Copperbelt Minister Bowman Lusambo says the student unrest at the Copperbelt University is unfortunate. Mr Lusambo said the situation could have been avoided through dialogue and round table engagement.
He said it is imperative for all the parties involved especially the students to adopt a less provocative and confrontational manner when airing out their concerns.
“I find the behavior of the students very disturbing especially that as intellectuals, society expects them to apply themselves in a more acceptable fashion than resorting to street demonstrations. Over the last one year as Minister in charge of the Province, I have openly engaged the student leadership on a number of issues and such engagements have always produced healthy results,” Mr Lusambo said in a statement.
He added, “The student leadership know my house, they have my phone number and they have been to my office several times and we have used effective methods of engagement to resolve issues affecting the student populace. Not too long ago, my office effectively intervened when majority of students faced the prospect of missing out on end of term exams due to failure to settle tuition fees.”
Mr Lusambo said it is baffling that students this time around opted to run into the streets in the thick of the night and in the process threatened public peace, order and property.
“I wish to strongly place it on record that Government shall not tolerate irresponsible and riotous behavior by students. The method of stone throwing by students may have worked effectively in the 70s but it has no place in our modern day society. As a former University student myself, I believe that the best approach is a roundtable discussion with all the parties involved,” the Copperbelt Minister said.
“As much as the strong handedness by some officers from our law enforcement agencies may not be appropriate, it is always important to remind the students not to provoke the situation. Our law enforcement officers are professionally trained to handle various situations in order to protect public order and peace and will always apply maximum restraint when dealing with defenseless individuals but I know that they will not watch a volatile security situation to degenerate.”
He said, “It is important that all stakeholders including parents and guardians provide effectively counselling to the students and make them understand that they are expected to be in campus at all times and not rush to the road side for whatever reasons.”
Mr Lusambo said the students should also be reminded that the majority are at campus at the expense of the tax payer and it is disingenuous to expect public sympathy from the same people that are paying for their stay at campus whose property and peace they are threatening wantonly.
“I wish to reiterate that Government through the Minister of Higher Education is fully committed to finding a lasting solution to the situation at CBU just like at many other institutions of higher learning. It is therefore imperative that students cooperate with the University management and remain calm as Government is working round the clock to resolve the matter.”
Mr Lusambo has since rubbished some online media reports attributed to him that he denied that there was any student unrest at CBU.
“I have just returned from Samfya, Luapula Province on official government business and there was never a time over the past weekend that I spoke to any Journalist over the situation at CBU. The nation would do well to dismiss such reports with the contempt it deserves,” he said.
Mr Lusambo has also warned some political players who may want to take advantage of the situation at CBU that as Provincial Minister, he is always on guard on all activities in the Province.
“Any machinations that may point towards fanning further disturbances in academic affairs at CBU or any other higher learning institutions in the Province will not be tolerated. Let us all work towards promoting dialogue as we develop all spheres of our beautiful nation,” he said.
Thug Lusambo, he was throwing stones when he was a universty student in 70s?
What is this out break of lies in PF-Zambia kanshi? Naba President kumo sure.
Let Lusambo not cheat Zambians. He has never seen the walls of a university lecture room. He is a graduate of Lusaka Trades with a little certificate. Let him also not cheat Zambians that the situation at CBU would have been solved with a round table discussion and dialogue. Fact is, GRZ has not paid CBU students their meal allowances for a long time. I have had to send money to my daughter studying there several times to make sure she does not starve. But then think of children of people with no job or income to send to their starving children and how they have to struggle to educate their children. Truth of the matter is that Edgar Lungu is being cheated by Lusambo and Nkandu Luo about the situation in the universities and he does not bother to find out on his own.
Why shooting an unarmed student? No that is unacceptable, the officer and their command must be made answerable- we expect them to be arrested and charged immediately!!! Generally what we are seeing is a great dissatisfaction with elements in govt by the general populace, why are ministries and councils buying the latest Toyota Hiluxes when the street are littered with fish ponds (potholes)- the students obviously run out of options why didn’t you My Lusambo make an effort yourself to visit the students???? Nonsense! Vote Green Party 2021, Vote Peter Sinkamba a leader who cares for all Zambians!!!
Imwe naimwe @ 2020vision what are talking about? Have you ever heard or seen any protest world wide carried out at night? That is a planned attack on the members of the public. Those students acted like combatants and they needed to be treated that way.
R.U.B.B.I.S.H ba Thug Lusambo. Suppose it was your son or daughter who has been murdered by these pf police cadres, how would you react….
Damn! PF! Bowman is copperbelt minister he goes to sampfya in luapula province on what ‘official government business’?? Really!!!! Sickening confusion in luugu ‘s administration
REally laughable..Bowman please tell us which course you did at UNZA or CBU, you get a fat cheque every month from taxpayers and you think you are a boss. When are you tins going to stop to talk down to students, have tackled the problem, pay them…when was the last time was MPs allowances delayed?
You sound sensible here but only slightLydia, when a student is hungry he or she needs no political opponents of your yours to tell them they are Hungry. This attitude by PF leaders must stop. Bowman please grow up in wisdom including your seniors.
This is what you get when you have a mishanga seller as a minister
Meant only slightly
Stop this irresponsible vindictiveness as PF.
Imwe naimwe what are talking about? Have you ever heard or seen any protest world wide carried out at night? That is a planned attack on the members of the public. Those students acted like rebels.
@ken any violent action by the students I condemn but the police did not have to use live ammunition on unarmed civilians- there are other means such as the use of tear gas night protests occur all over the world in USA, France, Italy, Greece, South America unions, groups and activists have gone to the streets, even here at home UNZA students often demonstrate. The issue here is the police over- reacted and we need to put a stop to this kind of heavy handiness of the Police on unarmed civilians.
@2020vision I was at UNZA from 1992 to 1996 and I never saw a great east road oparandi at night.
A protest is meant to show grievance therefore, there must be observers or recipients of the protest. There should be press, police, and even observers while you protest. Please don’t mix protest with planned criminality. How do you raise a violent protest over the demand for meal allowance? Violence calls for violence. Violent protest have been there over issues that befit violence. You cannot equate breaking a 120,000 US$ car to the non payment for a meal. Nooooo!
Police heavy handedness. Do you know heavy handedness? Its relative. The police have to make sure that they stop the violence quickly to avoid running battles. They have to immobilize the violent protestors and that is allowed…
Ken
I can tell you people who have not eaten for days can not wait for the next day to have an organised protest , when pangs of hunger bite from days of not eating , spontenious unpredictable behaviour is possible………….you think people who have not eaten for days can say let’s wait until tomorrow and demonstate ?
Ken young man, the time you were starting at UNZA I was passing out as an officer in the Zambia Army. I’ve been to areas on peace keeping missions where heavy handiness mwana is where they stick a broken glass into your behind so you can never lecture me on what heavy handiness is but what I’m seeing here in Zambia is these toy soldiers (the Zambia Police) are agitating the populace. Why couldn’t they just use tear gas to disperse the chaps??? Or even rubber bullets! We are not in a war to be using this kind of force on civilians- as a matter of fact even the cops are civilians!
@2020vision, so you are telling me that ZP was also sticking broken glass into CBU students’ behind? Are you not contradicting yourself?
@ Ken Riots at UNZA are always carried out at night. what are you talking about?
Mr. Lusambo, this scenario has played itself several times in the past. Its not knew.
No meals, because the portion of tax payers money to schools and Universities has not been directed to the intended purpose, then the riots. You know the cause, you know the solution. Why pretend it is a new problem and try and reinvent the wheel?
The best you could have done is preempt the situation by announcing the delayed funding and promise when this will be given. Meanwhile, you could have organised to feed the students on nkongole whilst awaiting funding and recover the cost when money is available. If you cant resolve such straight forward issues, then we are in big trouble.
Ken is nauseating to say the least. The students who protested at night are being misunderstood.1, these are students who have had their union board resolve. 2, these are students who had their meal allowances withheld for a very long time, 3, these were students not allowed to protest during the day as it is a crime in PF to exercise one’s right to demostration, we have not forgotten Laura Miti and Pilato. It’s a crime to protest under PF, its a fact So given such oppressive and hostile inviroment, you expect young and energetic interlectuals to resign to their death beds with hunger? There is a limit to how long you can cage some people’s rights before it turns into a time bomb. When it eplodes, they will burn your $120,000 vehicle like tissue paper, after all a Chi Motoka can be…
I can never believe anything that comes from bootlicker number 1
Whatever the situation, we left the Stone Age a long time ago. Let us resort to mutual & civilized methods of resolving our differences. Cheers!
..civilized methods with ‘civilized’ people like Bowman!!? You’re joking, Right?
Bowman Lusambo has a Diploma in Sales and Marketing Management. There is no University in Zambia that offers such. So pure lies. Let parliament update its website then if he claims has now has a degree. limbi he was excluded…
Most Students are just forced into this Mob Psychology because if you remain behind, you are considered to be a Reactionary. We need to invest more into Crowd Control Technics so that Innocents don’t get injured, when they are simply victims of circumstances. I remember when we as Students had to assemble on the Monk Square whenever you heard “Forum”
It is time we started respecting Graduates from the many Private Universities that have emerged. Let’s do away with the attitude that only those who went to UNZA or CBU are worthwhile. Those who can afford should voluntarily offload their Children from the Bursaries Scheme so that it benefits those who are genuinely in need. We need a Paradigm Shift in our reasoning.
@ Nostradamus; Lusambo is a little boy; he was not there to remember what happened in the 70s;
One interesting fact: Why is it that Ministers’ and MPs’ allowances are never delayed??
If you are on a long journey with your baby and there is only a small piece of bread left, who should eat that bread. You the mother or the baby?
Ken
Yaa you sound like a typical PF minister, in it to fatten yourself while the kids suffer with no food or jobs….
I could not continue reading the point ‘as a former university student myself’. Really! Bowman at a university?! I realised reading anything beyond that point was pointless!
Ahaaaaaa! imwe naimwe! what is University?
“Lintu twali ku unibesiti twali kupama amakosa ba mwisho”
Noticed that there is Name Cloning here. So someone can end up posting as You, when in actual fact, not.
we know who you are , and we know what you are. You do not! have to keep reminding us that you are the provincial minister *****!
A country where cadres, thugs and foreigners are doing much better than degree holders, intellectuals and technocrats alike, how do you expect things to run smoothly? You can’t blame the students… when it comes to political campaigns money isn’t a problem at all and cadres get land, money, cars… whilst your kids are starving who are striving to get a decent education and hopes to make our country better. You even have the nerve send your kids to study abroad with tax payers money and don’t care at all or the struggles they face: poor sanitation, not enough accommodation, delayed meal allowances, no book allowances… shame on you.
Do not be jealous of other peoples’ children for having gone to VAST. Why kill students??? it is shameful.
Where is Bowman getting information students took to the road at night? where are others getting the information that property was broken…doors were broken by the police. In the past students have demonstrated violently, this time around the police just misbehaved. Most students are really traumatised by the Friday night events and I would like the VC to give his side of story whether he will justify police action or stand for the truth of what actually transpired that night.
Everything has a cause and effect.
Stone throwing is the most effective way of getting attention from the GOVT when they are ignoring the grievances from the students at UNZA and CBU. That’s how we used to do it in the 90’s and it must continue if they continue mistreating the kids with the best gray matter. In 1996 in my final year we matched to the ministry of education, then to the ministry of finance to see the late Penza who ran away and finally to state house to meet the late FTJ all in the same day and we got what was due to us K90,000 instead of K60,000 which FTJ promised us when he visited UNZA in 1995 to win our votes for the 1996 elections. There was no police brutality against the students during FTJ’s time despite numerous demonstrations and I see no reason of using fire arms against armless students now…
I miss Zambia its too cold here nonetheless i love my Ireland Belfast in particular. I teach at the University no riots, everything is presented by student Union.
Koswe mumpoto!