High Court of Tanzania

This is the second level in the Judiciary justice delivery hierarchy. It has both appellate and original powers on civil and criminal matters. It also hears appeals from the Courts of Resident Magistrate, the District Courts, and the District Land and Housing Tribunals in exercise of their original, appellate and/or revisional jurisdiction. The High Court is divided into Zones and specialized Divisions. 

Physical address
24 Kivukoni Road, P O Box: S.L.P. 9004
11 judgments
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Results. 11 judgments found.

11 judgments
November 1976
Trespass proved; assessors’ damage assessment restored and full damages awarded after magistrate unlawfully reduced the award.
  • Civil procedure — Assessors — Magistrate may not lawfully overrule majority opinion of assessors in Primary Court
  • Damages — Arbitrary reduction of assessed damages may be set aside on review and full assessed amount restored
  • Evidence — Identification — Tending of cattle by appellant's child sufficient circumstantial basis for attributing ownership
  • Tort — Trespass to land — Proof of trespass and damage — Eye‑witness agricultural evidence and damage estimate admissible and credible
19 November 1976
The applicant failed to prove part-payment; courts accepted the respondent’s evidence and dismissed the appeal.
  • Civil procedure — Burden of proof — allegation of payment to deceased payee — witness credibility — appellate deference to lower courts’ factual findings
19 November 1976
Appellant not entitled to full refund of bride price where his mistreatment caused the marriage breakdown.
  • Customary law — Customary marriage — refund of bride price (lobola)
    • — appellate review of factual findings on blame for marital breakdown
    • — entitlement to restitution on divorce
18 November 1976
Appeal dismissed where appellant had consented in the Primary Court to accept money instead of the bull.
  • Civil procedure — Appeal — court recognition of settlement — Effect of consensual arrangement on appeal
16 November 1976
Appeal wrongly admitted; forcible return of a wife is barred by Law of Marriage Act and appeal remitted to district court.
  • Family law — Appellate procedure
    • — improper direct admission from Primary Court
    • — remit to district court
  • Family law — Law of marriage act s.140
    • — forcible return of wife prohibited
    • — matrimonial remedy is divorce, not compulsion
15 November 1976
A Primary Court erred by dissolving the appellant’s marriage without a Conciliatory Board certificate of irreparable breakdown.
  • Family law — Matrimonial law
    • — requirement of Conciliatory Board certificate before dissolution
    • — sufficiency and corroboration of allegations in divorce petitions
  • Family law — procedural irregularity — divorce set aside for lack of required certificate
11 November 1976
Primary Court judgment invalid where assessors did not hear whole case; proof of marriage dissolution required for bride-price refund.
  • Trial procedure — Assessors — Substitution of assessors during trial — Assessors must hear the whole case
  • Family law — Customary/bride price — Proof of dissolution required to claim refund of bride price
9 November 1976
Courts cannot determine bride price; amount must be negotiated under custom and proved to be enforced.
  • Customary law — bridewealth (lobola) — Determination by negotiation, courts cannot fix amount
  • Evidence — Agreement evidence — Enforcement requires proof of an agreed sum
  • Appellate practice — Appellate duty — Courts must rectify irregularities even if not raised by the parties
8 November 1976
The applicant failed to prove entrustment of cattle; trial courts’ credibility findings were upheld and appeal dismissed.
  • Civil procedure — Appeal — Evaluation of credibility
    • — appellate court will not interfere with primary court's factual findings where evidence is balanced and trial court gave reasons
    • — burden to prove entrustment of property requires corroboration or written acknowledgement
5 November 1976
Liability for adultery hinges on the alleged adulterer’s honest belief the woman was unmarried, not merely refunded bride price.
  • Customary law
    • — Adultery claims — liability depends on alleged adulterer’s honest belief regarding marital status
    • — Customary marriage — bride price — refund does not by itself dissolve marriage
    • — Evidence — assurance by parents and refund of bride price relevant to bona fide belief
2 November 1976
October 1976
Appeal concerning refund of bride price: fault apportioned, and duration and children reduce refundable amount.
  • Family law — Marriage dissolution — refund of bride price — factors relevant to quantum: culpability for breakdown, duration of marriage, children born and parties’ conduct.* Civil appeals — appellate correction of primary court awards when relevant mitigating factors were not considered
17 October 1976