a b l e u n d e r t h e i n t e s t a t e a n d t e s t a t e s u c c e s s i o n l a w i n g e n e r a l a n d u n d e r S . 1 9 ( 1 ) o f t h e I n t e s t a t e S u c c e s s i o n A c t , C A P . 5 9 i n p a r t i c u l a r . A c c o r d i n g t o l e a m e d c o u n s e l f o r t h e a p p e l l a n t , t h e o n l y r e l i e f s w h i c h a r e a v a i l a b l e u n d e r J 1 9 t h e l a w c i t e d a b o v e a r e ( 1 ) d i s t r i b u t i o n , ( 2 ) p r o d u c t i o n o f i n v e n t o r y o f t h e e s t a t e a n d ( 3 ) r e n d e r i n g o f a c c o u n t s o f t h e a d m i n i s t r a t i o n o f t h e e s t a t e . C o u n s e l f u r t h e r c o n t e n d e d t h a t o n c e a n a d m i n i s t r a t o r h a s d i s t r i b u t e d a n e s t a t e , r i g h t l y o r w r o n g l y , h i s d e c i s i o n i s b i n d i n g o n t h e e s t a t e a n d t h a t i t i s n o t p o s s i b l e t o r e d i s t r i b u t e w h a t t h e a d m i n i s t r a t o r w i l l h a v e d i s t r i b u t e d . A c c o r d i n g t o c o u n s e l f o r t h e a p p e l l a n t , t h e r e m e d i e s a v a i l a b l e t o a g g r i e v e d b e n e f i c i a r i e s u n d e r S e c t i o n 1 9 o f t h e I n t e s t a t e S u c c e s s i o n A c t , C A P . 5 9 a r e : (1) (2) (3) (4) rendering of accounts; distribution of any undistributed part of an estate; damages for breach of trust; or damages for negligent distribution of the estate. C o u n s e l c o n c l u d e d h i s a r g u m e n t s b y i n v i t i n g u s t o s e t a s i d e t h e j u d g m e n t s o f t h e S u b o r d i n a t e C o u r t a n d H i g h C o u r t a n d a w a r d t h e r e s p o n d e n t a p p r o p r i a t e c o s t s b o t h i n t h e c o u r t b e l o w a s w e l l a s t h e s u b o r d i n a t e c o u r t . J 2 0 A s e a r l i e r n o t e d , a t t h e h e a r i n g o f t h e a p p e a l , M r . M u c h e n d e s o u g h t o u r i n d u l g e n c e t o e m p h a s i s e s o m e o f t h e e l e m e n t s i n t h e f i l e d H e a d s o f A r g u m e n t w h i c h c o u n s e l c o n s i d e r e d c r u c i a l t o t h e f a t e o f t h e a p p e a l . I n t h i s r e g a r d , c o u n s e l r e m i n d e d u s t h a t t h e r e l i e f w h i c h h a d b e e n s o u g h t i n t h e a c t i o n i n q u e s t i o n f r o m t h e l o c a l c o u r t r i g h t t h r o u g h t o t h e H i g h C o u r t w a s f o r t h e r e v o c a t i o n o f t h e a p p e l l a n t a s t h e a d m i n i s t r a t o r o f t h e e s t a t e o f l a t e L a m e c k C h i l o p y a . M r . M u c h e n d e , h o w e v e r , c O J ; n p l a i n e d t h a t w h e n t h e m a t t e r r e a c h e d t h e s u b o r d i n a t e c o u r t , a "strange remedy not supported by Section 1 9 of the Intestate Succession Act, CAP. 5 9 " , was inflicted on the parties, "to the surprise of all. " A c c o r d i n g t o c o u n s e l , t h e s u b o r d i n a t e c o u r t c o u l d n o t d i r e c t i t s e l f t o t h e r e m e d y w h i c h h a d b e e n s o u g h t i n t h e a c t i o n a s i n s t i t u t e d , n a m e l y , r e v o c a t i o n . I n s t e a d , t h e c o u r t b e l o w o r d e r e d r e d i s t r i b u t i o n o f t h e e s t a t e . C o u n s e l c o m p l a i n e d t h a t t h e c o u r t f a i l e d t o p a y a t t e n t i o n t o t h e r e m e d y w h i c h t h e p a r t i e s w a n t e d , n a m e l y , t h e r e v o c a t i o n o f t h e a p p e l l a n t ' s a p p o i n t m e n t a s a d m i n i s t r a t o r o f t h e e s t a t e o f l a t e L a m e c k C h i p o y a . J 2 1 W e a r e u n d o u b t e d l y i n d e b t e d t o M r . M u c h e n d e f o r h i s c l e a r a n d f o r c e f u l a r g u m e n t s s u p p o r t i n g h i s c l i e n t ' s a p p e a l . F o r t h e r e m o v a l o f a n y d o u b t , t h e A p p e l l a n t ' s H e a d s o f A r g u m e n t w e r e n o t c h a l l e n g e d i n t h e w a y o f t h e R e s p o n d e n t f i l i n g c o u n t e r a r g u m e n t s . H a v i n g r e g a r d t o t h e p r i m a r y a n d o v e r a r c h i n g g r o u n d a r o u n d w h i c h t h i s a p p e a l r e v o l v e s a n d i n o r d e r t o p r o p e r l y a p p r e c i a t e a n d p l a c e i n t o c o n t e x t t h e c o n c l u s i o n s w h i c h w e h a v e r e a c h e d i n t h i s a p p e a l , i t i s n e c e s s a r y t h a t w e g i v e a f u l l e r a n d m o r e c o m p r e h e n s i v e a c c o u n t o f t h e e v i d e n c e ( p a r t i c u l a r l y t h e r e s p o n d e n t ' s ) w h i c h h a d p l a y e d o u t i n t h e m a g i s t r a t e ' s c o u r t w h e n t h e m a t t e r w a s h e a r d de novo f o l l o w i n g a n a p p e a l t o t h a t c o u r t f r o m a d e c i s i o n o f a l o c a l c o u r t . W e a r e , i n d e e d , o f t h e s e t t l e d v i e w t h a t t h i s e x e r c i s e i s n e c e s s a r y g i v e n l e a m e d c o u n s e l f o r t h e A p p e l l a n t ' s i n s i s t e n c e a n d u n e q u i v o c a l i n v i t a t i o n t o u s t o s e t a s i d e t h e l o w e r c o u r t ' s j u d g m e n t o n t h e b a s i s t h a t the real concern of the parties ( t h a t i s , b o t h t h e a p p e l l a n t a n d t h e R e s p o n d e n t ) w a s n o t a d d r e s s e d o s t e n s i b l y b e c a u s e "the parties wanted revocation and not redistribution" ( e m p h a s i s o u r s ) . J 2 2 O u r e x a m i n a t i o n o f t h e p r o c e e d i n g s i n t h e m a g i s t r a t e 's c o u r t r e v e a l e d t h a t , w h e n t h i s m a t t e r w a s h e a r d (de novo) i n t h a t c o u r t , t h e r e s p o n d e n t , w h o h a d b e e n d e s i g n a t e d a s p l a i n t i f f i n t h a t c o u r t , c a l l e d 4 w i t n e s s e s . T h e f i r s t w i t n e s s t o t e s t i f y w a s B e t s o n C h i l o p y a , t h e r e s p o n d e n t , w h o h a d i d e n t i f i e d h i m s e l f a s o n e o f t h e l a t e L a m e c k C h i l o p y a 's s o n s . T h e g i s t o f t h e r e s p o n d e n t 's e v i d e n c e b e f o r e t h e m a g i s t r a t e 's c o u r t w a s t h a t a f t e r s o m e i n i t i a l c o n f u s i o n a n d s e t b a c k s w i t h r e s p e c t t o t h e a p p o i n t m e n t o f a n a d m i n i s t r a t o r o f h i s f a t h e r 's e s t a t e , t h e f a m i l y m e m b e r s h a d s e t t l e d f o r t h e a p p e l l a n t w h o w a s s u b s e q u e n t l y a p p o i n t e d a s a d m i n i s t r a t o r o n t h e a d v i c e w h i c h t h e d e c e a s e d 's f a m i l y m e m b e r s h a d r e c e i v e d f r o m t h e C h o o n g o L o c a l C o u r t . A c c o r d i n g t o t h e r e s p o n d e n t , f o l l o w i n g t h e a p p e l l a n t 's a p p o i n t m e n t a s a d m i n i s t r a t o r o f h i s f a t h e r 's e s t a t e , h e ( t h e a p p e l l a n t ) i m m e d i a t e l y p r o c e e d e d t o s u e h i s ( t h a t I S , t h e r e s p o n d e n t 's e l d e r b r o t h e r ) , R i b b o n C h i l o p y a ( w h o h a d b e e n a p p o i n t e d a t f i r s t a s a d m i n i s t r a t o r ) f o r t h e p u r p o s e o f c o m p e l l i n g h i m t o s u r r e n d e r a l l t h e e s t a t e o f h i s l a t e f a t h e r s o t h a t t h e a p p e l l a n t c o u l d t a k e t h e s a m e t o h i s v i l l a g e . A c c o r d i n g t o t h i s w i t n e s s : J23 "T h e [ap p ellan t) to o k aw ay 2 2 h erd o f cattle, 1 0 iro n sh eets an d a d o o r fram e, tw o cu ltiv ato rs, a .3 7 5 rifle w h o se serial n u m b er w as 1 1 6 1 1 . A fter h e g o t all th o se th in g s, each tim e w e w en t to ask h im to u se th e said p ro p erty h e refu sed to allo w u s to u se th em . T h at is w h y w e w an t to h av e h is ap p o in tm en t as ad m in istrato r rev o k ed as h e d o es n o t h elp u s in an y w ay w h en ev er w e h av e p ro b lem s. H e d o es n o t ev en k n o w w h at th e w id o w s are eatin g . B u t th e [ap p ellan t) is h o ld in g o n to p ro p erty th at [th e w id o w s) acq u ired w ith th eir late h u sb an d . T h at is w h at h as m ad e u s co m e to co u rt as w e feel life h as b eco m e h ard fo r u s, th at is w h y w e w an t to g et b ack o u r p ro p erty so th at w e can k eep it o n o u r o w n . T h at is o u r co m p lain t." U n d er cro ss-ex am in atio n b y th e ap p ellan t, th e resp o n d en t to ld th e m ag istrate's co u rt th at h e w an ted p art o f th e estate w h ich th e ap p ellan t w as "h o ld in g o n to ". T h e w itn ess also reiterated th at h e an d th e o th er relativ es o f th e d eceased h ad ex p ected th e ap p ellan t to call th em an d sh are th e estate in stead o f ju st h o ld in g o n to th eir w ealth . T h e resp o n d en t's seco n d w itn ess w as M o d ify H am w eem b a (P W l) w h o d escrib ed th e late L am eck C h ilo p y a as h is so n . P W I to ld th e m ag istrate co u rt th at: "O n e d ay h av in g b een a p erso n w h o w as affected b y th e d eath o f th e d eceased , ... I w en t to ch eck o n th e late's ch ild ren . I fo u n d so m e p aram ilitary p o lice o fficers w h o h ad g o n e th ere an d th ey J24 d ro v e a w a y [w ith ] 2 2 h e rd o f c a ttle , 2 c u ltiv a to rs, a d o o r fra m e a n d its d o o r a n d 1 0 iro n sh e e ts. I w a n te d to k n o w w h e re th e sa id th in g s w e re b e in g ta k e n . It c a m e o u t c le a r th a t th e ite m s w e re h e a d e d to th e [a p p e lla n t's] h o m e . I w a n te d to se e w h a t th e [a p p e lla n t] w a n te d to d o , a n d b e c a u se h e w a s th e a d m in istra to r I th o u g h t h e w a n te d to d o th e sh a rin g a t h is h o m e . A fte r 1 0 m o n th s, I w e n t to th e [a p p e lla n t's] b ro th e r b y th e n a m e o f H a a k a n d a to fin d o u t fro m h im a s to h o w lo n g it ta k e s to sh a re th e e sta te o f th e d e c e a se d ... " T h e n ex t w itn ess w as H aak an d a Jaco b o (P W 2 ) w h o se testim o n y w as ex p ressed in th e fo llo w in g term s: "T h e A p p e lla n t. w a s a p p o in te d to lo o k a fte r th e e sta te o f th e d e c e a se d . S in c e th e re w e re d isp u te s w ith th e fa m ily , w e in v o lv e d th e p o lic e , w e w e n t to g e t 2 2 h e rd o f c a ttle , 2 c u ltiv a to rs a n d a d o o r fra m e a n d d o o r a n d 1 0 iro n sh e e ts. F in a lly a rifle w a s re trie v e d . F ro m th a t tim e th e c h ild re n h a v e b e e n c o m in g to a sk fo r th e ir sh a re o f th e ir la te fa th e r's p ro p e rty . T h e first tim e w h e n th e y a p p ro a c h e d m e I to ld th e m to g iv e m e tim e to ta lk to [th e a p p e lla n t]. I w e n t to ta lk to a p p e lla n t o v e r w h a t th e c h ild re n h a d se n t m e fo r. B u t h e to ld m e th a t h e c o u ld n o t sh a re th e a n im a ls a s h e w a n te d th e m to b re e d a n d m u ltip ly ... I w e n t a g a in to se e [th e a p p e lla n t], b u t th is tim e a ro u n d I fo u n d h im in a n a n g ry m o o d a n d fro m th a t tim e I h a v e n o t a p p ro a c h e d h im ." U n d er cro ss-ex am in atio n b y th e ap p ellan t, th e fo llo w in g resp o n ses w ere reco rd ed fro m P W 2 : J 2 5 " W h e n I c a m e t o r e m i n d y o u t o s h a r e t h e e s t a t e o f l a t e L a m e c k C h i l o p y a I f o u n d y o u w i t h y o u r w i f e a n d y o u r l a t e s o n K e n n e t h . E v e n i f y o u s h o w e d m e t h e l i s t o n h o w y o u a l l e g e d l y s h a r e d t h e e s t a t e I w o u l d d i s p u t e . Y o u d i d n o t g i v e m e o n e a n i m a l . Y o u d i d n o t g i v e C h u u m b w e t w o a n i m a l s . . . T h e f i r e a r m y o u g o t w a s f o r L a m e c k C h i l o p y a . . . W e g a v e y o u 2 2 h e r d s o f c a t t l e . . . " T h e t h i r d w i t n e s s f o r t h e r e s p o n d e n t w a s M a r y H a m a w o ( P W 3 ) , o n e o f t h e d e c e a s e d 's w i d o w s w h o a l s o c o n f i r m e d t h a t t h e a p p e l l a n t h a d b e e n a p p o i n t e d a s t h e a d m i n i s t r a t o r o f t h e d e c e a s e d L a m e c k C h i l o p y a 's e s t a t e . S h e t e s t i f i e d b e f o r e t h e m a g i t r a t e 's c o u r t a s f o l l o w s : " M t e r [ t h e a p p e l l a n t t o o k o v e r a s a d m i n i s t r a t o r ] h e c a m e t o o u r v i l l a g e a n d g o t 2 2 h e r d s o f c a t t l e , 2 c u l t i v a t o r s , a d o o r a n d i t s d o o r f r a m e a n d 1 0 i r o n s h e e t s . W e w a i t e d f o r ( t h e a p p e l l a n t ) t o c a l l u s a n d t h e c h i l d r e n t o s h a r e t h e p r o p e r t y , b u t t o d a t e h e h a s n o t d o n e s o . S i n c e t h e n w e h a v e b e e n s u f f e r i n g a n d a r e o n l y b e i n g h e l p e d b y o u r c h i l d r e n . T h a t i s w h a t m a d e u s b r i n g t h e m a t t e r t o c o u r t s o t h a t m a y b e o u r c h i l d r e n c o u l d b e h e l p e d . " U n d e r c r o s s - e x a m i n a t i o n b y t h e a p p e l l a n t , t h e w i d o w t e s t i f i e d t h a t : " T h e a n i m a l s w e r e t a k e n t o y o u r h o m e . I w a s p r e s e n t w h e n t h e a n i m a l s w e r e c o l l e c t e d . T h e a n i m a l s w e r e c o l l e c t e d b y y o u . . . " J26 T h e r e s p o n d e n t's 4 th w itn e s s w a s M ild e n C h ilo p y a ( P W 4 ) w h o s e te s tim o n y w a s e x p r e s s e d in th e f o llo w in g te r m s : " T h e [ a p p e lla n t) w a s p ic k e d a s th e a d m in is tr a to r o f th e e s ta te o f th e la te L a m e c k C h ilo p y a . . ..[ th e a p p e lla n t) e n g a g e d p o lic e o f f ic e r s a n d h e g o t 2 2 h e r d s o f c a ttle , a f ir e a r m s e r ia l N o . H 1 1 6 1 1 , 2 c u ltiv a to r s , 1 0 ir o n s h e e ts a n d a d o o r a n d its d o o r f r a m e ... W e w a ite d f o r m a n y y e a r s [ b u t th e a p p e lla n t) n e v e r c a lle d u s to g o a n d g e t o u r s h a r e s . T h a t's h o w w e c a m e u p w ith th e id e a o f r e v o k in g h is a d m in is tr a to r s h ip a s h e h a s f a ile d to e X e c u te h is d u tie s ... " U n d e r c r o s s - e x a m in a tio n b y th e a p p e lla n t, P W 4 p r o f f e r e d th e f o llo w in g r e s p o n s e s : " ... Y o u g o t th e f ir e a r m . W e h a v e b e e n c la im in g o u r c a ttle f r o m th e tim e y o u g o t th e m f r o m u s . W e w e r e s e n d in g J a c o b o H a k a a n tu . T h e 1 0 ir o n s h e e ts w e r e b o u g h t b y th e d e c e a s e d f r o m B h a b u 's s h o p . M y f a th e r n e v e r b o r r o w e d th e s a id ir o n s h e e ts ; h e b o u g h t th e m u s in g h is o w n m o n e y . I d o n 't k n o w th a t y o u g a v e [ th e r e s p o n d e n t) 5 a n im a ls . I d o n 't k n o w y o u g a v e C h a r lie C h ilo p y a , P a u lo C h u u m b w e a n d J a c o b o H a k a a n d a . F r o m th e tim e th e a n im a ls w e r e c o lle c te d I h a v e b e e n to y o u r h o m e , f o llo w in g u p o n th e a n im a ls ... " F o r h is p a r t, th e a p p e lla n t te s tif ie d o n h is o w n b e h a lf a n d a ls o c a lle d tw o w itn e s s e s . J2 7 In h is e v id e n c e , th e a p p e lla n t s ta rte d o ff b y te llin g th e m a g is tra te 's c o u rt th a t h e h a d lo n g c e a s e d to b e th e a d m in is tra to r o f L a m e c k C h ilo p y a 's e s ta te . H e th e n w e n t o n to te ll th e m a g is tra te w h ic h a s s e ts b e lo n g in g to th e d e c e a s e d h e fo u n d a n d d e s c rib e d th e s e a s 4 4 h e rd o f c a ttle , 6 o x -d ra w n c u ltiv a to rs , 1 2 c h a irs , 1 2 y o k e s , 5 fire a rm s , 1 2 p o ts , 2 o x c a rts , 2 h a n d -g rin d in g m ills , 1 s a fe , 2 b ic y c le s , 1 w h e e lb a rro w , 1 2 s p a n n e rs a n d o th e r m is c e lla n e o u s ite m s . T h e a p p e lla n t a ls o e x p la in e d h o w h e h a d d is trib u te d th e e s ta te in q u e s tio n . U n d e r c ro s s -e x a m in a tio n b y th e re s p o n d e n t, th e a p p e lla n t to ld th e m a g is tra te 's c o u rt th a t h e to o k th e d e c e a s e d 's c a ttle to h is h o u s e a n d th a t h e d is trib u te d th e e s ta te to d e s e rv in g b e n e fic ia rie s . T h e a p p e lla n t, h o w e v e r, c o n firm e d u n d e r c ro s s -e x a m in a tio n th a t h e d id n o t k n o w w h a t p e rc e n ta g e o f th e d e c e a s e d 's e s ta te s h o u ld h a v e g o n e to h is c h ild re n . T h e a p p e lla n t a ls o c o n firm e d th a t " th e w id o w s w e re n o t g iv e n a n y th in g ." H e , a ls o c o n firm e d th a t h e d id n o t k n o w w h e th e r th e re w e re o th e r b e n e fic ia rie s , h e n c e h is d e c is io n to d is trib u te th e e s ta te to th o s e th a t h e k n e w . c ',I j J28 A s w e . o b s e r v e d e a r l y o n i n t h i s j u d g m e n t , t h e a p p e l l a n t 's o v e r r i d i n g o r o v e r a r c h i n g c o m p l a i n t i n t h i s a p p e a l w a s t h a t t h e r e m e d y w h i c h t h e m a g i s t r a t e 's c o u r t p r o n o u n c e d a n d w h i c h t h e i m m e d i a t e c o u r t b e l o w e n d o r s e d h a d n o t b e e n t h e r e d r e s s w h i c h t h e p u r s u e r o f t h e a c t i o n h a d c o n c e i v e d a n d s o u g h t i n t h e f i r s t a n d s u b s e q u e n t c o u r t s b e l o w . T h e r e w a s , i n d e e d , n o d i s p u t e a s t o t h e n a t u r e o f t h e r e l i e f w h i c h t h e r e s p o n d e n t h a d s o u g h t i n t h e f i r s t c o u r t , n a m e l y , t h e l o c a l c o u r t . T h a t r e l i e f w a s t o s e c u r e t h e r e v o c a t i o n o f t h e a p p e l l a n t 's a p p o i n t m e n t a s a d m i n i s t r a t o r o f t h e e s t a t e o f l a t e L a m e c k C h i l o p y a . H o w e v e r , i n h i s j u d g m e n t , t h e m a g i s t r a t e b e l o w n o t e d t h a t t h e d i s t r i b u t i o n w h i c h t h e a p p e l l a n t h a d e f f e c t e d h a d b e e n i l l e g a l a n d t h e r e f o r e n u l l a n d v o i d o n a c c o u n t o f n o n - c o m p l i a n c e w i t h S e c t i o n [ 5 ] o f t h e I n t e s t a t e S u c c e s s i o n A c t , C h a p t e r 5 9 o f t h e L a w s o f Z a m b i a . T h e m a g i s t r a t e a c c o r d i n g l y o r d e r e d t h e a p p e l l a n t t o a c c o u n t f o r w h a t h e w a s s u p p o s e d t o a d m i n i s t e r , n a m e l y , t h e 2 2 h e r d o f c a t t l e , t h e .3 7 5 r i f l e , t h e 1 0 i r o n s h e e t s , p l o u g h a n d c u l t i v a t o r s . I n I. " ; J29 th e v ie w w h ic h th e m a g istra te to o k , a n a d m in istra to r o f a n e sta te u n d e r th e p ro v isio n s o f th e In te sta te S u c c e ssio n A c t, C h a p te r 5 o f th e L a w s o f Z a m b ia , "... cannot be said to have discharged his duty [under the provisions of the Intestate Succession Act CAP. 59J if he did not distribute the estate within the confines of that statute.] A s p re v io u sly n o te d , th e ju d g m e n t a n d o rd e r o f th e m a g istra te fo u n d fa v o u r w ith th e le a rn e d ju d g e b e lo w . H a v in g re g a rd to th e d e ta ile d e v id e n c e b y P W l, P W 2 , P W 3 a n d P W 4 , in re la tio n to th e first th re e g ro u n d s, w e in d e e d , fin d o u rse lv e s in a g re e m e n t b o th w ith th e a n a ly sis a n d c o n c lu sio n o f th e tria l c o u rt a n d th e c o u rt b e lo w . It w a s, in d e e d , c le a r fro m th e e v id e n c e w h ic h th e re sp o n d e n t o n th e o n e h a n d a n d h is 4 w itn e sse s o n th e o th e r, h a d d e p lo y e d b e fo re th e tria l m a g istra te th a t th e re lie f o f 're v o c a tio n ' o f th e a p p o in tm e n t o f th e a p p e lla n t a s th e a d m in istra to r o f th e e sta te o f la te L a m e c k C h ilo p y a w h ic h th e re sp o n d e n t h a d so u g h t in th e lo c a l C o u rt w a s n e ith e r b e in g so u g h t in iso la tio n fro m th e o th e r re lie fs w h ic h w e re e v id e n t fro m th e e v id e n c e n o r a s a n e n d in itse lf. W h a t w a s re so u n d in g ly c le a r fro m th e e v id e n c e w n ic h w a s p la c e d b e fo re th e tria l m a g istra te o n b e h a lf o f th e re sp o n d e n t w a s th a t th e b e n e fic ia rie s o f L a m e c k C h ilo p y a 's BO e s t a t e w a n t e d n o t o n l y t o h a v e t h e a p p e l l a n t r e m o v e d a s a d m i n i s t r a t o r b u t t o h a v e h i m s u r r e n d e r t h e e s t a t e w h i c h h a d b e e n e n t r u s t e d t o h i m a n d w h i c h h e h a d b e e n " h o l d i n g o n t o " . I n o u r v i e w , r a t h e r t h a n b e i n g i n c o n s i s t e n t , t h e c o n c l u s i o n w h i c h t h e t w o c o u r t s b e l o w h a d r e a c h e d w a s c o n s i s t e n t w i t h t h e a p p r o a c h w h i c h w e h a d a d o p t e d i n Standard Chartered Bank Zambia Limited PLCv. Willard Solomon Nthanga and 402 Others3which l e a r n e d c o u n s e l f o r t h e a p p e l l a n t h a d c i t e d i n t h e c o u r s e o f p r e s e n t i n g h i s a r g u m e n t s t o t h e e x t e n t t h a t t h e e v i d e n c e w h i c h h a d b e e n d e p l o y e d b e f o r e t h e c o u r t h a d b e e n d e t e r m i n a t i v e o f t h e r e l i e f t h a t t h e C o u r t h a d t o p r o n o u n c e . W e a l s o a g r e e w i t h t h e i m m e d i a t e l o w e r c o u r t 's o b s e r v a t i o n s t h a t t h e a p p e l l a n t 's c o n t e n t i o n s u g g e s t i n g t h e p r e c l u s i o n o f a c o u r t f r o m p r o c e e d i n g o n i t s o w n m o t i o n t o r e q u i r e a n a d m i n i s t r a t o r t o r e n d e r a n a c c o u n t i n r e s p e c t o f t h e i r a d m i n i s t r a t i o n o f a n e s t a t e a s t o t a l l y m i s p l a c e d i n t h e l i g h t o f t h e c l e a r p r o v i s i o n s c o n t a i n e d i n S e c t i o n 1 9 ( 1 ) ( i i ) o f t h e I n t e s t a t e S u c c e s s i o n A c t , C A P . 5 9 . W e a l s o w i s h t o o b s e r v e t h a t , r a t h e r t h a n p r o c e e d i n g i n t h e m a n n e r s u g g e s t e d b y t h e a p p e l l a n t v i a g r o u n d 3 , t h a t i s t o s a y , to advise t h e r e s p o n d e n t t o i n s t i t u t e " p r o p e r p r o c e e d i n g s " f o r t h e p u r p o s e o f d i s t r i b u t i n g t h e e s t a t e i n q u e s t i o n , t h e t w o c o u r t s b e l o w w e r e p e r f e c t l y e n t i t l e d t o p r o c e e d i n t h e m a n n e r t h e y d i d f o r t h e s a k e o f a v o i d i n g n e e d l e s s m u l t i p l i c i t y o f a c t i o n s . I n t h i s r e g a r d , O r d e r 4 7 , r u l e 2 1 o f t h e H i g h C o u r t A c t w h i c h d e a l s w i t h c i v i l a p p e a l s p r o v i d e s t h a t : "... The court shall have power to give any judgment and make any order that ought to have been made and to make such further or other orders as the case may require." Q u i t e c l e a r l y , a j u d g e s i t t i n g i n a n a p p e l l a t e c a p a c i t y i n r e s p e c t o f a c i v i l c a u s e h a s s u f f i c i e n t l a t i t u d e u n d e r t h e p r o v i s i o n w e h a v e c i t e d a b o v e t o p r o n o u n c e s u c h f u r t h e r o r o t h e r o r d e r s a s t h e " [ j u s t i c e ) o f t h e c a s e m a y r e q u i r e ." I n t h e c o n t e x t o f t h e a p p e a l w i t h w h i c h t h e c o u r t b e l o w w a s f a c e d , i t s i m p l y o p t e d t o e n d o r s e t h e r e d r e s s w h i c h t h e t r i a l c o u r t h a d p r o n o u n c e d . U n d e r t h e s e c i r c u m s t a n c e s , n e i t h e r t h e H i g h C o u r t j u d g e n o r t h e M a g i s t r a t e d e s e r v e t h e c r i t i c i s m w h i c h t h e a p p e l l a n t h a d c o n j u r e d . I t i s a l s o w o r t h y o f n o t e , a s t h e m a g i s t r a t e 's c o u r t h a d o b s e r v e d , t h a t i n t h e l i g h t o f t h e a p p e l l a n t 's o w n a d m i s s i o n t h a t h e d i d n o t , i n h i s p u r p o r t e d d i s t r i b u t i o n , o b s e r v e t h e p r o v i s i o n s c o n t a i n e d i n s e c t i o n 5 o f t h e I n t e s t a t e S u c c e s s i o n A c t , C A P . 5 9 , o r J32 f o r t h a t m a t t e r , a n y p r o v i s i o n o f t h a t s t a t u t e , t h e r e w a s n o l a w f u l o r v a l i d d i s t r i b u t i o n o f l a t e L a m e c k C h i l o p y a ' s e s t a t e b y t h e A p p e l l a n t a n d , c o n s e q u e n t l y , t h e q u e s t i o n o f are-distribution c a n n o t l a w f u l l y a r i s e . C o n s e q u e n t l y ; ' a l l t h e g r o u n d s o f a p p e a l m u s t f a i l . H a v i n g r e g a r d t o t h e c o n c l u s i o n w e h a v e r e a c h e d i n t h i s a p p e a l , w e w o u l d v a r y t h e O r d e r o f t h e m a g i s t r a t e b e l o w w h i c h h a d b e e n d i r e c t e d a g a i n s t t h e a p p e l l a n t t o t h e e x t e n t t h a t t h e u s e o f t h e w o r d ' r e - d i s t r i b u t e ' i n t h a t O r d e r s h o u l d b e s u b s t i t u t e d w i t h t h e w o r d ' d i s t r i b u t e ' a s t h i s . w o r d i s u s e d i n t h e I n t e s t a t e S u c c e s s i o n A c t , C A P . 5 9 . A c c o r d i n g l y , t h e a p p e l l a n t i s h e r e b y d i r e c t e d t o c o m p l y w i t h t h e O r d e r o f t h e m a g i s t r a t e ( a s w e h a v e v a r i e d i t i n t h i s j u d g m e n t ) w h i c h h a d d i r e c t e d h i m t o d i s t r i b u t e t h e 2 2 h e r d o f c a t t l e , t h e g u n , t h e 1 0 i r o n s h e e t s , t h e p l o u g h a n d t h e c u l t i v a t o r s . I n s u m , t h i s a p p e a l f a i l s i n i t s t o t a l i t y . P e r h a p s w e s h o u l d , i n c l o s i n g , c a l l t o m i n d w h a t w e s a i d i n Spiros Konidaris v. Ramral Daudikes6 ( u n r e p o r t e d ) a t p p . 4 - 5 : J33 "The learned trial judge himself dealt with the matter from the more realistic viewpoint that the events that had happened ..... could not be ignored." C o n t r a r y t o t h a t w e l l - k n o w n c l i c h e , j u s t i c e i s n o t b l i n d a f t e r a l l . I n t h e c o n t e x t o f t h i s a p p e a l , b o t h t h e m a g i s t r a t e a n d t h e l e a r n e d a p p e l l a t e j u d g e w e r e c l e a r l y a l i v e t o t h i s r e a l i t y . W i t h r e g a r d t o t h e q u e s t i o n o f c o s t s , t h e s e m u s t b e b o m e s q u a r e l y b y t h e a p p e l l a n t h i m s e l f . , .. :;--r .~ OOD A. . SUPREME CURT JUDGE i\\.~-- ................... ~ - ~ ~ ; ~ . DR.,M-;1VIALILA, SC SUPREME COURT JUDGE \,;--------~ ....\~:';;.'~~~~~~;' ~~ ....\, SUPREME COURT JUDGE