RABECCA BANDA writes A LUSAKA man has been ordered by the Chilenje Local Court to refund K750 tuition fees to a girl whom he promised to find a place to write her grade 9 examinations but failed to do so. Joseph Lungu, 31, a businessman of Chalala was sued for refund by Elizabeth Phiri, 21, of Selena area. Phiri told Senior Presiding Local Court Magistrate Patrick Nyirenda that it all started when she wanted to sit for examinations in 2017. “Lungu was tutoring me at his tuition center. I paid a K750 to sit for grade nine examinations in 2017. After paying the money, he told me that the places were full but promised to find a place for me elsewhere, “I later called him to follow up the issue and he assured me that he had found a school where I was going to sit for the exam but he failed to name the school,” Phiri said. She waited but all was in vain and that promoted her to ask for a refund of her money and Lungu agreed to do so. “In august, 2018 I went to search for him at the school where he was giving tuitions. I didn’t find him. I reported him to the police and he turned up and promised to pay me on the 10th of March, 2019, “I have brought him to court because up to now he has not returned my money. He has delayed me because if he had refunded me in 2018, I would have sat for the exams,” Phiri said. Lungu admitted having received a K750 from Phiri for a sitting place for examinations. “Suddenly, she called and asked me to return her money because she was fired from her job and needed the money to travel to Chilanga, “I explained to her that it is difficult to refund the money when the payments have already been made. Anyway I agreed to refund the money,” Lungu said. Lungu told the court that he could not pay it all at once because his business was not doing well The court ordered Lungu to pay the money in two installments from May.
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