SP pleads with HH to waive the K1, 000 penalty fee against UNZA students

By NATION REPORTER 

SOCIALIST Party youth secretary Gabriel Banda has appealed to President Hakainde Hichilema intervene and rescind the decision by the University of Zambia (UNZA) management to surcharge all the students with K1000 for the damage that was caused during the riot in September.

Mr Banda who is former UNZA Student Union (UNZASU) president said the riot was caused by management decision to cancel the Student Union elections citing inadequate funds when in fact not.

He said UNZA management should be sensitive to the economic hardships the country was facing before issuing such a penalty to the students.

“With the current escalating cost of living, high cost of basic needs, how can UNZA management charge poor students a surcharge of K1, 000? That riot must be blamed on UNZA Management failure to allow the students have their Union elections as budgeted for in the UNZASU budget and according to the procedures spelt out in the UNZASU constitution,” Banda said.

Mr Banda said he was UNZASU president and the excuse of inadequate funds for student elections had never been a reason to cancel the elections because such activities were budgeted for.

He said it was irresponsible for UNZA Management to blame students for something they could have avoided.

Mr Banda said in his tenure of office as UNZASU president, the institution never had riots on because they took responsibility as a union to ensure that UNZASU elections were held as planned in the UNZASU budget and as per procedure in the Union constitution.

He said UPND government should resolve the impasse if in deed they care about the welfare of students at the highest and largest institution of learning in the country.