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The Zimbabwe Independent newspaper reported that the country's Judiciary Service Commission placed an order for 64 horse-hair wigs from Stanley Ley Legal Outfitters in London, at a cost of £ 1,850 ($ 2,428) per wig and totaling £ 118,400 ($ 155,000).
Wigs from the outfitter range from £ 457.50 ($ 599) for a standard barrister's wig, to £ 2,495.83 ($ 3,265) for a judge's ceremonial wig.
Stanley Ginsburg, the owner of Stanley Ley, confirmed to CNN that his company had sold to Zimbabwe, but said that the Zimbabwe Independent.
Nonetheless, lawyers and rights campaigners have expressed an interest in the purchase of securities, and argue that this is not the case.
"The judicial wig (colonial) tradition continues in Zimbabwe with all its costs and controversy," Arnold Tsunga, Africa director at the International Commission of Jurists, wrote on Twitter.
Hopewell Chin'ono, a leading Zimbabwean journalist and documentary filmmaker, wrote: "I'm arguing that this country suffers from a catastrophic mismanagement of resources.How do you explain to a government allocating $ 155,000 for wigs to be bought in England when the same government is failing to buy bandages and betadine for infants in pediatric wards.
"These are people who are sovereignty and anti-colonial rhetoric and they are still wearing hideous wigs."
Chin'ono said the colonial powers are "having a laugh" at Zimbabwe, stating: "You can take Zimbabwe out of the empire, but you can not take the empire out of Zimbabwe."
Ginsburg told CNN, however, that garnering respect in court.
"In law, uniform is important – you look up to your judges and barristers," he said. "What is wrong with tradition?"
These are Malawi, Ghana, Zambia, and the Caribbean, while South Africa and many Australian courts have abandoned the practice.
Zimbabwe's Judiciary Service Commission did not immediately respond to CNN's request for comment.
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