The High Court has dismissed a father's attempt to revoke a property registered in his son's name, saying the case reflected "evidence of a broken family."

Onias Gotore dragged his son, Pride Gotore, to court in a bitter property dispute, seeking to reclaim a house in Chegutu that he said he had purchased and donated to him.

Justice Philda Muzofa, sitting in Chinhoyi, noted the unusual family feud: "It is never easy for a father to drag his son to courts; this is just evidence of a broken family. Something must have gone seriously wrong."

Onias argued the property was a donation that could be revoked because Pride had become "disrespectful and violent" towards him, and had even tried to sell it against his wishes.

But the court ruled there was never a valid donation. "There was never an intention to gratuitously and without obligation give the 1st respondent the property," Justice Muzofa said. "There were strings attached. The applicant intended to continue to derive a benefit from the property."

The judge stressed that while Onias funded the purchase, the house was always registered in Pride's name. "The evidence before the Court strongly shows that the applicant purchased the property for the 1st respondent and he had strings attached," the judge said.

Dismissing the claim with costs, the judge concluded: "Revocation can only be made where there is a valid donation."