Former COBUSU leaders seek President Sata’s intervention

– Two former Copperbelt University Student’s Union (COBUSU) presidents Rodgers Mugala and David Chikwanda have appealed to President Michael Sata to use his discretion to lift the ban on squatting at the higher learning institution.

The duo are of the view that the Republican President must use the same discretion to allow street vending in the country to urged CBU management to allow squatting by the students.

“ May the President use his discretion and let squatting to  prevail at the university as s short term measure while management and government works on alternative accommodation, “ they said.

The former  COBUSU leaders said presidents In joint statement to ZANIS in Lusaka today.

They noted that while squatting was not the best solution to the problem students were surprised by the decision by the Varsity management to ban the vice.

The former COBUSU presidents affirmed that the situation has forced some students to brave the nights on corridors because they have no alternative accommodation.

“ The problem of accommodation has not started today and squatting has always been an initiative by students to cushion the problem.

“  It is therefore illogical for someone to just wakeup and declare that no more squatting without providing any reasonable solution, ” they said.

The duo said banning squatting will create a situation where students are technically denied education because they cannot afford to rent accommodation far away from campus.

They said this would also deny the country qualified human resource.

Recently, Vice Chancellor professor Ngoma banned squatting at the CBU, the university with an accommodation capacity of 1800 bed spaces against the more than 7000 students enrolled at the university.

First year students at the institution have since been reported to be sleeping in corridors as they have nowhere to go.