Six former University of Zambia students have been arrested by police for staging a demonstration over the high unemployment levels in the country.
Police in full riot gear stormed the procession near Arcades shopping mall this morning and arrested the students.
Zambia Police Spokesperson Charity Chanda confirmed the arrests in an interview in Lusaka.
‘We this morning around 10 Hours apprehended former UNZA students for unlawful assembly, the six were among others dressed in graduation gowns who were gathered at the Arcades Shopping Complex to protest against unemployment. The six are in our custody and will appear in court soon,’ Ms Chanda said.
And former UNZASU President Steven Kyengula is disappointed with the protests by the students.
Mr. Kyengula accused the group of students led by Former UNZASU Vice President Fredrick Kapambwe of being used by UPND President Hakainde Hichilema to portray a picture that the PF government is not working.
‘Mr Hichilema should not use innocent youths to advance his cause. He is an entrepreneur, let him create jobs for these youths than just abusing them for his own political gains,’ he said.
How does HH come in here again? Zambians in their usual way of failing to address the problem. Why not tackle the issue at hand? Protesting is not an issue. In fact, all Lusaka residents should protest because of the police arresting the protesters and infringing on their rights.
HH nafuti? You want him to creat jobs for these kids? What is the government doing?
They were pictured being given 5000 pin by HH, what a douchbag this HH. These are graduates why not be employers ba ma mbala? waiting for handouts ?Why cant HH employ you ,he sold your companies.
Kyengula is an *****! This is the reasoning of the”supposedly” creme de la creme. He is trying to impress PF in the hope that when he leaves UNZAhe will be given a job. Why does he blame HH? Key gulf has no brains and no shame.
And why do the students who are so foolish, go to Arcades? Is Arcades a government building? March to a government office, State House or Government House.
So if I am hungry, I can only say I am hungry when a politician tells me to say so!! What kind of strange reasoning is this, Kyengula? So UNZA education did not have impact on you? Is HH the only opposition leader? FDD has also started talking!!1
Kyengula must me mentored by papa bwalya..Already job seeking. Did those boys say they were sent by HH, learn to comment independently, If HH came to power, you would look foolish for going back on your words…
When PF cadres are out along Cairo road with pangas, police you go into hiding, and over five students you move your weak muscles. PF when you said more jobs for youths, you lied as usual.
Failures have no story to tell but live by blaming others.
Kyengelu or Chigalu if at all you consciously uttered these words, then University education has done nothing to you. please try to distinguish between intellectual reasoning to street thinking. stop lowering yourself so low that urine chambers becomes Chibuku to you.
Disgrace Boy you are
Ladies and gentlemen Zambia today is not Zambia yesterday ! Graduates like those protesting must well understand that the number of graduates today is not as it was 20 years ago! I grew up in a small mining town on the copperbelt, I remember my uncle being offered a permanent job as a minner then ZCCM wit only a NRC as qualification,infact he refused the offer that he can’t go underground! Today even a graduate will run for that job,that’s a reality.Graduates protecting must know that even in UK,USA & RSA unemployment has become an issue.lets be sober with this matter.no politician should cheat u especially as graduates that he is an answer to employment! Look at queues at police & Army recruitment and find out how many as graduates u’ll be shocked!
Am still trying to understand how HH comes in… And it’s been 4 hours but nothing. As Zambians let us learn to admit when we have failed…!
Pictures are there on Facebook ,captured with HH giving them money.
we the youths have complained in media houses and the govt have paid a deaf ear to us and when we do a peaceful protest they arrest us.can zambians do away with colonial laws pls………
police is suppose to protect the students not arrest.I thought EL wud bring change but i was wrong.
You are a fool steven. we know you are a pf cadre. Stop accusing HH in this nonsense. If you have nothing to do or say just keep quite.
You must be smoking cowdung there is no steven here.
@Robin, Steven Kyengula is quoted in the story. Grow a brain.
Steven, you are very stupid. I don’t support HH or UPND but how does HH come in here? Don’t show your stupidity by being a useful ***** instead of showing little support for your friends but you are busy doing the opposite.
@ Robin..whatever you call yourself…learn how to read the who story or article before you write anything. am not a cadre like you who does not know how read…you must have been dizzy and did not read the article beacuse if you read, you would have read about steven sumwhre..you *****…stupid..fool.
“The mark of a true leadership and patriotism” is that the peaceful placard raising of those 6 young men would have caused so much pain and anguish in the hearts of their elected leaders to see such productive and progressive minds reduced to begging for a job, to such an extent the leaders would make it their mission that those 6 and multitudes of their fellow compatriot youths would never have to go through such humiliation again.
Instead we have a leadership who felt such anger and rage that they felt humiliated that 6 silly hungry former students could be so disrespectful and hold placards asking for a job.
Demonstrations are acceptable in free societies except Zambia.
HH is the one who is supposed to give these youths a job! Some people are such I.diots that they try to blind themselves from the truth! What did this drunkard who is president today promise the youths during campaigns in run up to the presidential bye election? Was he not promising these youths jobs? We have a semiiliterate police who understand very little about free press and freedom of expression. In any civilized society you go to, citizens protest peacefully when they are not happy about something. The F00l must just kick the bucket soonest!
Every thing that government fails to do are caused by HH, some people are just shallow minded. Leave HH alone and do your thing. What proof do these *****s have that HH is the one…Continue living with failures that always point fingers on others leaving their failures smelling on the backs.
If only the police would respond (never mind timely) to PF cadres with machetes.
This is where the system is broken.
And if they think the opposition will just sit back and not highlight genuine grievances, then they are well and truly dull.
Let’s vote for fresh faces in 2016. We need selfless leaders that want to actually serve the country, not just themselves
This is the reality; no easy jobs. The economy has shrunk to levels unprecedented in many years. Nothing about HH. Zambians have become so desperate they are plucking enough courage to express themselves.
Early warning signs
You are right. This is how it started in Tunisia. The rest is history. Ignore the message of such protests at your own peril.
So now the labor minister will tell us there is no unemployment, like the energy guy was lying that there are no fuel queues. The facts on the ground are not easy to ignore. And those asserting that HH must give the youth jobs are as funny as the denialists. For what it is worth HH was trying to help the unemployed with ration where even social security has failed.
These educated right thinking youths can never vote for ECL! The I.diots who will continue voting ECL are the illiterate cadres who exchange their votes for packs of shake shake and they are the majority voters! That’s why I will never stop advocating that voters should have at least a minimum of grade 12 level of education.
These people are obsessed by HH. Am sure you will blame him for fuel shortage, kwacha depreciation etc
these are graduates who know what they were doing but for a former UNZASU president to attack his colleagues is really sad
…..its time all fellow graduate loafers mobilised themselves for a real protest in solidarity of their locked up friends,,,,,, invite current students as well to beef up the numbers…..after all those guys were not doing it just for themselves but for all job seekers……….
….if I were a police commissioner, I could have just ignored the chaps,,,,,just like when Kambwili protested at state house gate,,,,he was just ignored…..
UNZA students of today!!!!!! What can one say??? Sad. Who are the intellectual vanguards of our youth today? Street Party Cadres from the poor households in the shanties of Kanyma, Chibolya, Chawama, Mtendere, Kalikiliki??? In the 80s and 90s these youths used to look to UNZA students for guidance. Not anymore.
That institution where we used to walk to from the double decker bus at UNZA bus stop with our heads high in the 1980s has become a place of shame. Sad.
They have the freedom of speech which is their right. Look at Kambwili and the homes he has constructed illegally in Luanshya and no one says anything. That is stolen government money that can go towards job creation of youth. Instead you have a minister living beyond his means. Let them protest because the other ministers are too chicken to say anything or they themselves are dipping their hands in the sugar. Zambians this is unacceptable and we all need to take the students example. If we keep quiet they will be giving jobs to babululu, girlfriends and family members. The dull minister has failed to even clean up Luanshya yet pockets the money allocated for projects. In Zambian Watchdog is a picture of the home he built illegally yet no one seem to mind and not an issue. Wake Up!
Report him to Police or ACC if he has stolen ! If u think with your stomach and not the head u’ll look at every progressive Zambian as a thief. The man is on a huge monthly salary with alot of allowances! What can stop him from building ! Be positive u can build as well.
Charity Chanda Ukanjipaya iwe!
Mr. Kyengula, that is the first mistake you have already made as the President of UNZASU. Some of us have always said that some students at the University are as raw and bitter as onion straight from the field. You mean at your level you can point a figure at HH as the caurse to such a move, this only goes to demostrate how shallow minded you are. I can only tell you that find something better you can keep yourself busy. These students are out on the streets and have felt how cold the water is out there and soon you will feel it, not knowing what type of caurse you are persuing there. Is it CHIKWAKWA or Hard core Sciences, take care.
Sad.
The best government could have done was to ‘instruct’ the police to give the unemployed graduates escort up to UNZA, allow them to air their views (full ZNBC coverage), ask the Minister of Labour to respond and everyone would have been happy. Arresting the six for unlawful assembly is awful..
Are we going backwards..!?
@visungu, if only we had 10 people with your kind of thought process……
You have a million projects going on in the country and 90% of the workers are Chinese ex convicts and the govt is comfortable with this issue. Innocent people protest you arrest and persecute them. No wonder Zambians do have the sense of belonging because their rights are never taken into considerations. I wish we could rise up against the govt and see if they will lock us up. The protests are simply showing you that there is a problem needs urgent attention.
Every right is controlled otherwise life would have been a nightmare. There is freedom of speech but you are not allowed to say anything anyhow. There is freedom of assembly but you are not allowed to assemble anywhere anyhow. Like I always say graduates should look beyond at being employed. These are guys who trained to manage their businesses and colleagues. Zambia is a liberalised economy and the atmosphere of doing business is just right. What we see is that semi illiterates are the ones thinking outside the box and employing the elites like the case of gbm and many. When will our graduates learn that they are qualified enough to run their own businesses? Why always queueing up for jobs like the grade 12s. Government has empowered you with education its up to you to put it in acti
Lock the chaps so that they serve as a lesson to others! This is what is called labour market. let them just use the skills they have aquired to sustain themselves in what ever way possible than to want to cause confusion! are they the only ones with a grievance! what if every body with a problem decides to protest/demonstrate are you going to have a peace of mind to even write on the blog that its their right to protest but is it not also our right not to be desturbed by lazy and stupid job seekers?
Thats why it will take time for Zambia to develop because people are just supporting any stupid thing as long as that stupid action is meant to discret those in power while enhencing the chances of those they support to get in power. There is no objectivity and patrotism, whatoever ! That why we have people changing goal posts as long as it suits them without any shame at all!