Women are no longer comfortable to walk in the streets of Harare wearing expensive human hair as hairpieces have become a target for wig snatchers.

Wig snatching has become a common occurrence in Harare’s central business district as criminals pounce on unsuspecting victims wearing authentic hair only to resell those wigs at giveaway prices.

It is alleged the wig snatchers work in cahoots with unscrupulous hairdressers.

“I always remove my wig whenever I walk across this area because there is a syndicate of wig snatchers operating here,” said a Harare woman.

Another said, “What bothers me is the fact that some of these wigs are very expensive to buy but these thieves resell at a fraction of the price.”

“This is traumatizing, imagine walking down the street and someone pulls your hair. My friend got injured after she fell down having a showdown with a wig snatcher,” narrated a Harare resident.

Children living and working in the streets who have been implicated in the wig snatching spree confirmed the allegations.

One of them said, “Those who are older than us are the ones who go out there and snatch wigs.….the wigs are sold to vendors at Copacabana for as little as US$2 or US$5.”

Highlighting quality hair pieces have resale value, Mrs Lizzie Chipunza, a wig specialist, spoke on ways to counter wig snatchers.

She said, “In the case of original wigs, even if it has been worn for up to three years, when you revamp it, it goes back to its original state. Wigs range from US$20 to US$800, depending on the grade because we have Brazilian, Peruvian, and Vietnamese and double drawn. To counter wig snatchers one can either use melting spray, installation belt or bobby pins so that the wig won’t be easily pulled.”

This serves as a wake-up call to those women with a taste for expensive human hair to always be on the look-out for wig snatchers when walking in the streets of Harare.

ZBC News