On Tuesday night Zambia police arrested 46 students at the University of Zambia over their demands for government to increase their meal allowances. TIZ has noted with dismay that police behaved in the most strange and unprofessional manner by intruding into the university campus residences and forcefully attacked and fished out students from the hostels.
In the process they broke doors and vandalised other property of the university. It is not exactly known where some of these students are currently being held. Further the students
they arrested are mostly female and first year students who may not have been involved in the rampage. A few post graduate students were also arrested including non-students. Clearly
there is something very wrong with the conduct and judgement of our police.
TIZ condemns strongly the heavy handedness of the Zambia police who battered students at UNZA. In particular we are appalled by the brutality and use of excessive force being applied
to control the rampaging students. The aftermath of the UNZA disturbances have left some students badly injured and so far those injured have had no access to medical attention.
In addition it is difficult to trace where all these students are being held. This is an affront not only to academic freedom but also a violation of the right to life.
We are concerned that even where students have caused breach of peace their relatives and the university authorities must be aware of where they are kept and the conditions under which they are being kept. Zambia is an open society and lack of transparency in the manner police is handling the issue of the wrongly arrested students is reflecting badly on the government. Zambia upholds the principles of transparency and democratic governance and it absolutely unacceptable for students to be held in secrecy and subjected to brutality especially at the time of remembering the 51st anniversary of Zambia’s independence.
To add salt to the wound the police have denied bond to the students.We call on our dear friend, the Hon. Minister Davies Mwila to immediately address the question of UNZA students who are in solitary confinement. We appeal to him to use his authority to ensure that
- Students are given police bond and released immediately
- Ensure that injured students are given access to medical treatment without further delay
- Speak to his colleague in charge of education to engage in constructive dialogue with the students bodies to avert unrest at the university.
We know Honourable Mwila as a courageous and fearless minister and implore him to intervene in the situation of students being held by the police. Indeed we cannot preside over our society and national affairs using force and clearly this sending wrong signals about our capacity to peacefully govern ourselves.
We also urge Minister of education Hon Kaingu to employ a less confrontational posture towards addressing problems affecting higher institutions of learning in Zambia. His current
stance will only further breed tension and animosity in these institutions. TIZ therefore appeals to all parties involved particularly the police and the Minister of education to be
responsible in the manner they execute their mandate.
Lee M Habasonda
President, On behalf of TIZ
There is a lot of tension in this country brought about by maladministration from the PF Regime.
2016, ITS GET OUT TIME FOR THESE BUFFONS!!!
I thought that we reconciled last Sunday, now we are kidnapping our students and children?
I thought that we reconciled last Sunday, now we are kidnapping our students and children?
Zambia Police personnel dont watch and learn from their peers or they choose only bad lessons to apply
I just posted a picture of the UNZA students dancing and celebrating the PF victory in January this year but am sure LT does not want you to see it.
Mr Mwila and indeed President Edgar Lungu a lawyer himself need to quickly act to stop this abuse of authority by the police. It is inexcusable that police can arrest first year female students who were sleeping in their hostels for purported rioting and deny them police bond. Everyone who passed through UNZA knows that a first year female student at UNZA has neither the muscle nor the voice to organize anything. Police should be serious and someone who was supposed to do a professional job of controlling the riot at UNZA cheated his superiors. The police commanders of the UNZA operation should in fact immediately be arrested, suspended, charged with incompetence and bringing the name of the Police service in disrepute. What image are you trying to sell to the world at a time when Zambia…
we have no police in Zambia. they fail apprehend robbers. they are quick to unlish their miles on defenseless people. useless and corrupt police
MMD CAUSED THIS PROBLEM THEY CANCELLD ALLOWANCES IN ALL COLLEGES EG NURSING,ENVIROMENTAL,LAB,IN SHORT CERTIFICATE & DIPLOMA ALLOWANCES WERE CANCELLED LEAVING UNZA OR DEGREE ONES.FOR POLICE,DEFENCE,IMMIGRATION ETC THEY GET FULL SALRY STARTING AT COLLEGE. THERE NOW MANY COURSES CERTIFICATE,DIPLOMA AND DEGREE BOTH PRIVATE AND GOVT ENROLLING ZAMBIANS THEREFORE, A FAIR WAY TO HANDLE THIS IS TO CANCEL ALL ALLOWANCES INCLUDING ALL OF THE ABOVE MENTIONED.WE ARE ALL ZAMBIANS FACING PROBLEMS AND WE CANT HAVE OTHERS BEING PAID FOR OR GOVT TO START PAYING FOR EVERYONE. PLZ START LOAN SCHEME SYSTEM AND CANCEL THIS ~
@Joseph Kalusa if you do not understand why governments all over the world pay allowances to Students studying for degrees as opposed to certificates or diplomas, then you have a serious problem. It so happens degrees develop and run the economic system that enable you to blog. You are free to study for a degree too my dear.
Fasting, prayer and reconciliation has gone PooF
Inflation… (What happens when the currency goes pop)
Deflation… (What pops when the morale flops)
Flops… (What happens to leaders whom are even being dissed by the cops)
Cops… (Rarely given props in Zed for standing for truth)
PROPS – to the cop telling the truth
Mr. Habasonda. Academic freedom does not include rioting, destroying UNZA and innocent peoples property as well as disturbing the peace! You wait until they damage your vehicle then you’ll understand why ZP has lost patience with these chaps. It’s about time they learned how to dialogue and stopped taking to the streets every time the feel aggrieved. In fact ZP were more brutal in the past than they are now.
two wrongs
@Viglen: Students in South African higher Universities were on strike over increase in tuition fees. No student was brutally beaten or arrested by South African Police (SAP). Those of us who were UNZA students during KK’s time were accorded respect, no Police were allowed into the UNZA permises. Most of the top ranking ZP boses passed through UNZA, what has changed? Our President is a Lawyer by profession (UNZA product), why is he allowing this Police brutality towards students or indeed Political opponents? This is not painting a good reputation on Zambia’s human rights.
@Kas. Did we ever burn cars within UNZA premises? Did we ever go on rampage stoning every car on great east road just because we felt that the lectures were not being fair? This again bwana
@ isaac chilengu
Sponsored criminals to cause anarchy, what tension is there in Zambia? Who are you trying to impress since we all live in Zambia? These criminals that been planted at our Higher Institutions of Learning must be dealt with severely and let them be expelled from higher learning institutions for ten years so that they repent.
TIZ, dont justify your salary by condoning wrong doings. Why haven’t you condemned the so called students for destroying property for innocent people? You are also criminals with your tuma NGO supporters. Make no mistake, these sponsored trouble makers will not go scot free. We know who is behind all this nonsense. Remember we all have been to Universities before!!!
Look, HH will NEVER BE PRESIDENT OF ZAMBIA, GO TELL HIM THIS.
UBUPUBA BA LEE HABASONDA, TILL THE CHAPS CATCH YOU IN THEIR MESS WILL YOU CONDENM THEM. THEIR PARENTS FAIL TO PAY THEM POCKET MONEY BUT WHEN THEY REACH UNZA THEY WANT TO HOLD GOVT AT RANSOM. ITS ME WHO PAYS THEIR BC AND YOU WANT THEM TO CONTINUE MISBEHAVING BY BREAKING PIPO’S CARS AND PROPERTY? TO HELL WITH YOUR USELESS HUMAN RIGHTS TRUMPET. NOT EVEN YOUR BLOOD USELESS CHILDREN CAN AGREE WITH YOU.
The state-of-affairs in the nation as seen from the UNZA turmoil can be said to emanate from a) selfish intolerant politicians, b) unprofessional police force, c) weak civil society, human rights commission and parliament, d) divided compromised church and e) frightened media. My opinion!
WELL DONE POLICE LET THEM BREAK THINGS AGAIN PICK ALSO LECTURERS FROM THERE HOMES BEAT THEM UP. IT HAS BEEN TOO MUCH OF THESE CHAPS. THEY SMASHED MY CAR AND UPTO NOW I M FACING PROBLEMS.MOST OF THESE WENT THERE USING~THE ONLY WAY TO PROLONG THE STAY IS CONFUSION.
This is no different from the way the police have handled students in the past. When students riot (we have all gone through this as former University students in Zambia), there is a lot of wanton destruction of property. TIZ and whoever is concerned needs to also work with students to curtail this recklessness by our students. Universities are not opposition political parties!!
IN BEMBA THEY SAY TABASHA BALONA, WE KNOW THAT PF IS GOING OUT BUT DONT DESTROY WHAT YOU FOUND.
WHERE IS THE MINISTER OF EDUCATION SO CALLED DR/PROFESSOR FIMOFIMO? IS THIS THE WAY THE ELITE ARE SUPPOSE TO WORK AND WHERE IS YOUR PROFESSIONALIZATION AS PF?
LOOK AT HOW ZUMA HAS SOLVED THE ISSUE OF STUDENTS IN SOUTH AFRICA? THIS IS A BACKWARD WAY OF RULING THE COUNTRY AND KNOW THAT YOU ARE DRILLING YOUR OWN BIG HOLES ON YOUR BOAT TO SINK IN 2016 EVEN BA SATA WHERE HE IS (MHSRP) SHADING TEARS AND SENDING CURSE TO THE CURRENT PF LEADERSHIP.
I hope all students say something if they are rapped or molested. We cannot sit back and watch this go on. We have a sick country being run by sick individuals who obviously don’t see anything wrong with this picture. Police brutality is unacceptable behaviour. Edgar Lungu please put your puppets back in line.