(A comedy of errors, sponsored by Lack of Wisdom & Serial Number AA1908014)
Residents of Ngwenya Compound have woken up to a real-life episode of “When Curiosity Meets Poor Decision Making” after two men were detained for being found with counterfeit money that was so fake, even a blind man’s calculator would reject it.
The two stars of this financial disaster are 50-year-old William Sakala and 46-year-old Folochi Mutondo both of Ngwenya Compound whose careers in fake money management have ended before they even began.
The drama unfolded on January 22, 2026, at Ngwenya Market when Airtel Money agent, 32-year-old Ms. Gift Tembo spotted that Sakala's “deposit” of K3,500 (seven K500 notes) was as genuine as a WhatsApp chain message promising you a scholarship.
She didn’t even need a UV light one look, and she knew the notes belonged in a comedy club.
Market people quickly mobilized (as they always do), grabbed Mr. Sakala, and delivered him to Mbita Police Post, where officers recovered the fake notes - all proudly displaying the same serial number: AA1908014.
Because apparently, when you’re printing fake money, you don’t bother to change numbers. Efficiency or laziness? Historians will decide.
Police searched Sakala again - because why not - and found two more fake K500 notes on him. Also AA1908014. At this point, even the counterfeit printer must have been tired.
Southern Province Police Commanding Officer Moono Namalongo confirmed the circus, explaining how the two geniuses got the money:
Apparently, they saw a man being chased for scamming people, the man threw the cash while running, and instead of minding their own business like normal grown adults, they picked it up and shared it.
Congratulations, this is how you graduate from spectator to suspect.
According to police, Sakala kept K5,000, while Mutondo walked home with K2,000 fake money, of course, but still enough to make a man feel rich for 24 hours.
Mutondo gave the money to his wife, 49-year-old Ruth Mbambi, who innocently used part of it.
She even deposited one note at a mobile booth operated by Ms. Kabangu Samutu, who also reported it because the notes screamed “I am FAKE” louder than a campaign promise.
Everything led back to the same fake currency, same serial number, same circus.
In total, police seized 11 counterfeit K500 notes = K5,500 of pure fantasy cash.
Sakala and Mutondo are now in custody facing the charge of found in possession of counterfeit notes, while police continue investigating whether more episodes of this Ngwenya Netflix Series are expected.
Just to Unlock Your Mind
Real Zambian banknotes go through more security checks than a presidential convoy, and that’s why spotting fake ones is usually easy if you pay attention.
Genuine notes have unique serial numbers, not the “copy and paste” situation we saw here where everything screamed AA1908014 like a bad WhatsApp broadcast.
Authentic notes also come with security features such as:
A watermark of our national eagle that appears when you hold the note to the light
A security thread running through the paper, not printed on top
Raised (embossed) ink, especially on the portrait
Colour-shifting ink, which changes colour when you tilt the note
Microtext, tiny writing only visible on close inspection
So next time someone hands you money that looks too identical, too smooth, too shiny, or too suspicious - tilt it, feel it, check it… and save yourself from starring in Part 2 of the Ngwenya Comedy Series.
Comments
No comments yet. Be the first to comment!
Leave a Comment