Shani Shomari and Others vs Zaituni Shomari (PC Civil Appeal No 42 of 1998) [1998] TZHC 2321 (7 August 1998)

IN TE;:,; HIGH CCUR'I' OF '.i'AFZANIA 1+2 OF (Ji. n)e2J. frcrn Teneke District Court at Ki vuke;ni in Misc. Civil A1;:;:,eal No. 12 c,f 19?'71o Originally Probate and Administration C2use No. 2E7 of 1 )J4 of Tetr:eke Pricr,ry Court). VERSUS ZAI TTJNI .SJ-{(lI//.lTI n o <.J o o o o o o o o ,. o c o o o c o c. o o o o c o o o o o c o o a o ~ o o ,;, c o o c, o o o o o }{1:SPQf,ID}:JJT 1" 1 :JlTA, J. The A1pellants anc:. Res1,ondent are ::1eirs ,,f the esta.te cf .one ,SECkARI NGOI·IA\i1:l'iul, deceased, 1 .,ho died on 25th SeptemLer, 19')3. daug}1tP.r of tbe ,'._eceased, was a; rcinted Aclrnistratrix of tLe · deceased I s esta.te ,y 'I·::;rneke Priniary Court in ProLro.te arcl Administratjon cause No. 2E'? cf 19')4. Among the a.ssets cf the deceaseds estate is a house situated at Ki1Jawa, Dar es Salaam. As some of U::'e heirs were opr,osed to the sale cf the sa.id house, / the trial r;agistr2,.te made a valu2tion oruer in resrect · cf t:,e said hGuse ,;ith a vie-1 tp determi,1.inr: the heirs shares in moneta.ry terms to fo.cilitate J,ay - t f the .) anteli T1e ir1stead of heirs w!::o 1,1ere not interested in staying in the saicl bcu.se by tl1os2 tc, stay in the said hcu.se. Arr,ellw;t 1 s l·.rere dissatisfie 1 _l by th0 ordc-r for vall1atic11., Hcwever, different Primary Cc-nrt t•ia::istrate at the s2ice Ccu:rt 1.,h,~ pr8niised tc 1!Ut r,~:;;_tter2. ri[;ht :ror them. the trial 1'ia0

istrate, the ne,sp-:mz:lent AnJeal.ed tc the District 1.1ith tte result t;iat the decision of the second Primary Court J:.';agistrate tws ,set asidee The Apr,elLmts ar;:lied to the Distrj_ct Court sed::ing extensicn of ti:•1e in order tv ar:i::eG.J tc, the District Court against the clecision cf tbe trial Magistrate delivered en 14th Decemler, 19J5o ;l'he Aprlic,J.ticn for exte:r..sic,n nf -,..

·-~ ,.,1 2 The District Court disrnisEed the said application, hence this Appecl., In his memorandum of apr,ea.l B.s ,·1ell as during the hearing of tr1is apr,eal the advocate for tbe Agellant I s 1 Mr. Justice I<:orosso (retired) gave a l0ng list of re2-scns. Ii:o 1 /.,ever, the c;ist of hi,s argument, if I 1,mderr:3tc,c,cl l':,im, is that:·· ( 1) That delay in apl,ealing against tr1e trial Magistr2.te I s decision wa.s caused 1>y the interference of tl-;.e securnl Prirn2ry Court hagistrate 1hth the trie.1. hc;.cistn'.te I r:;, decision; ( 2) th2.t the B.fJ,eal against the trial Nagistrate 's decision has over- whelrnins c1'1ances of sucess. Er. Macesa, le·.rned. advocate, appeared for the Respondent. l;Jith regard to the firt reascn fUt :forward Ly the J.;.ppellants, I am inclined tc the viev1 ta.ken by the Di::1trict Court l·lc.-i.gistrs.te that the seco;.1d Pri.rnary Court Ear:istro.te could net on his own initiative hc:we decided to inter- fere with the Jeci.sicn of the trial 1'1,::::.gistrate. He must have J-;een 2,})prc.ached by Ai;pellants wbo were dissatisfied with the decision of tlv:, tria.l n,agistrate Delay to 1o'.:l.(;e the appee.J. co.used !:·:f such activities cannot be said tc be go,od reason fer extenclil1fS time for lodging ap1>,&l Uith rer:arcl to tile secnnd reascn, it apr,ears th2,t good chance of success 1:,y n,:FL.T:i:31IC, Court of .i-~1-eal Criminal Appeal No. 37 of 19S3i R;;,maclho.ni, To I,. said ''Likelihoo::l oJ success '::)y itself, is not sufficient to extenc 1 time. Chances of success c.nly compliment a strcng case for enlarging tirH::n. I note in rassing that in this c:.ise the belief in overwelrning chances of success of the intended 2-j)peal hinges on the provisions of sectiom 59 of the Law of Marriage Act 1971 regarding che rigb.t,s of the v:ife i'~ conr,ectior. with t}1e ms.trirnonial 1:1crn.eo Thes,~ provisions, hm-12ver 1 are relevant while marriage subsicts • In this cuse the marriage no lcr-iger subsists. It ,;1as cJ.issol ved Ly the death of the husbancl, SECI,iA.f'J tlGOJIAUINDI, whose eEjtate is the ,sur:;ject matteT

3 l J The a-~.:,-r.:,eal is clismi,ssecl ,_ri tl1 costs. •'--'a Delivered in Ctw.ubers in the rreser.ce of i'fa.ge,3a, learned ad-wcate, John Marwa, hus1Jand of Zaituni Shomc1.ri, the Resr,cnclents this 7th day of August, 199£';0