The Network for Young People Against Violence plans to lobby parliament to move a private motion that will compel all students at higher learning institutions to stay away from active politics.
Executive Director Moses Kalonde said such a deliberate law once enacted by parliament will bring sanity as those found wanting will face disciplinary action or expulsion from universities.
Mr. Kalonde said the country has for a long time witnessed unjustified demonstrations and riots at the University of Zambia great east road campus which should be stopped.
And Mr. Kalonde has condemned the behavior of UNZA students at the church service of late Vespers Shimuzhila on Monday.
Mr. Kalonde said in a statement to ZNBC News that the behavior of the students was unfortunate and shows that whenever students come together, they incite one another to do wrong things as was witnessed.
He said acts such as insulting and disrespecting senior government officials are uncalled for.
And the Zambian DNA said it has noted with concern how the sorrowful event at the funeral of Vespers was turned into a political platform that was used to attack government.
Spokesperson Spuki Mulemwa said it is strange that the funeral procession of a tragic loss of life degenerated into a political circus.
Mr Mulemwa has told ZNBC News that it is clear that the harassment of Information and Broadcasting Services Minister Dora Siliya was politically motivated as she was singled out among many other political players who were present.
Meanwhile, New Congress Party president Peter Chanda has appealed to UNZA and other students at higher learning institutions to end the habit of violent protests.
Pastor Chanda said the protests were most likely politically motivated.
This is ridiculous. Why do you want to muzzle young people?
Students have always been the driving force for change. Trying to muzzle them show a very ignorant and backward way of thinking.
In any case it’s like trying to put a stop cork on a volcano. Try it
In addition we are all entitled to be involved in politics. No one has the right to take that away from anyone else
Utter nonsense. It’s important to have people who have some intellect to be in politics but most importantly to change the laws of Zambia.Right now we are still governed by colonial laws and intelligent people have their hands tied once they get into leadership positions. For one I would like to see a transformation of our criminal justice system. Do not silence the youth! We are not a dictatorship!
utter lunacy! University Students have always been at the center of political change and should be encouraged to participate in politics freely on all facets of issues affecting our people. Another random thinking from Kalonde. #ABASH Kalonde!
With all due respect, I do not think Kalonde has the slightest clue. This has to be the dumbest thing we have heard all year. Utter nonsense indeed. It is unfortunate that this is the rubbish that makes the news.
“Unjustified demonstrations” do you understand what that means? If anything you are the cadre yourself. Students have a right to demonstrate
A police man is military trained and dont expect him to be civil. They are not civilians in nature. In most cases they are dragged to use excessive force if the situation gets out of hand. Whenever they are deployed they will be just be just preserving and maintaining order. Students take them for granted and swears at them. If they get provoked enough their boss will issue a command saying in the name of the president you are …..and thats when things become sour. Those who are familiar with this will agree with me though under5s cant because they never agree with anything logical.
@1.4
Tell us if students have the rights to damage public and private properties. I mean stoning vehicles and smashing buildings. Beating up innocent people they meet.
This coward does not know that without student activism most countries in Africa would not be independent today.
He is just a dull character and if he went to school then education had zero impact on him.
What is PF scared of now when it benefited hugely from students support before coming into power.
Lungu has failed and must go. If not a use of force will remove him.
If PF does not want to take responsibility for Zambian childrens education then it should stop taxing Zambians period.
Zambians whether in employment or not are being taxed heavily throught income tax, sales tax, VAT, import duty, road tax , Toll gate tax, Bank account tax, to mention but a few.
Is the money raised out of these taxes plus money borrowed on behalf of Zambians for Lungu and his thugs to enjoy alone or is it collected to provide Edicational, Health , security and many other services for benefit of the tax payer?
If tax money is for Lungu and his thugs to enjoy alone then Zambia is Mafia state period. Only in a failed mafia state would government collect taxes and then abrogate the responsibility to provide services to benefit the tax payer.
Zambians pay tax…
If passed, it will be an illegal law and against student’s human rights.
This is a sign of failing to govern.
God bless Zambia.
Another cadre commenting on student matters yet he has never seen the inside of a lecture theater…probably being pushed on by Sund@y and Antonia, you can not lobby the govt for paying students on time yet you have time to want to muzzle them.
Who are these fooools making such senseless utterances? This is absolutely mind boggling. University and college students are private citizens. They have civil and human rights to participate in the politics of their country. Nobody should take that away from them. Who is this ignorant guy suggesting denying them their rights to participate in their country’s political discourse? The college and university students are part of the country’s educated elite. Their political contribution and participation is invaluable to the country’s political well being. They’re after all the future leaders. So let them speak and don’t violate their freedom of speech. Just do the right thing and you’ll not have to worry about the students. What next are you going to suggest we deny them? Their…
The students have every right to participate in the political life of their country. You can’t deny them that right.
Your suggestion just exposes you as a very uninformed individual. What are you going to suggest next? That we deny them the right to vote? What a shame.
It’s their right. moreover, these are adults, not kids.
Garbage from an NGO set up merely to muddy the waters and prevent clarity from emerging in important issues. And the journalists who cover these people, why don’t they ask questions when such rubbish is said to them? Zambian journalism is in the gutter, it’s not just politics and economic management.
So where do you expect to develop the next generation of leaders, Katondo Street. Ubepelefy, your joking. By the way what is politics? The next you will tell us we need the Chinese leader us because Zambians are not able to lead. The problem is your luck of objectivity, here is a straight forward case of students going without food allowances due greed and incompetence. Who ever caused this tragedy should simply resign.
@ Bowise
But whose responsibility is it to educate their children, parents or others? Dont take things fro granted! Its time we became serious. Government has provided Universities for those that are serious to send their children to learn but its NOT Government’s responsibility to provide the financial means, period! This spoon feeding syndrome is really absurd and and must come to a complete stop.
We’ve already tried getting leadership from Katondo Street (Chimpyiongo) & Leaders from the Taverns of Chawama (Jona), & so far it’s proved to be a TOTAL FAILURE!
This what your supposed to focus on;
President Lungu has suspended Ministry of General Education Permanent Secretary Henry Tukombe to pave way for investigations into the theft of millions of donor funds at the Ministry of Education.
State House Press Aid Amos Chanda revealed the development at a media briefing on Wednesday morning. Close to 80 other staff members at the General Education Ministry were suspended earlier in connection with the theft of donor funds.
And Chanda has said that government has repaid the 2.7 million pounds to the British government (Department for International Development, DFID). The money which was meant for vulnerable people under the Social Cash Transfer scheme under the Ministry of Community Development and disbursed through the Zambia Postal Services…
Watch “Prof PLO Lumumba Speak to Zambia on China, after denied entry, and Send Message” on YouTube
Zambia has trully gone to the dogs today you have civil servants fearing Freedom Sikazwe, Kz and Munir Zulu both grade 12s …just listen to the recording on Zambia Diggers ..civil servants have no where to run to!!
First of all the initial protest was about meal allowances that were delayed. What is political about that? The second one was about protesting the violent death of one of the students, who was in her room far from the site of the demonstrations in unclear circumstances that suggest police overzealousness. Which part is political? Minister of Information insulted, not a very nice thing, but she represents government, so singling her out should not be surprising, Mr. Spuki Mulemwa. Having siad that, the multi-party politics Zambia prides itself of came about after a process that was ignited by student protests against food prices and shortages in Kaunda’s era along with Mwamba Luchembe’s coup attempt. The MMD also used student power at their rallies, so be careful how you undermine the…
Continued:
The Movement for Multiparty Democracy also used student power at their rallies and campaigns, so be careful how you undermine the participation of students in politics.
Your right to engage in politics is NOT absolute.
We also have the right to enjoy peace and nonviolence.
You want the right to politics to the extent that others right to life is taken away.
The right to ‘politik’ is NOT the right to violence and vandalism.
Zambian students should learn from civilized societies how to get what they want.
Getting drunk and disrespecting women is plain backwardness and disgraceful.
What civililized society naimwe…… a human being is a human being wheather black, pink, yellow or green. When a human being is annoyed they can say and do anything including insulting and booing. How many UNZA students were at the church for vespers funeral? Did all of them insult Dora? It was just a handful of them which she even confirmed on Twitter and yet you want to punish even the innocent, why don’t you go for those who insulted her. It seems we don’t learn lessons, a handful of students rioted and yet the police went to teargas the innocent children sleeping in their room who were not part of the protest pls don’t just support for the sake of being a cadre. Every one has a right to participate in politics not ifyo mulelanda ati civilised that is a lie check the insults…
These bums you call leaders create problems that force students to riot. Rioting is not a zambian phenomenon. The 1976 soweto uprising helped shape the future of south Africa. Students uprising helped to change zambia’so political landscape. Indeed the students are helping kill this ineptitude PF government.
This is why we cannot move forward as a Nation we have so many backward ideas of moving forward. Always thinking of how we can silence each others voices. In order to progress we need to find the real reasons why people want to protest. lets look at the following questions for example:-
1. have students been given the avenue to air their grievances
2. Are students paid on time
3. When students follow peaceful and normal channels are their grievances attended to in time
Its high time the Government allowed the students to have their unions and engage the unions in sincere dialogue.
Imwe, lets face it. This confusion that we are lately witnessing is nothing but HH’s scheme in particular to bring chaos in the country. Zambians must be very wary of HH because its clear for all to see that the man doesnt care if strife erupted in the nation, infact thats his intention. HH must be rejected in loud and clear message that the Presidency of this nation is NOT his preserve! Who told him that he is the next president of Zambia after President Lungu tenure of office expires? I get so surprised that we as Zambians have allowed this one failure to do as he wills.
Look, the sequence of events of destruction in the country are so coordinated and I wonder whether entrusted to keep vigil have noticed or just turned a blind eye to these things. First its been fire after fire,…
contd
First its been fire after fire, next, he lies to the whole world that Zambia has been auctioned to the Chineses, next he invites “professor Lumumba” and now goes to instigate violence at UNZA. What make HH special that we cant deal with him beats me!
My proposal is this, UNZA must be redesigned only to be University of Engineering and applied Sciences and Humanity courses moved to other Universities located in away from civilization. After all, even is someone graduates with a degree in Humanities, do they apply them to make positive impact on our economy or do they just lazy around even in industry? Times have changed and we need to reorganize otherwise circumstances will control our fate. These kids at public Universities dont even have a clue where the resources come from…
contd
My proposal is this, UNZA must be redesigned only to be University of Engineering and applied Sciences and Humanity courses moved to other Universities located in away from civilization. After all, even is someone graduates with a degree in Humanities, do they apply them to make positive impact on our economy or do they just lazy around even in industry? Times have changed and we need to reorganize otherwise circumstances will control our fate. These kids at public Universities dont even have a clue where the resources come from to support their being and sadly they tend to support failed, selfish and heartless politicians like HH. Infact, I would further propose that the University bursaries be abolished, UNZA closed for total rehabilitation and reopens only for serious…
@Malinso I wouldn’t be surprised to find that your great grandfather was involved in crafting the Apartheid laws. I would encourage you to familiars yourself with the laws related to discrimination. Just to remind you Apartheid was a political and social system in South Africa while it was under white minority rule. This was used in the 20th century, from 1948 to the early 1990s. The word apartheid means “apartness” in Afrikaans.[1] Racial segregation had been used for centuries but when the new policy started in 1948 it was strict and more systematic.
In the system, the people of South Africa were divided by their race and the races were forced to live apart from each other. There were laws that kept the racial separation.
There is a law banning former presidents from participating in active politics, but what is Rupiah Banda doing? What has PF government said about that? Nothing! You don’t design laws to deny citizens of their rights. Being a student does not make you an alien. Make laws to stop corruption and abuse of office.
WHY SHOULD RB BE GETTING GOVT ALLOWANCES WHILE STILL ACTIVELY ENGAGED IN POLITICS? GUESS WHAT, HE HAS SMARTLY MANAGED TO RULE BY DEFAULT AFTER BEING REJECTED BY THE ZAMBIANS. IF MICHEAL CHILUFYA SATA ROSE FROM HIS GRAVE TODAY HE WOULD BE SHOCKED. “LETS KEEP ON DOZING, GIVE A BLANKET”.
However had Corruption God Father Rupiah been supporting the opposition especially U.P.N.D, these useless P.F officials would have been spitting feathers, banned R.B, & revoked his Government Pension no doubt.
contd
Infact, I would further propose that the University bursaries be abolished, UNZA closed for total rehabilitation and reopens only for serious Engineering and Science related courses, and Engineering research which we need as a nation. Those parents who condone this unbecoming behavior can send their children elsewhere if at all the can afford the fees. Further, Government need to scrutinize the type of Management that it institutes in these strategic institutions otherwise, you create a fertile ground for anarchy.
Build your own university where you can have those strange ideas. People like you are a danger to humanity. According to you, it is only engineering that matter.
MALINSO YOU ARE SO BACKWARD YOU STILL THINK WE LIVE IN THE 13TH CENTURY !
If meal allowances were to be paid on the 6th,it makes the whole $hit political.
Besides,a call to violent riots of the 90s was made earlier in day which was attended by the very same students who caused the death of their colleague.
Additionally, why wait for the night?
Genuine protests are done in broad daylight so we can video tape and see for ourselves who is who and who is doing what or vandalizing what.
Has the writer or author of this article understood the cornerstone of development? Such unintelligent knee jerk recreation is uncalled for. You can not say students must be banned from active politics and yet you need their vote.. please think through before you commit pen to paper..
@SMS WELL SAID AND AFTER ALL imiti ikula ampanga. We want educated learned future leaders not some of these recycled standard 6 leaders we have today with forged grade 12 certificates.
Malinso,is a very progressive thinker.
We need to move the savages away from civilization.
Anyone vandalising property and abusing fellow citizens because of a meal allowance belongs to the stone age.
That’s why we should NOT tolerate the idea of bursaries but the idea of students loans like other countries have done such as Tanzania.
By the way even bursaries in Zambia are no longer grants but loans that are meant to be paid back. Please get updated…no longer free, students will pay back with interest.
Such a law will be stup!d, just like the person wanting it. What would happen if an elected officer wants to enroll into a public university? Or a student wants to run for public office? I’m going to say it again, Mr. Kalonde you’re full of $#!+. Sorry I’m coming off as rude, but so are you.
Do you know people who should stay off politics; religious leaders, traditional leaders, civil servants, and foreigners. The above shouldn’t have it both ways, but they do because of scam like you. By scam I mean those who rely on donations for their livelihood, because without money there would be no cause to fight for.
We’ve seen foreigners put on party regalia, civil servants, religious leaders and chiefs take political stances and you’ve said nothing.
UNZA is badly managed, govt is…
Cont’d
UNZA is badly managed, govt is handicapped, and you blame the kids?
Civil servants are not allowed to take part in active politics but they vote.
So,why not a student especially one who believes in violence as a means to an end?
Some like District Commissioners go beyond just voting.
I know of civil servants who are in politics especially in the PF , they even go to campaign and we see them on TV singing and dancing to dununa reverse so what are you talking about. We see permanent secretaries distributing t.shirts and books and singing praises for Lungu when it is actually tax payers money and not Lungu’s money pls I beg if you have nothing to say tondolo musuma.
ARE YOU HEARING YOURSELF RIGHT NOW!!!!! You are the same lot that subscribes to youths are the future leaders of tomorrow. Youths we’ll go on waiting to affect matter that concern them because of folks like you who remain oblivious to the many challenges most old times bent on enriching themselves impose on us. We should be able to air our views; we should be given a platform to make our concerns known. I regret the extremes that certain protesters resort to, namely rioting. Dare I say that if we had people intent on listening at the helm of the powers that be, they would not let the situation deteriorate to a point where civil unrest is a last resort.
The writer has never walked the corridors of a university as a student. He is clearly uneducated cadre. I left university years ago, over 19 years ago and I do not think this is progressive!
I have not been to university of Zambia but I have contributed to this nation more than most graduates from UNZA who are just job seekers. This insulting of anyone who has not been to UNZA is shameful because the same people who have not been to UNZA are the majority contributors to national treasury that feeds and pays for the education of the same students. Knowing how to solve mathematical problems is useless if it does translate in nation development through scientific discoveries to easy the people’s lives. The so called UNZA intellectuals can not even make a razor blade. We import wheel nuts, battery terminals, etc yet we have so called intellectuals. Intellectuals my foot. UNILUS has beaten UNZA hands down in quality of graduates.
Wake up from your slumber. See what engineers are doing in China, Malasia,India, Japan even europe its engineers who have developed it but here we have university graduates who lack entrepreneurship mindsets. Problems are everywhere bwana. Am sure you have heard of Brexit. One of the major reason of Brexit is jobs being taken by foreigners. UNZA management and students can feed themselves if they were as smart as they portray themselves through the school of Agriculture. They can begin chicken rearing and eggs production, fish farming and vegetable growing which all has huge market in Zambia. UNZA has failed to run Zamnet. See how companies selling data are making millions. All they know together with their lecturers are strikes and demonstrations.
Intellectuals my foot. As much as the lose of life of our dear sister is a sad development, theres need to review the way this institution is managed. UNZA must be allowed to venture in business activities that will in turn help generate resources for research and development, revamp Zamnet to compete with the ceec liquid, vodafone, mtn, airtel etc. UNZA can feed lusaka with chickens and eggs production. In turn its UNZA itself that will be giving the same student loans being talked about. The other option is to privatise UNZA ,CBU and Evlyn Hone College so that we government remain with the likes of Makasa University and Chalimbana university. Please those of you who have passed through UNZA stop insulting us but show us what you have done.
Nope we’re not infringing on individual humam rights. The Bill of rights exists for a reason. Once we alter one part the government will feel at liberty to alter whatever they want. This will include all citizens UNZA or not
I really don’t care what the above comments are.
All I want is for all the $hit the went down last week to NEVER happen again.
ALL those advocating for the status quo are retrogressive.
Take UNZA to some bush somewhere so that we can enjoy civility and good manners in the city.
THIS IS WHAT IS WRONG WITH ZAMBIA TODAY!!
Too much THICK Cadre type of thinking, exhibited by P.F foot soldiers.
Surely all this crap is putting measures in place, & shutting the stable door after the horse has already bolted!
If you trird stopping your Corruption, dishonesty, & using your belly & t4ko to reason, YOU WOULD HAVE PAID THE FOOD ALLOWANCES ON TIME, but aikona ba P.F. They report to work late, sit in their offices NOT doing any work, but thinking of ways to steal, & sing praises to the appointing messiah, Jona Chakolwa, as Dull Lusambo has already confessed to being THE CARDINAL BOOTLICKER.
We know Jona just loves his frail ego being massaged.
THIS TYPICAL P.F, REASONING BY CADRE. KALONDE, IS SIMILAR TO ONE PREVIOUSLY WARNED SOME LOOSE WOMAN HAS H.I.V, BUT YOU B0N.K…
cont;
BUT YOU B.0NK HER , CONTACT H.I.V, THEN LATER GO BACK, BUT THIS TIME USE A “K.0ND0M”, & WALK AWAY SMILING, THINKING ALL IS SORTED & CURED, BECAUSE YOU USED PROTECTION THIS TIME, & YOU’VE HEARD USING PROTECTION PREVENTS CONTRACTING H.I.V.
With such Cadres people running the show, any wonder Zambia still has Pit Latrines in its central business district, when the British left you with a functioning City over 50 years ago??
UNZA smells rotten carcus first. PF took slow poison by putting that chap as leader.
Unip and mmd never saw it coming and would behave exactly like Pf
this is the problem with Ba some of us. (1.)Politics is in everyone `s DNA. (2.) students are adults and they vote. (3.) when politics affects one , one better get involved. (4.) chew quietly
Just UNZA into a lodge or a mall. Let the chinese convert it to something else like a museum or factory to produce chicken feed. It is sickening to see how gullible these student can be to cheated by one murderer to cause mayhem on innocent civilians. He quickly issues a disclaimer to clean his name.We know he is responsible and he miscalculated by thinking 1991 viva will be replicated this time around. He is wrong! The conditions are different because then, UNZA was the only university but this time around they are so many such that other students don’t understand what caused those the 1991 riots and the birth of MMD. We are not in a socialist environment where the government is expected to provide for student with their needs and in case it fails students are right to protest.
Do not advocate for things that will eventually come to bite the vestigial tail you have right off! You will not and must not legislate academic freedom, student activism, or the basic freedoms enshrined in the bill of rights. Deal with the symptoms, not the results. What a dork!!!
Well said @ ‘Sisters of Mercy’. It’s astonishing that at this time and age your have ‘leaders’ that do not understand the role of a University and academic freedom. It’s a University – it encompasses free discussion and learning of everything universal. Free minds to debate all manner of human endeavour. It’s not meant to be an institution for brainwashing and parroting the learning.
Protest is also normal. I did point out a few days ago that in the yester-years demonstrations included those based on ideological differences with the government of the day. Which is fine. But still, protests over meal allowances have been fueled by government’s own irresponsible behavior and re-activeness.
KALONDE YOU HAVE A BIG PROBLEM…..WHAT IS DIFFERENT NOW TO WARRANT SUCH CHANGES….YOU MEAN WE HAVE LOST FREEDOMS NOW….
I think and I am sure others also think so that this Kalonda thing is a clueless bastar.d. To begin with there are no students who are actively involved in politics. But students are always critical of the fo.olishness of the governing party and will always voice out for the silent majority. Of course if opposition parties think its worth buying they will always look like they are inciting students when in fact not. The fact that HH was not harrased does not mean that now all students are UPND – no. The PF fear that the students were hired by an opposition party is neither here nor there. And yet they are the ones who killed the student for no reason at all. HH does not pay the students its that ugly woman who shud have done so a long time ago.
So Kalonda you are just a f.ool who has…
Kalonda is just a fool who has been hired to bring confusion to save his looting masters like Dora Situmbo and the like of Luo MaUgly.
At one point Situmbo was pretty but see what politics can do. Makes one ugly and heartless.
Disaster!!!!!
What ever my brother you smoked, you missed out “The Right To Vote” which is a fundamental right for every citizen regardless of their social status. Please advise, what do we do with the students right to vote after we discover this law you are proposing?
There goes your freedom of speech and freedom of association and freedom of assembly. And Lungu not knowing what the law says, he will be very excited and throw gee in the fire. I have said it before, dictators are not born, they are made. This guy Kalonde if he was a German during Hitler time, he would be in the forefront torturing Jews. If he was in Uganda with Idi Amin, he was going to be the executioner for Idi Amin. This is really dangerous to have such people being given a microphone. They plant danger in fuuliish leaders. How do you think Mugabe began? It was such lunacy that brought dictatorship in Zimbabwe. Yes, take their rights, yours will be increased. That’s what you believe in. Wrong.
Kalonde is Krazy
That’s jow these DFs get jobs, tomorrow he be in party SUV. Shame, find a decent job
Kalonde, just because I am an MP, I should not go to UNZA to further my education?