Source: Serial litigant eyes presidency – DailyNews Live
Tendai Kamhungira 5 March 2017
HARARE – A Harare-based serial litigant, Ignatius Masamba, pictured below,
– who has filed over 22 cases before the High Court – has said he wants to
be the country’s next president.
Masamba has sued various individuals and organisations over rentals and
other issues related to his sister’s Avenues flat in Harare, which he is
managing.
Among some of the institutions that he has sued are the Zimbabwe
Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC), City of Harare,
estate agents, the Zimbabwe Schools Examination Council (Zimsec) and other
individuals.
While he claims that his court applications are motivated by his desire to
end corruption and receiving justice, the High Court has protested the
aspiring politician’s litigation, accusing him of clogging the courts with
cases.
He, however, claims the ruling is political because of his presidential
ambitions.
The order for perpetual silence was first handed down by High Court judge
Joseph Mafusire in July last year after the City of Harare approached the
court over Masamba’s several lawsuits, that he insists are justified.
“The registrar of this court shall not issue any process commencing
action, or set down any matter already filed or commenced by, for, on
behalf of, or at the best of …Masamba in connection with that property,
without leave of this court first being applied for and obtained.
“Any application for the leave of this court as directed above shall be
made on notice to all interested persons,” Mafusire ruled.
Though the judge said the Constitution gives everybody a right to access
the courts, the right is not absolute.
Masamba was also issued with another order by High Court judge Lavender
Makoni in November last year after he sued Zimsec demanding $2, 6 million
for what he termed “professional negligence” and “defamation libel”
emanating from an unknown Ordinary Level result symbol obtained by his
son.
He also pursued ZETDC over an alleged inflated electricity bill in respect
of the flat that he is managing.
Masamba, who once stayed in the United Kingdom for two years, claims he is
mainly suing parastatals because they are being used by the government as
political instruments to sabotage him financially for being a presidential
aspirant.
“I tried to participate in 2013 but I failed because the then Zimbabwe
Electoral Commission (Zec) public relations officer had told me that when
the nomination papers are available he would advise me.
“I was later told that I was supposed to get 100 signatures from
supporters across the country in one day before filing my papers with the
Nomination Court.
“Unfortunately that made it impossible for me to eventually participate in
the elections,” Masamba said.
With so many court cases, the Daily News on Sunday asked Masamba who
sponsors his applications. He said he foots his own bills using proceeds
from his sister’s flat, where he has a power of attorney.
After many applications, the single father of two has “mastered” the art
of drafting court applications, so much that he does not employ the
services of a lawyer.
Masamba wrote to the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) in a letter copied
to judges, lawyers, magistrates and the Law Society of Zimbabwe in
December last year, accusing judges of incompetence and playing to the
whims of political parties.
“…I am a political target for sabotage as a form of rigging… Because I
am an aspiring president and if this is the reason why I am targeted…,”
he said.
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