A K1,600 wig has almost costed the freedom of a Lusaka slay queen after it took her longer than a pregnancy delivery to repay a ‘water weave’ she credited at that amount.
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This forced her to face the music as she found herself standing before senior magistrate Lewis Mumba in the Matero Local Court, playing the role of a defendant in a case that demanded she compensates her hair plug, Esther Funga, 27, of Matero compound, to the tune of K1,600 for unpaid debt.
According to Funga, Francina Bwalya aged 27 of Chilanga township, clad in a dove like appearance followed her to her shop, picking the most curly water weave wig and asked that it is emergently sold to her.
And with the hunger for customers that has hit Lusaka salons, Funga quickly packed the wig for her honest appearing customer, fast enough to compete with lighting for speed.
But disappointedly, Bwalya failed to fulfill what Bank of Zambia governor Danny Kalyalya signed for on each Zambian note, “I promise to pay the bearer on demand.”
Bwalya instead defaulted, and only left the seller with a Jesus-like promise, “I shall be back.” And until yesterday, she remained waiting.
Funga disclosed that Bwalya had procured the wig in September last year, but failed to settle in the agreed-upon timeframe of November last year, claiming that her child is unwell hence, she needed to take care of hospital bills.
Initially accepting Bwalya’s explanation with empathy, Funga stated that she understood her reason at first. However, Bwalya stopped responding to her calls whenever she reached out to ask for her money.
“When I called, she would pass the phone to her brother, asking who I was. I managed to talk to her once, and she kept giving excuses for the delays, promising to pay, but till this day, I have yet to see a single ngwee of the money she owes. I have suffered for my money and I look like a fool for extending a helping hand,” she stated.
To give her justification, Bwalya claimed that her financial difficulties had prevented her from meeting her payment obligations.
“I have not paid Funga because of my financial situation. But I am hoping to pay her back as soon as I can gather the necessary funds,” she said.
And Magistrate Mumba questioned Bwalya if she has been having financial challenges for almost a year now.
“K1,600 for almost a year now? How much profit would Funga have made if you had repaid your debt in a timely manner? And if the court awards interest, will you complain about unfairness? Be content with what you can afford, rather than envying things beyond your means,” magistrate Mumba cautioned.
Magistrate Mumba further ordered Bwalya to repay the full amount of K1,600 on August 20, 2025, with no further delays, warning that failure to comply with this order will result in her being cited for contempt of court and face full consequences of her inaction.
By Sharon Zulu
Kalemba August 14, 2025
