Zimbabweans are Angry at Their Government for Spending Money on Colonial-Era Judicial Wigs

There seems to be no end to the financial woes of Zimbabwean citizens. After the deadly protests which followed after crippling fuel hikes and reports of Zanu-PFtrucks stealing aid from the victims of Cyclone Idai, the government has allegedly spent thousands of dollars on judicial wigs from the colonial era.

At a time when Zimbabwe's economy is under considerable strain, add to that the damage, displacement and death caused by Cyclone Idai, the government thought it prudent to purchase 64 judicial wigs for the hefty sum of 155 000 USD, according to CNN.

This large sum of money could otherwise have been spent on say, actually improving the access of Zimbabweans to the judicial system overall. Arnold Tsunga, the Africa Director of the International Commission of Jurists, said on social media that the colonial tradition of judicial wigs continues in the country despite its "costs and controversy despite any meaningful benefit to access to justice".

With a national debt standing at about 10 billion USD, it's bewildering why the government believes that investing in a vestige of colonialism, which neighboring country South Africa did away with long ago, trumps bettering the lives of Zimbabwean citizens.

Zimbabweans on social media had the following to say: