By ROGERS KALERO
THE resurfacing of evil acts of gassing in Chingola are aimed at tarnishing the image of the ‘New Dawn’ government, Copperbelt Minister Elisha Matambo has charged.
Mr Matambo has since given police officers 24 hours to bring to book people behind the gassing of more than 200 pupils at Buyantashi Technical Secondary school in Chingola.
More than 200 pupils at Buyantashi Technical Secondary school in Chingola were on Tuesday morning rushed to Nchanga North hospital.
They became unconscious after getting chocked by a substance which they found in one of the bins in the classromoms.
Nr Matambo said the new government would not allow the situation that took place under the previous government to resurface and cause misery and fear in the Zambian people.
“I sympathise with parents and pupils that were affected. I wish to direct police to bring to book culprits and establish what transpired within 24 hours. The resurfacing of such acts which happened in the previous regime won’t be tolerated.
“Such acts are aimed at tarnishing the image of the new government .Such criminal acts must be dealt with. Am aware that officers had been doing their investigations but that they should quickly provide the necessary information because it was not the first time that this was happening,” Mr Matambo said.
He said he was aware that officers had been doing their investigations but that they should quickly provided the necessary information because it was not the first time that such was happening.
Mr Matambo said Zambians were longing to knowing those behind such acts especially that in the past government many were arrested and taken to courts but there had not been an outcome.
And Nchanga North Hospital senior medical superintendent Peter Phiri explained that from 08:30 hours on Tuesday, the hospital started receiving pupils who had difficulties in breathing and some were unconscious.
“By the end of the day, the hospital received 219 pupils and that out of them ,126 were girls while 93 were males. The hospital quickly attended to them and by 17:00 hours, 214 were discharged,” he said.
District Education Board Secretary, Noah Simulunga, described the development as a setback to the education sector.
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