Friday, March 29, 2024

Police nab 50 Mwense High School pupils for rioting

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Police have arrested 50 Mwense High School pupils in connection with the riot that resulted in the destruction of school property worthy millions of kwacha.

Irate pupils burnt to ashes the school administration block, store room and 15
computers during the riot over the weekend.

Luapula Province Acting Permanent Secretary, Clement Siame, who confirmed the
development to ZANIS today said all school records were destroyed in the riot which
started on Saturday night.

”The riot happened around midnight on sturday.  The whole administration block has
been burnt together with all school records and computers,” Mr. Siame said.

Mr. Siame said four teachers’ houses including those of school headteacher and
deputy were also destroyed in the protest.

The riot is suspected to have been sparked by the school administration’s allegedly
failure to procure a school bus.

He explained that pupils at the school were contributing funds towards the purchase
of the bus but that the delay to purchase the vehicle infuriated the pupils, who
suspected that the school management misappropriated the funds.

By yesterday, the school was completely deserted as most pupils had gone into hiding
in the nearby bush to avoid possible arrest from Police.

13 COMMENTS

  1. Expel them and must be blacklisted. We don’t want to produce delinquent chaps like Fact in Sambiya.

  2. In my school days I used to participate in riots with serious passion. I’m glad to see that riots are still happening around the country. The problem with school managements is that they don’t practice what the promise to do for students. It is very obvious that pupils outnumber teaching staff at any learning institution and if the promise students something especially if the pupils are compelled to pay for the product or service, the school management should deliver without delay otherwise the masses will organise an uprising!!

    Long live people power!!

  3. Mr head master sir, make sure the parents of these nicompoomps meet the cost of all these valuable items and should be replaced with no delays. We can’t afford to loose 12 computers at a school in a country which has 90% of the people who are computer illtrate. This is big lose which should not be underestimated. Let them feel the pinch of this notoriousness and be an example to others.

  4. Mr. Head teacher, tell us what you did with the money you raised for a school bus! Bring the ring leaders to book and let them pay for there evil deeds. Eifi fine fisa mukucivivula pa UNZA! Let those who are innocent pay less, yes! They should pay for not informing the school authorities about the lunatic plan. I am sure this was known to everyone maybe a week before. Police help us to investigate both pupils and the school head.

  5. It does not make sense for students to destroy their own property. I would support if they attacked the headteacher and not the property. They are fools

  6. I know Mwense Boys management to be so bad and corrupt. The boys have always complained to no avail. This time, let us investigate what went wrong. Both pupils and the management must be made to pay

  7. The Government should pay for this. Why should the gov’t allow a situation were pupils are made to pay for the school bus when the majority of them don’t work and most likely their parents are struggling because of 75% unemployment and poverty in Zambia. If the gov’t was getting decent royalties from the mines, each and every school in Zambia would have a bus. It was a good idea for the school management to come up with a self help idea but teachers are underpaid and chances of them getting their hands into such funds is very likely. Again more royalties would enable the gov’t to pay teachers good salaries. It is the fault of the gov’t here not the students or staff.

    Pay up MMD admininstration!!

    There is need to organise a national strike or riots to send a message to the gov’t for them to work hand and develop the nation otherwise the masses will rise against mismanagement of the nation.

  8. Rioting!! Not certainly a good idea.There are many other ways people can do/act so they can be heard.Destroying property that is suppose to contribute in the nations development is simpley not the answer.What happens then after all is destroyed to stone age?start looking for new staff to replace the demaged equipment?where would the funds come from?when people are already struggling and GRZ is fighting to in trying to develop the nation.People lets not encourage this kind of behaviour we r only doing more harm to ourselves.
    I partly agree with #8 GRZ should
    definitly take this matter very seriously n do something and the pupils should be release from custody with a very serious warning that this kind of behaviour is/will not be tolarated.GRZ take good care of our pupils those r the future leaders or you proberbly want only your children studying abroad to be successiful in the future and if thats the case,
    then Zed is doomed to total future development faliure.Z 4 life.

  9. Guys,in a poor country like zambia with our president personally trying his best to travel around the world Just to make Zambia proud.How dare can an angry student think of bringing development down?
    What kinda illitracy is that?
    Are riots the only answer to the such problems?
    I think we need alot of psychiatrists pa zed to talk to students and pupils in various Educational institutions.
    Violence and vandalism are basic signs of failure to the usage of the brains and wisdom at large.Now How much money will be needed to build or replace the structures,computers and the like?
    Why not just finding a way of putting the pipo involved to task? Why do we riot pipo?Zambians,we are so blessed with a sense of diplomacy and wisdom.Lets down our tables to other angles now.

    • Nalisa, I agree with you. Being a former pupil of the school, it is shocking to learn that my entire secondary school history has gone to ashes. Noone punishes a member of his own body by burning it down or cutting it off! We collectively need to find means of teaching values such as responsibility towards others and our environment.

  10. i was a student from 1982-86.The reason of the riot is almost the same as the riot in 1985 where two students were killed. The headmasters and teachers tend to take laws and things in there hands. They are not transparent in what they do. They frustrate students and deny there rights. Hence teenagers lose there minds. Teachers should behave like good parents when dealing with there students.

    • Ba Kabanda,
      That riot was gruesome, to say the least. Mr. Mutofwe’s property was burnt like chaff and the clotted lumps of blood from the slain remained for months in the field next to the Police Compound. I was in Grade 5 or 6 at Nsakaluba but witnessed everything.

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