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The Controversy on the Statutes of General Application in Malawi
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 28 July 2009
Extract
In the Department of Law, University of Malawi, if not also in the chambers of law officers and legal practitioners, the controversy is whether statutes of general application still form part of the sources of law in Malawi. This article will argue (in support of Mr. Haynes and Dr. Wanda) that these statutes are no longer applicable in Malawi; it will argue further that some of these statutes have been adopted nominatim by some independent legislation. Finally, it will suggest that the legislature should intervene in the controversy by making declaratory provisions.
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- Copyright © School of Oriental and African Studies 1981
References
1 The term is well known although not authoritatively defined; in Malawi it first appeared in Art. 15 of the British Central Africa Order in Council, 1902.
2 C. E. P. Haynes, “Confusion double confounded: the appearance of reality”, unpublished.
3 Dr. B. P. Wanda, Ph.D. Thesis, London. Vol. 4, pp. 61–65.
4 I.e. Art. 13 of the Africa Order in Council, 1889; Art. 15 (2) of the British Central Africa Order in Council, 1902; Art. 2 of the Nyasaland Order in Council, 1907; s. 83 (1) of the Nyasaland (Constitution) Order in Council, 1961; s. 15 (a) of the Malawi Independence Order, 1964; and s. 15 of the Republic of Malawi (Constitution) Act, 1966.
5 Strictly, this refers to the period immediately before the commencement of 6 July, 1966: s. 2 of the Constitution Act, 1966.
6 Act No. 23 of 1966, Annual Volume of the Laws, 1967, Vol. I.Google Scholar
7 “The appointed day” is, by s. 2 of the Constitution Act, 1966, 6 July, 1966.
8 To the extent that the expression “existing laws” suggests that the laws are existing at the time of reading the definition rather than during the time immediately before 6 July, 1966, the expression is an unhappy one.
9 Repealed by s. 86 (1) of the Wills and Inheritance Act, 1967: Act No. 25 of 1967, Annual Volume of the Laws, 1967, Vol. I.
10 See Machinjili v. Kapusa, (1945) 5 Ny.L.R. 74.
11 Their intestate property is distributed in accordance with the Wills and Inheritance Act, 1967, esp. s. 18.
12 See Black's Law Dictionary, rev. 4th ed., 1968, 345–346.
13 Industrial Acceptance Corpn. v. Webb, Mo.App., 287 S.W. 657, at 660.
14 Herrin v. Sutherland, 74 Mont. 587; Norvell-Wilder Hardware Co. v. McCarmy, Tex. Civil App. 290 S.W. 772, at 773; Fletcher v. Los Angeles Trust and Savings Bank, 182 Cal. 177, 187 p. 425, at 427.
15 Martin v. Superior Court of California in and for Alameda County, 176 Cal. 289, 168 p. 135, at 136.
16 Reception date by Art. 15 (2) of B.C.A., O-in-C., 1902.
17 Commencement date of the Republican Status of Malawi by s. 2 (1) of the Constitution Act, 1966.
18 This belief is sharply criticised by Jerome Frank, Law and the Modern Mind, 19–31.
19 See n. 3, above.
22 See Kaipa v. R. (1964) 3 A.L.R.Mal. 142, esp. 150–151.
23 See Kamcaca v. Nkhota (No. 2)(1968) 4 A.L.R.Mal. 518, esp. 532, at 533.
24 Ss. 11 and 12 of the 1964 Order and ss. 105 and 106 of the Independence Constitution.
25 The courts were to exercise their civil and criminal jurisdiction in conformity with “the statutes of general application … and the substance of the English common law and the doctrines of equity”.
26 See for example, Jane Rose Mbalule v. Hassam Rehman Osman, Civil Cause No. 421 of 1979 (unreported) and the National Traditional Appeal Court case of Ngomano v. Banda, Civil App. Case No. 111 of 1977 (unreported).
27 Commissioner of Taxes v. A. Ltd. (1973) 7 M.L.R. 211, at 221–222.
28 Above, at 13 of judgment in manuscript.
29 Above, at 2 of judgment in manuscript.
30 “as such”, i.e. as the statutes of general application collectively and not by virtue of adoption nominatim.
31 By s. 83 (1) of the Nyasaland (Constitution) Order in Council, 1961.
32 Cap. 58:03 of the Laws of Malawi.
33 S. 2 (1).
34 S. 16 (3).
35 Made by the Minister under s. 39 of the Land Act (Cap. 57:01 of the Laws of Malawi).
36 Reg. 2 (n) of G.N. 166/1965.
37 See , Burrows, , Roland (ed.), Words and Phrases Judicially Defined, Vol. 1, Butterworths, London, 1946, 525–526.Google Scholar
38 Canada S. Rly. Co. v. International Bridge Co. (1883) 8 App.Cas. 723; Hart v. Hudson Bros. Ltd. [1928] 2 K.B. 629; Phillips v. Parnaby [1934] 2 K.B. 299; Pratt v. Cook & Co. Ltd. [1939] 1 K.B. 364; Willingale v. Norris [1909] 1 K.B. 57; Charing Cross v. Hydraulic Power [1914] 3 K.B. 772.
39 The 7th and concluding section.
40 Above, at 727.
41 S. 21 of the London Hackney Carriage Act, 1853.
42 Above, at 64.
43 Preamble to S.L.A., 1882.
44 S. 3 of S.L.A., 1882.
45 S. 22 of S.L.A., 1882.
46 Cap. 5:02 of the Laws of Malawi.
47 S. 73 (2).
48 S. 2 (1).
49 It is Act No. 24 of 1967 and the commencement date is 10 November, 1967.
50 As demonstrated above.
51 Ss. 9 (4) and 10 (1).
52 See Re Lewis [1907] 2 Ch. 296, at 303.
53 Rowland, P. M. B., Trust Accounts, Butterworths, 1967, 71.Google Scholar
54 The word “probably” is used to reflect uncertainty as to the volume of the common law which the word “substance” imports into Malawi.
55 Cap. 5:01 of the Laws of Malawi.
56 Lewis, T. E., ed., Winfield on Tort, 6th ed., Sweet & Maxwell, 1964, 118–119.Google Scholar
57 G.N. 65/1957.
58 Cap. 25:04 of the Laws of Malawi.
59 These rules are extremely difficult to get in Malawi; I have used the photostat rules found in R. M. Wilkinson's Family Law: Questions, Legislation and Precedents (unpublished).
60 Made and up-dated by the Chief Justice under s. 59 of the Courts Act (Cap. 3:02 of the Laws of Malawi); first made G.N. 95/1958 and up-dated most recently G.N. 84/1969.
61 S. 4 (4).
62 See discussion above on the expression “construe as one with”.
63 Ss. 2 (11) and 7 (1).
64 S. 2 (11).
65 S. 7 (1).
66 Ss. 30 (2) and 73 (1).
67 S. 30 (2).
68 S. 26.
69 S. 2.
70 , Megarry and , Wade, The Law of Real Property, 4th ed., Stevens, 1975, 90.Google ScholarPubMed
71 Ss. 15, 34 and 40.
72 S. 13 of the Limitation Act (Cap. 6:02 of the Laws of Malawi) presupposes that it is.
73 S. 1.
74 Megarry and Wade, op. cit., 123, 579.
75 Ibid., 579; s. 1 of the V.P.A., 1874.
76 The preamble to the 1897 Act styles him so.
77 J. G. Miller, The Machinery of Succession, Professional Books, 1977, 72.
78 S. 1 of the 1897 Act; Miller, ibid., 71.
79 Cap. 10:02 of the Laws of Malawi.
80 S. 49 (2).
81 S. 37 (1).
82 S. 49 (1).
83 S. 2 (1).
84 Maitland, Collected Papers, Vol. I, 91.
85 , Hanbury, Modern Equity, 9th ed., London, Stevens, 1969, 8–9.Google ScholarPubMed
86 See ss. 25, 41, 42 of the Trustee Act (Cap. 5:02 of the Laws of Malawi).
87 Cap. 5:02, s. 41.
88 Cap. 5:02, s. 42.
89 Cap. 5:02, s. 25.
90 , Holdsworth, History of English Law, Vol. VI, London, 2nd ed., 1966 Reprint, 384–387.Google ScholarPubMed
91 Ibid., 379–380.
92 Proviso to s. 31 (2), Cap. 58:01 of the Laws of Malawi.
93 Holdsworth, op. cit., 390–391, 392; , Cheshire and , Fifoot, Law of Contract 9th ed London, 1976, 176; cf. Rabel, 63 L.Q.R. 174, at 183–186.Google ScholarPubMed
94 Holdsworth, ibid., 390; Cheshire and Fifoot, loc. cit.
95 (1851) 17 Q.B. at 119.
96 op. cit., 176.
97 Holdsworth, op. cit., 396; Cheshire and Fifoot, op. cit., 176–177; Rabel, 63 L.Q.R. 174, at 187.
98 Holdsworth, op. cit., 388; Cheshire and Fifoot, op. cit., 174–175.
99 Ibid., 388 and 174 respectively.
page 127 note 1 Rabel, op. cit., 176–178.
page 127 note 2 Holdsworth, op. cit., 390; Rabel, ibid., 187.
page 127 note 3 Rabel, op. cit., 187.
page 128 note 4 Megarry and Wade, op. cit., 545, n. 18.
page 128 note 5 1 L.Q.R. 1 quoted at Cheshire and Fifoot, op. cit., 177.
page 128 note 6 Holdsworth, op. cit., 396.
page 128 note 7 Rabel, loc. cit.
page 128 note 8 By the Law Reform (Enforcement of Contracts) Act, 1954.
page 128 note 9 By the 1954 Act.
page 128 note 10 Cheshire and Fifoot, op. cit., 177.
page 128 note 11 Preamble to the Statute of Frauds, 1677.
page 128 note 12 See Part II, No. 2 above.
page 129 note 13 S. 78 (2) of Trustee Act, 1967, Act No. 24 of 1967, Annual Volume of the Laws, 1967, Vol. I.
page 129 note 14 S. 82 (2) of the Wills and Inheritance Act, 1967, in the Annual Volume of the Laws, 1967, Vol. I.
page 129 note 15 Act No. 35 of 1955.
page 129 note 16 S. 1.
page 129 note 17 Act No. 13 of 1960.
page 129 note 18 S. 5 (1).
page 129 note 19 Cap. 1:01 of the Laws of Malawi.
page 129 note 20 S. 2.
page 129 note 21 S. 2; see part I, No. 1 above.