Traditional healer fined K50, 000

LUSAKA traditional healer and businessman Chilufya Chileya, also known as Kalonga Kanono has been ordered to pay K50, 000 in damages in a case in which he failed to appear before the court.

High Court Justice Dancewell Bowa stated in an order striking out the matter that the case was dismissed for want of prosecution as Kalonga Kanono failed to appear for the matter.

This was in a matter in which Kalonga Kanono sued Maxwell Chifuti, Tendai Daka and Thelma Simanuwa for destruction of his property that was looted sometime in 2016 when a spontaneous riot erupted at his business premises located in Kanyama Township.

The traditional doctor sued the three for damages owing to his alleged loss following public unrest over rumours that he had defiled a minor, resulting in the said riots. But in October 2017, the Lusaka High Court ordered that the case be dismissed, against Kanono with liberty to resume the matter within 14 days.

“Upon hearing counsel for the defendants and upon nonappearance on the part of the plaintiff or his advocates.

“It is hereby ordered that the matter be and is hereby struck out of the active cause list with liberty to be restored within 14 days of the date hereof, failure or which the action shall stand dismissed for want of prosecution,” he said.

The court had further ordered that Kanono also bears the costs in default of agreement.

However, seeing that the matter was not restored, Justice Bowa then delivered an order demanding costs from Kanono.

And the defendants have issued a demand through their lawyers of the immediate payment of K50, 000 to be payed within 14 days from 5th December, 2017.