High Court Orders Private Hospital To Release Granny, 75, From Two Weeks Of “False Imprisonment” Over Unpaid Bill

High Court Orders Private Hospital To Release Granny, 75, Who Was Being Held Captive Over US$2 200 Bill

A furious High Court judge has slammed the door on a private hospital’s shocking attempt to hold a sick grandmother hostage, issuing an emergency order for her immediate release after she was effectively imprisoned for nearly two weeks over an unpaid medical bill.

In a dramatic legal victory for the pensioner, Mutare High Court Judge Justice Sijabuliso Siziba has ordered Exclusive Medcare Hospital to immediately cease what lawyers are calling the “illegal detention” of 75-year-old Marita Manyore. The septuagenarian from Murambinda in Buhera District was reportedly being held against her will at the medical facility, with staff allegedly refusing to open the doors and let her leave until her family forked out a massive US$2 200 (approx. R40 000).

The court order, confirmed by the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) on Monday, also forces the hospital to grant Manyore’s relatives immediate access to her. The ruling comes after her son, Witness Mavambire, filed an urgent chamber application at the Mutare High Court on Saturday, 28 February 2026, demanding that his mother’s constitutional rights be respected.

Healed By Doctors, Held By Management

The bizarre chain of events began when Manyore was admitted to Exclusive Medcare Hospital on 10 February 2026, under the care of a specialist physician. Her family had sought medical assistance as she had not been feeling well for some time and needed specialist attention. However, the situation took a strange turn on 15 February when the family, already worried about the spiralling costs, requested that she be discharged after noticing the bill had reached US$1 070 (approx. R19 500).

The attending specialist physician assessed Manyore’s condition and agreed she was fit to leave. Medical notes showed she had recovered and no longer needed special care, recommending she be managed by general medical practitioners at home. But when the family approached hospital administration, they were met with a shocking refusal.

The family tried to negotiate in good faith. They offered an immediate payment of US$200 (approx. R3 600) and proposed a structured plan to settle the remaining balance in two monthly instalments of US$500 (approx. R9,100) each.

“After making an offer to pay US$200 of the total medical bill of US$1 070 including making an undertaking to settle the bill in two-monthly instalments of US$500 each, the woman’s family was told that she could not be discharged before making a full settlement of the bill,” the ZLHR stated in their legal briefing.

Bill Balloons As Grandmother Remains Trapped

As the days dragged on, the situation became increasingly desperate. The family returned on 19 February with a significantly improved offer, proposing to pay US$500 (approx. R9,100) immediately. In a cruel twist, it was again rejected. Even worse, the family was informed that the “hotel costs” had continued to accumulate during the negotiation period, and the bill had now ballooned to US$1 440 (approx. R26,200).

On 25 February, in a bid to show good faith, the family paid the US$500 (approx. R9,100) anyway and immediately engaged the services of ZLHR. Lawyers Peggy Tavagadza and Tatenda Sigauke fired off a stern letter to the hospital, demanding Manyore’s immediate release and labelling the detention as “illegal and unethical.”

In their letter, the lawyers argued passionately for the elderly woman’s freedom.

“The continued detention of the elderly and vulnerable Manyore at a place, where she is currently not being treated but is accruing additional costs, means that she will not be able to get out of that place,” argued Sigauke and Tavagadza.

Despite the legal letter, the hospital’s directors remained defiant. During a tense meeting on 26 February, a director reportedly told the distraught family that the situation had worsened. The medical bill had now skyrocketed to US$2 200 (approx. R40,000). The director allegedly stated that the US$500 (approx. R9,100) already paid was “not motivating enough” for the hospital to release the elderly woman.

Constitutional Rights Vs. Contractual Debt

Left with no other choice, Manyore’s son, Witness Mavambire, filed an urgent chamber application at the Mutare High Court on Saturday, 28 February. The application sought a court order declaring his mother’s detention illegal and forcing Exclusive Medcare Hospital to release her immediately.

In the court papers, Manyore was careful to separate her gratitude for the medical care received from her outrage at the detention.

“Manyore, who expressed gratitude to Exclusive Medcare Hospital and the attending medical doctors for the treatment and services rendered to her, argued that the contractual obligations she has with the medical facility cannot support the violation of her fundamental rights to continue unabated,” the court documents state.

The matter was met with swift justice on Monday, 2 March 2026, when Judge Siziba issued the order for her immediate release. The matter is awaiting a date for hearing at the Mutare High Court.