Mwanza Regional Trading Co. Ltd vs David Ndomondo (HC Civil Revision No. 1 of 1997) [2000] TZHC 81 (4 May 2000)

.... ; /. IN '.IDE HIGH CCURT c:1!1 TANZANIA . ·,, . ·AT M\r!ANZA . (HC) ··CIVIL ·RE'ISIC-N NO •. ;i OF ·1997 M\rJANZA' :RmI(i.NAL TRADING .. co .• LTD'.,, . !, . . . l .t .~ ••• ;~~~~ •• ~ •• 1 ••••• ~ •• Versus DAV 1D NDOMONDO . " ••••••••••••••••••••p•••r••••••••••••• RULIID ·.·' ... . I . , APPLICilNt• R&SPONDENT This rm.on is· i>1 ·rect ;...t th .... TA.J..iNs t1f tlw t.r:i.- D~~-,e " •.. ,, '. ' .. COU!'t Hwe.n~~ 4ate4 17th t 1997 :i.n its orig:i.rJ.al. Cv,.iJ. Case !No' ·- .. ·,· ·.· '. . . ' r . vS/1996 between :the parties. The matters up0n which the revisi~ i.i;I . . . :i.J:ttandQd izlr -t rulip.g. a.re, £h•at tJ:iat th.a trial onurt rred in. holding tha it had no jurisdicti;n to entertain the su:1.t ;ln 1'-Qspo,o-t 0f a claim for arrears nf rnt 0r mesn11 prcfi ts whi~~: .i1.0 applicant/ :Lain£ 'I. _-f:h.Q Mwana ;Reg!.~ TPading Ck''Y I JtlaJ;. claiming, fIIl' ' •! • . .:' ·. .{ ' ' . .. . . the resp0ndent/defenda1~.t, David Nd0D¥)ndl'.'t who was its f(lrmer employee, • •. .( • • • '•. • • ' ;' I ' , : v,μi;i WQf'.' wa,s. ,c.c.-uPi:{1.ng pr-9u:i:i.~~ bGJ.ongj_ng t~ th-;> :PJ..a::i.11't1:f~ ~~~-t;~ on payment of rent. The arrears 0i rent claimed were for the-. pe:r:i0d Jxvlm ;..5/9-/95 n•:.30/f,/9(,. .a;;i stated in the plaint,. The trial· cour'f; (• LaG•P• : D~~tr:tot Mae;i0tr::.f.) :t'~ -r3,,..,.~ i.tq\l.-: o~~- i,o ~ ' I , ' power to evict .a tet from the house rif his' land lnd•" The seAJ1d matter for revision is the finding by the led trial District \ ~ . . . . . ; , . Magiotrate that the. suit pr.emises bel0nged t0 -the Nati('\naJ. Provicl-ent ,• • .·•. :: •., '• I I . ' Fund 1 mt t0 the plaintif, the RTC. The trial. District r-iagfatrate .. held ii.Again as I went nn the h0use rwners (sic) are the Natirmal Provident Fund and oot the Regional Trading Compa.riy whn are the At the hearing f'lf this revisfon Mr. Matata learned adv0cate appeared for the plaintiff, while Nr •. Nasimire, lea.med advncate appeared for the resprmde:a.t/deiend, .rit. After some exchange of

• 2 - ..... , . - . submissions, Mre Nasimire ultimately c0ceded that, in view of sectinn.2(1)(a) 0f the Rent ijestricti0n Act No. 17/84 read tgether with. the Rublic·.corporatir:ws Ac:t .Nq. ,2/1992 as ameded 1 the trial . District Cnurt had jurisdicti0n t0 try the suit nn a elaim for arrears 0f rent 0r J'4P.eQ.e profits in Tort for trespass. This is so qecause the Rent Resti,tinn At d0es n0t apply to the tenancy bet\'8en ',emplyer . . . and employee, and in respect r,f prenrLses 0f the emplc-yer wh0 is a parastatal nrganizati0n and where the premises, as in this c,, · ar~ . . used by 'the empll)yees nf the para,statal 'organizatic\n_. On th.e issue f loc-u.s sta.ndi which wa.s sandwiched with the ownership nf the suit premises, in resJ?ect of which the plaintiff was claiming. arrears of rent fr0m the Resp/ndent/defenda.nt 1 .Mr. Matata . had l'5'U.Pl'lli tted that the plain ti ff ( R'IC) was still the owner 0f the suit premises fr,r the period from 25/9/95 t0 30/6/96 whiph is. q0vcred by th.4 . . -claim. Tha suit premises wore SClld t0 the l'Jatir,na}. Y.l'0rident l"'l\ll.d €1'JP1!") cm 1/7/96. o, transfer 0f 016/Il,ership of the· uit premises frnm the . ' . . . . ,• . plaintiff. t NJ?F t00k effct on 1/7/96 and n,t befre •. :That being the ]_)('>oiti -tha pla.int:lf£ was ~till the owner 0f the suit premises .. for the period covered by the claim, and he has therefore the locus· sta,ndi to sue :for he meaue profits in q.leertj_01i. af.,ain,,t his a.Q!Ilf)l,.d-e. the defendant. Mr. Nasimire c0nc-eded to this point as well but prayed that this_ 0urt shnuld_ direct that paragraph 5 0f the plaint be amended t0 read that "The defendant has been trespassing into the plaintiff's , . premises fr0m 25/9/95 up t0 30/6/96 when the said premises were s0ld . to the NatiNia.l Pr0vident Fund as per annexture D tr. the written statement ()f defence.VI Also that para 6 r,f the plaint be amended to rem0ve therefromhe claim f0r tj;le ~rder.of evicti0n of the respondent/ defendant fr0m the suit premises. '.':he suggested amendments were tntally er.needed t0 by Mr. ~tata, learned ~dvocate for the plaintiff. In the ...

• 3 .. circumstances, therefre, the parties .ar.e n0w, c;tgreed that the ruling of ... the trial Court dated 17/3/97 be set aside, and the suit pl'f'\eeed f0r trial by the 13ame trial Distz:ict C0urt .a.fter endment 0f the,plaint . . ; . ·• . . ' ... . . . . . : ' . ' . . ~ .. . ' as hereinab(l"IJ"e sugg;eted ad- agreed up~ by the parties'· adVhCa~~s •. . . , ' . . ,_ ., ' ~ .... . . . .,. . In the circumstancs,_ with 'the_ consent 0f _the parties' .-adv0eate6: · . . ' . "'. . , ... ·.' - . . C("lurt by '"tb.E/pties• advNia:tes C("lfioe:tning the .. law g0verrr!-ng-·_,;the suit1 , . .. ,; ' .. ,' I hereby make an 0rder quashing and setting aside the· ·:r:uling of t):l.e tric:,l. Di8tr:tct C!"u.rt .dated -11/3/97, a.J?,d any nrders made therein are qua.shed. It is further · ordered . th.aJ: the plabit b.Gl a.mended _j.lt ~ j. and 6 as hereina.b-ove i.ndicated 'a.nc1· agreed upon by the parties'·. ~ . , : . ·. -· . -,'. .. :,.1, ,;•·: adv0cates. It is further 0rdered .that this suit be remitted back .· .... to ~~QQ;i.t.iotts)Jr'ithe trial e0urt fr trial in that c<"urt by any ma.gist~. of competent jurisdiction as the Principal Resident Magistrate 0f that c0urt will deem fit to assign. I 0rder acc~rdingly. Mr. Nasimire c0nceded t0 the issue for the r evisi,m, I c0u,d&ll1Il the .rUDGE lt-,5-2000 Coram; ~D. Nohallat J • F0r Applicant: Vn:-• Matata, Adv0cate - Absent with mtice For Respnndent: Mr. Rugaimukamu, Adv0cate in brief of Mr. Nasimire, learned advocate c.c. Restituta

' i -····:4 I I / ..... ;:.:.- ,, ,, -~. r. :, , . ~;. ·: :. .- - ' ', '. ·• . .', . - . ~ . . :l ... __ I ("--:. • • • ...... • : - Cou:rtf ·'Ruling. delivered' in C(ltti't ':tri the presence 0:f' the rep;ndent 1 s .• ,) r; adv~~ate 1 ;,niy, and in ·th4:ahsncie 0f Mr, ;,tata; lcarn·a. 1 dvocate'•fit ·tli 'pplila.nt wh0 has 'default€d appea:rki' for I:: .. ::, r.·,• •~ ;•,. ~., :,.,. · ... --; ;, .. ). • , ( .,, no known cause• At Mwanza. 1 this the ·4th ~ of May 1 2. " . I

• .. ,.,-:· "'~u-- ... ~:: . .. " ,•r 1 ·,.. • • .,. ,l.,r· . .-::.-!•J ', I • •l_ Right of app,8'al explained -.tr·· -·,.,. 4/5/2000 . ,J!i .,. I I. I 1· I 1!. -, j 11 I .t ;);'~ ! .I r :1 I I ., I ; I ...