MASVINGO – The public knows High Court Judges for their seriousness when they plough through court cases, at least that’s the expected decorum.
It’s not always!
A man believed to be from Zaka recently sent Masvingo High Court Judge, Justice Mawadze into a fit of uncontrollable laughter when he made an urgent chamber application demanding an apology from a Jerera Restaurant for providing an tasteless plate of sadza. The man said his case also deserved the urgent attention of the High Court because the waitress at Game Dollar ridiculed him in public.
For that, Jonathan Chikukwa the plaintiff who felt so slighted by the waitress he only identified as Betty said he wanted Justice Mawadze to order Game Size Restaurant to publicly apologise to him and publish the apology four times in a local and national newspaper.
Although Chikukwa was not represented, he wanted the High Court to order Betty and Game size to pay the costs of the suit.
Justice Mawadze said in his ruling that when he saw the urgent chamber application he set aside all other pressing matters to deal with this case that merited jumping the queue. He was astounded when he started going through the application and went into a bout of uncontrollable laughter when he realised the plaintiff wanted urgent redress over a small incident involving a plate of sadza.
He however, did not condone the trivialisation of the High Court with such petty cases although he at the same time conceded that the man has a right to the courts.
Chikukwa said in his application that he bought a plate of sadza for a dollar at Game size. He then tasted something that he did not understand in the food and waved the waitress to help him. However, Betty said something to the effect that she does not waste her time on complaints over a $1 plate of sadza.
Betty went on to accuse Chikukwa of just trying to get the attention of a woman. She further advised him to get married if he wanted a woman.
“Tinosevha macustomers akawanda pano handina nguva yekuuya ipapo kana kuita zvaunoda…….Mukagodii kuroora kana muchida attention yemukadzi? Ndozvaunoregera kuroora uchida kuzotinyangadza chikafu chedhora,” said Betty.
This left Chikukwa so bitter that he felt going to the High Court with the urgent chamber application would get him justice.
Although the case gave Justice some lighter moments, he dismissed the urgent Chamber application and with no costs. – Masvingo Mirror
