Dreadlocks not a right nor a freedom, says Attorney General

By GRACE CHAILE

ATTORNEY General Mulilo Kabesha has argued that Kasama Boys Secondary School did not violate the rights and freedoms of a minor with dreadlocks when it refused to enroll him.
Mr Kabesha contended that the right to freedom of conscience and religion is subject to public interest, citing that the Zambian Bill of Rights can only be limited by law if the limitation is reasonable and justifiable in a democratic society. This is in a matter Mr Nathan Mubanga from Kasama, the father of the minor, last year petitioned the Lusaka High Court, seeking an order to allow his dreadlocked son to attend class at Kasama Boys Secondary School.
Mr Mubanga claimed that the school’s insistence on cutting his son’s dreadlocks contradicted their Rastafari faith and violated his fundamental human right to freedom of conscience and religion, as guaranteed under articles 11 and 19 of the Constitution.
However, Mr Kabesha pointed out that the petitioner had already cut his dreadlocks and was enrolled in the school, rendering the petition moot.
The Attorney General also argued that the school’s rules were in place before the minor’s acceptance and that the petitioner cannot claim a conscious objection to the rules after accepting them.
Mr Kabesha argued that public interest takes precedence over individual rights in this case. He contended that there was no contravention or violation of the petitioner’s rights, as the minor had already complied with the school’s rules.