RABECCA BANDA writes
TWO women of Lusaka have been ordered by the Chilenje Local Court to pay a K1, 500 they owe to a businesswoman in a failed business deal.
Lileko Nkoma,29, of Woodlands and Janet Chunya,37, of Matero East was sued by Mwenge Musaka, a business lady of Chilenje South.
Musaka told senior local court magistrate Ackim Phiri sitting with presiding local court magistrate Patrick Nyirenda that she was staying in South Africa but returned to Zambia last year in July.
“When I came back in Lusaka, I came with household goods to sell. I went to stay with my mother because her cottage was small. I asked Chunya my mother’s tenant to keep some of the things for me in her house,” she said.
“She agreed and I took my things into her house but three days later, Nkoma and her friend Chunya called me while I was in the field looking for customers,” she said.
“They called me saying I should go home because there was a customer interested in buying some blankets. When I arrived home, I found them drinking alcohol in the company of a Lebanese man,” she said.
Musaka said Nkoma introduced me to the Lebanese man who wanted to buy the blankets.
Chunya and Nkoma said they were friends of the man and it wouldn’t be difficult for him to pay for the blankets.
“I went out and informed my mother and she agreed because of what the two ladies said. The man had already chosen the blankets he liked and I gave them to him,” she said.
“He took six blankets and returned the three the following day. Chunya assured me that she would pay if that man fails to pay,” she said.
She said the Lebanese man suddenly went quiet and his number was not going through.
“I explained to Chunya and she wrote an agreement saying that she and Nkoma were going to pay the K1,500. Chunya and I signed an agreement. I want them to refund my K1,500 because they are ones who introduced me to that man,” she said.
In defence Nkoma said was surprised when she was summoned to appear in court and that was when she discovered that Chunya wrote an agreement and signed for the both of them to refund the money.
“ I cannot refund the money because I didn’t sign on the agreement,” she said.
And Chunya said she was keeping the blankets and her Lebanese friend wanted to buy.
Chunya said they introduced him to Musaka and didn’t know what they discussed thereafter but that the man told her that he made a down-payment for the blankets.
“I was forced to write and sign the agreement because I feared being taken to the police,” she said. I included Nkoma in the agreement because we were both involved in the introduction of that man,” she said. The court ordered Chunya and Nkoma to refund the K1,500 in three installments of K500.
