Hikaumba urges CBU senate to reinstate expelled union leaders

Hikaumba urges CBU senate to reinstate expelled union leaders
Written by Chibaula Silwamba
Monday, September 14, 2009 5:43:11 AM

ZAMBIA Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) president Leonard Hikaumba has appealed to the Copperbelt University (CBU) senate to immediately reinstate the expelled union leaders.

Commenting on the CBU senate’s expulsion of Copperbelt University Students Union (COBUSU) executive, Hikaumba said expelling students’ union leaders was not a solution to the frequent unrests at universities.

CBU in Kitwe re-opened yesterday.

“Since its not a solution, we want to appeal to the senate of the Copperbelt University to revisit the decision that they made to expel students’ union leaders because that will not resolve the problems that gave rise to the students’ protest,” said Hikaumba, who was part of the UNZASU executive that was expelled when he was a student several years ago. “As long as we do not focus on the real causes of these problems, as long as we address just the symptoms we shall always have problems at hand. So our appeal is that they should reinstate the students and then address the problem that caused the students’ unrest.”

He further urged the Ministry of Education to intervene if the senate would not rescind its decision.

“To our colleagues the students, we want to appeal to them that let us also try to find other ways of airing our grievances or emphasising our grievances because over time the main way of expressing themselves the students have had to embark violence,” Hikaumba said.

He said riots were not the right way to express grievances.

“In most cases when there is a riot, the victims are innocent people. In fact, sometimes the people who support the students fall victims,” said Hikaumba.

Last Monday, September 7, 2009, the CBU senate expelled the entire COBUSU leadership for having violated students’ rules and regulations as provided for in the students’ information handbook.

The senate further suspended students that were identified as having actively participated in causing disturbances at the institution between April 18 and August 12, 2009 pending appearance before the dean of students’ disciplinary committee.