And finally… wigging for Zimbabwe judges

The judiciary in Zimbabwe has spent £120,000 on new powdered wigs in a move that has drawn criticism.

The African country is in the midst of economic crisis, struggling with its highest inflation rate since 2008 and widespread fuel and medicine shortages.

However, legal authorities are keeping up a colonial-era tradition by ordering new powdered wigs from England for £2,000 each, The Times reports.

Arnold Tsunga of the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) said: “The conditions in Zimbabwe’s courts are dire and yet they can find money for wigs costing thousands of pounds — it’s obnoxious.”

Lloyd Masipa, a London lawyer from Zimbabwe, added: “A lot of Zimbabwe’s institutions are mentally stuck in the past. We fought against the British for our freedom and yet now impose on ourselves many traditions that even the British no longer always observe.”

Share icon
Share this article: