The Forum for Democracy and Development FDD has called on government to give in to the 45 percent meal allowance increment demands by Copperbelt University students.

Speaking in an interview FDD spokesperson Antonio Mwanza says the demand by the students is justifiable as the cost of living has significantly increased due to the poor economic management of the current government.

He says the K750 accommodation allowance and K22 per day for meals given to the students is too meager for some one to survive on for the whole year hence the need for government to consider increasing the allowance for students to have a decent life during their time in school.

“The call for increments by the Copperbelt University students is justified looking at the high cost of living obtaining in the country. We all know that a student can not live on a K22 per day and there is no accommodation that any student can rent for k750 per year hence we are pleading with the government to release the funds and increase the allowances for students,” Mr. Mwanza said.

Mr. Mwanza further called on government not to let the situation at the institution deteriorate into anarchy by ensuring that the situation is resolved immediately.

And Mr. Mwanza has urged government to increase its budgetary allocation to the ministry of Education in the next budget.

He noted that education is the foundation for development in any country world over hence the need for the government to ensure that the sector is well founded.

Students at the second highest learning institution in the country has gone on class boycott demanding a 45 percent increment in meal, project and accommodation allowances.

Bishop John Phiri of the Living Waters Church says the stance taken by government to get rid of illicit trade in drugs in the shanty compound should be commended by all well meaning Zambians as the move will not only bring sanity to the compound but reduce the number of youths abusing drugs as there will be no ready market and access to drugs.

Bishop Phiri said the move by the law enforcement agents will also help reduce the levels of crime in the city as most criminals come from such areas.

He added that the law enforcement agencies should be concentrating on such operations as opposed to harassing innocent citizens such as the opposition leaders.

And several residents in the same compound have commended yesterday’s police action saying the move was long overdue.

Police in a joint operation with the Drug Enforcement Commission DEC on Wednesday raided Chibolya compound and arrested more than 290 drug dealers for the second time in days.

Professor Clive Chirwa has offered to be part of the investigations team probing the cause of the plane crash in which ZAF Deputy Commander Major General Miliokela Miliokela and his co-pilot Colonel Brain Mweene were killed.

Professor Chirwa who is former Zambia Railways Limited Chief Executive Officer, says if government does not invite him to be part of the investigations team, he will ask the families of the two senior ZAF officers to use the courts in order to establish the truth about the plane crash.

He has told Qfm News in an interview that he is particularly interested to know what caused the plane crash as he understands the current fleet of planes the country has is an ordinary and is prone to engine failure caused by crankshaft fracture.

Professor Chirwa says he suspects that it could have been the same crankshaft fracture that may have caused the plane crash, but that he does not understand how it could have happened considering that both Maj Gen. Miliokela and Col. Mweene were said to be good pilots.

He says he does not understand how they managed to stay in the air for three hours when the plane was said to have a failing engine while in the air.

Professor Chirwa says an ordinary thing and a norm in aviation was to crash land the plane when it was realized the plane’s engine was failing.

And Professor Chirwa who is also a leading engineer in the field of Structural Crashworthiness and Impact has described Zambia’s Highway Code as a fraud.

He says this is the reason why the country has continued to have many traffic accidents as any driver trained using the current Highway Code is bound to make many mistakes on the road.

Professor Chirwa has since suggested a complete overhaul of the country’s Highway Code in order to avoid further traffic accidents and carnages in the country.

Opposition United Party for National Development (UPND) leader Hakainde Hichilema has added his voice to calls for Malawian President Joyce Banda to concede defeat in the recently held disputed Presidential elections.

Mr. Hakainde says Ms. Banda should step aside given the fact that the opposition won the disputed elections.

Mr. Hakainde has told Qfm News that Ms. Banda should also take a leaf from former Zambian President Rupiah Banda who stepped aside and moved on after he lost the 2011 general elections to President Michael Sata.

He says if Ms. Banda decides to cling on to power even after the opposition’s clear victory, she will be exhibiting a dictatorial mind set.

The UPND leader says as a mother, Ms. Banda should be cautions not to endanger the peace of her country.

Mr Hakainde says this especially that Zambia and Malawi as well as Zimbabwe were once one country under the federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland and are still connected by blood and family.

A PLATOON of security personnel has raided the notorious Chibolya Township to crush an illicit drugs cache during a well-planned and executed operation that netted hundreds of suspects.

The team of police and Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) officers combed the crime-prone township and arrested hundreds of residents found with cannabis and other drugs in an operation that lasted from midnight on Wednesday to late yesterday.

The operation, led by Lusaka Province Commissioner of Police Lemmy Kajoba, was aimed at ridding Chibolya of illicit activities.

“We want to rid this township of illegal activities and bring sanity,” Mr Kajoba said in a post-raid interview.

Those arrested were taken to Lusaka’s Edwin Imboela Stadium for screening.

Police in riot gear sealed off the township, searched homes and hauled bags full of dagga.

The officers, armed with teargas canisters, batons and rifles, swept through the dreaded “Gazza” street of Chibolya, where they faced minimum resistance under the cover of the night.

With the aid of search lights, the police officers went into targeted homes and seized the drugs.

DEC public relations officer Theresa Katongo told the Daily Mail team which went to the township at 06:00 hours that the operation would be extended to other towns.

In one house, a man in an intoxicated state was found with a 90kg bag full of dagga.

When asked by police about the bag, he said: “I cannot see any bag. You guys must be crazy!”

At dawn, a few residents mobilised themselves and started throwing stones at the officers but the resistance was quickly quelled.

And police razed makeshift structures which were being used for selling illicit drugs.

Mr Kajoba said police sourced two bulldozers from Lusaka City Council (LCC) to raze the structures.

“All the illegal structures which were being used for smoking and trafficking in drugs have been razed. We want sanity in this city,” he said.

A man in his early 20s caused laughter amongst police officers as he was being led to the holding vehicle when he claimed that he is a schoolboy.

“I am innocent, I am a Grade Seven pupil and I was going to school,” said the man, who was not in a school uniform as police shoved him into the vehicle.

He told the police that he was 24 years old and this triggered laughter among the police, who wondered what a man that age would be doing in Grade Seven.

Some residents told the Daily Mail that they were happy that the police had made such a thorough operation.

“The police have really done well to arrest these thugs because when they run out of money, they come here to harass us at this market,” said Jainta Mweemba, a charcoal trader.

Ms Mweemba was proud of the police for the operation.

Motorists in the vicinity cheered each time police led suspects to holding vehicles.

“Boma ni boma,” said Douglas Mulenga, a taxi driver, touting Government’s extensive authority.

“These thugs here thought they were untouchable but today they have felt the weight of boma [authority],” said Mr Mulenga, who briefly abandoned his business to witness the police action, albeit at a safe distance.

Mr Mulenga said the thugs in Chibolya forced motorists to pay “fines” each time they drove through the township.

“This is a lesson that you cannot outwit the government. I hear the cops came in when most of them were asleep and combed through houses,” he said.

Thirteen suspected dangerous criminals escaped from Chibolya Police Post about two weeks ago, days after police had retreated in a battle with residents suspected to be drug dealers.

But in yesterday’s operation, the suspects meekly submitted as police officers bundled them into pick-ups and ferried them to Imboela Stadium for screening.

THE class boycott by Copperbelt University Students (CBU) in Kitwe has entered the second day.

Students at CBU on Wednesday went on a class boycott to pressure Government to increase their allowances by 45 percent.

Copperbelt University Students Union (COBUSU) vice-president Gerald Chiluba said in an interview in Kitwe yesterday that the students want Government to release K250 million for the construction of more hostels at the campus.

Mr Chiluba assured that students would not be riotous during the class boycott.

“We are peaceful people, we will not go anywhere near Jambo Drive to protest or damage anyone’s property. There are no academic activities taking place at CBU so far,” Mr Chiluba said.

He said students will not resume classes until their demands are met.

“We want to have an audience with Minister of Education John Phiri. We want to present our concerns directly to him,” Mr Chiluba said.

He said the students want Government to release the money for the construction of more hostels at CBU.

Mr Chiluba said the shortage of accommodation at CBU has continued and it is important for Government to invest in infrastructure at the institution to address the problem.

“We are concerned with the state of infrastructure at CBU. There is money in this year’s budget for development of infrastructure at CBU, this is the money that we want Government to release,” Mr Chiluba said.

He accused boarding house owners of allegedly exploiting students.

“We are paying a lot of money per month to rent these boarding houses. They are charging students K700 per month, which is not good, where do we get this money? This is why we want Government to construct more hostels so that we can resolve this accommodation crisis at CBU once and for all,” Mr Chiluba said.

He said COBUSU president Kingsley Chinyama and academic secretary Muselo Mumba, who have embarked on a long walk to Lusaka to present their concerns to Government, left Ndola on Wednesday.

Efforts to get a comment from Dr Phiri proved futile by press time.