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THE Lusaka High Court has ordered that all MMD members cited for contempt appear with their president Nevers Mumba each time the court is sitting.
High Court Judge Eddie Sikazwe made an order on Friday when the matter came up for hearing that all those cited for contempt should be present in court each time the matter was sitting because they were part of the proceedings.
Mr Jutice Sikazwe, who earlier quizzed Dr Mumba’s lawyers over the whereabouts of the other alleged contemptors said it was their duty to ensure that all those cited appeared in court for proceedings.
This is in a matter in which Dr Mumba and 34 others were cited for contempt after defying a court order that restrained them from holding the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting that elected Mr Muhabi Lungu as party national secretary.
The court order was obtained by the party’s vice presidents Michael Kaingu and Brian Chituwo who had applied that the NEC meeting should not proceed on grounds that there were other issues that needed to be resolved.
“If the president and other senior party officials can be in court what will stop the others from availing themselves before the court, please ensure that they are present in the next sitting as the law requires,” Mr Sikazwe said.
Mr Sikazwe said it was the duty of the defence lawyers to ensure that all his clients were served with summons and appeared in court.
And defence lawyer Makebie Zulu said some members were not served with summons due to wrong addresses.
Mr Zulu said he had received some of the summons bearing the correct addresses and wrote to Milner Katolo and Associates of others whose addresses were not known in time so that he could find them and serve them in person.
The court advised Mr Zulu that the fact that the summons were taken to MMD secretariat for all those cited, he was expected to ensure that all were served and appeared in court.
The matter had since been adjourned to May 30 for a ruling.
Times of Zambia
