A 28-YEAR-OLD carpenter has been ordered by Livingstone Local Court A1 to pay a debt of K1,000 to his client after failing to deliver a promised wardrobe.
This case involved Mwape Ngoma, who sued Patience Kayombo demanding payment of K1,000 balance from the K2,000 deposit she was charged for the wardrobe.
The dispute arose when Ngoma paid a partial amount for the job but Kayombo did not finish the work.
According to Ngoma, the disagreement began in January when she hired Kayombo to make a wardrobe for her.
She recounted how she paid a portion of the total cost upfront with the expectation that he would promptly deliver the completed wardrobe. However, to her dismay, Kayombo failed to fulfil his commitment, leaving her frustrated and empty-handed.
In her testimony before the court, Ngoma said Kayombo has been giving excuses.
She said out of frustration, she decided to buy a wardrobe from a furniture shop instead.
In his defence, Kayombo admitted receiving K2,000 from Ngoma to make a wardrobe.
“I encountered an unexpected issue with the planks for the wardrobe. They were exposed to water by mistake and became unusable. Consequently, I had no choice but to delay the project,” he said.
Kayombo assured the court of his willingness to repay K1,000 to Ngoma and offered a payment plan of K500 per month.
He said he would make the first payment in September and the remaining K500 in October.
These payments were to be made directly to the court.
Senior Local Court Magistrate Esau Daka accepted Kayombo’s proposed payment plan noting that there were no objections from the plaintiff.
“I order that the first K500 be paid in September and the remaining K500 in October, both to be submitted to the court as agreed upon,” he said.
Credit: Zambia Daily Mail