Zambia: The students of the Copperbelt University students have come forward to apologize for the behavior that they showed in the last week. At the time, the students had, while protesting against the shortage of water supply, caused damage to property,
The students have since apologised for the riotous behaviour they exhibited last week. It was established that the protest caused damage to both school and private property.
The students rendered the apology to Kitwe Mayor Mpasa Mwaya. The Copperbelt University Students Union (COBUSU) interim President Edgar Chingu presented the apology to the mayor.
He was paying a courtesy call to the Mayor in Kitwe on Wednesday. Speaking on behalf of the students, Chingu said they regretted the actions of the students that were involved in the riot.
He acknowledged that the behaviour of the students caused significant harm to the university management. The school authorities and the residents of Kitwe particularly those that reside in Riverside have been adversely affected.
“The students fully understand that their actions were unacceptable and commit to finding more constructive ways to express grievances and frustrations in future and are prepared to accept the consequences of their actions,” He said.
Further, the Mayor of Kitwe accepted the apology that was made by the students. Mwaya also commended the student leadership for acknowledging their mistakes and taking responsibility.
She reminded the students of the goodness of dialogue over rioting which she said had a negative impact on the surrounding community.
“The Copperbelt University is a prestigious institution admired by many with the expectation that it will consistently demonstrate excellence, and it should serve as a model of excellence for other higher learning institutions in the district,” She said.
The Mayor further charged that no grievance justifies riotous behaviour and property looting by students. Last week Copperbelt University students staged a riot over the supply of water to the institution by Nkana Water and Sanitation Company.
During the riot, the students damaged both the school infrastructure and private property including looting some shops operating within campus.