OPINION EDITORIAL
BITTER TRUTH: WHY THE PF’S CLASH WITH UNZA STUDENTS IS NOTHING NEW
By Mark Simuuwe, UPND Media Director
The recent attacks by the Patriotic Front (PF) on a young UNZA student leader have sparked national debate, but for those who understand Zambia’s political history, this confrontation is far from surprising. The truth is simple: the tension between PF and UNZA students is historical, deeply rooted, and consistently shaped by PF’s long-standing disdain for academic institutions and student voices.
To grasp what is unfolding today, one must go back to PF’s early years. From the beginning, PF demonstrated minimal regard for formal education. It is the same party that enthusiastically shot down the requirement for a university degree as a minimum qualification for presidential candidates, a position that spoke volumes about the standards it wished to maintain for national leadership.
When the PF assumed power in 2011 under the late Michael Sata, one of their earliest actions was to weaken student activism at the University of Zambia. They amended the UNZASU constitution, dismantling the vibrancy and strength of student leadership. Later, they scrapped meal allowances, an act widely interpreted as retaliation against students who refused to embrace PF politics.
These decisions were not accidental. They were driven by the PF’s continuous struggle for legitimacy at UNZA. Historically, the student community has never favoured PF, and for good reason. President Hakainde Hichilema, even while in opposition, consistently enjoyed overwhelming student support. They saw him as one of their own, a disciplined intellectual and principled leader who represented possibility and merit.
This support was only strengthened when President Hichilema pledged, and later fulfilled, his promise to restore meal allowances. For students, this was not merely a policy; it was a restoration of dignity.
UNZA has always been a breeding ground for national leadership. From Levy Mwanawasa to Edith Nawakwi and Professor Nkandu Luo, many of Zambia’s notable political figures sharpened their convictions within the walls of this institution. Student politics at UNZA is not mere excitement; it is a historic driver of national consciousness.
Therefore, PF’s current frustration is neither new nor unexpected. Their relentless attacks on one young woman, an ordinary student exercising her constitutional rights, only deepen the generational divide that exists between them and the student community. What the PF fails to understand is that UNZA students are united. Targeting one student means confronting the collective.
The PF would do well to reflect on the legacy issues at hand. Rather than attempting to bully a young woman into silence, they should attempt genuine engagement with UNZA students, if they possess the intellectual capacity and humility required for such dialogue.
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This is the bitter truth: PF has never earned the confidence of the UNZA community, and their own history is the reason. Until they acknowledge this reality, their attacks on students will only widen the gap and reinforce a narrative of a party at odds with educated youth.
UNZA students have always stood on the right side of history. Their activism has shaped national debate for decades, and today is no different. The attempts to silence them will fail, just as they have failed before.
©️ UPND Media Team