Government’s Plan to Install CCTV to Monitor Sugar Daddies in Universities: A Shameless Waste of Resources
By Thandiwe Ketis Ngoma
In a move that can only be described as an embarrassing display of political incompetence, the Zambian government has unveiled its latest “solution” to monitor and track sugar daddies in universities—installing CCTV cameras across campuses. Yes, you read that right—CCTV cameras to solve the so-called “sugar daddy” crisis. As if spying on students and their older, wealthier counterparts will magically fix the deeply rooted issues that have created this problem. The audacity!
This is a classic case of putting a Band-Aid on a gaping wound. The government, instead of addressing the underlying social, economic, and systemic issues that make sugar daddies a “solution” for financially struggling students, has decided to treat the symptom. In a country where economic insecurity is rampant, where tuition fees are rising faster than most students can keep up with, and where employment opportunities for young people are abysmally low, the government’s brilliant response is—install cameras.
A Ludicrous, Half-Baked “Solution”
Let’s get real. The sugar daddy phenomenon is not some isolated incident—it is the direct result of a broken education system, a failing economy, and the desperation of young people who are unable to access basic needs. Sugar daddies do not suddenly appear in university lecture halls like a magical plague; they are drawn to the economic vulnerability of students. Rather than tackling the core issues of this vulnerability—like unaffordable education, lack of job opportunities, and unmanageable living costs—the government is offering up CCTV cameras.
And what exactly will these cameras achieve? Will they prevent sugar daddies from meeting their young “girlfriends” in the first place? Will they stop students from trying to survive financially in an economy that has failed them? No. Cameras will not address the desperation driving students into these relationships; they will only serve to surveil them further, creating an environment of fear and suspicion. Are we to believe that once a sugar daddy is caught on camera, police will swoop in to arrest them? Will university security issue citations? It’s a vague, ineffective plan that completely misses the point.
A Hollow and Surveillance-Obsessed Approach
What does the government think these cameras will do? Prevent students from meeting their sugar daddies in cafes? End all the “secret” relationships by recording them on camera? How laughable. Surveillance only hides problems; it does not solve them. All this plan will achieve is forcing these relationships further underground. Students desperate for financial survival will simply meet in more discreet locations, and the government will be left with an expensive camera system that accomplishes absolutely nothing.
Instead of throwing taxpayer money at this useless surveillance program, the government should address the root causes of the problem: economic hardship. The real solution is not cameras that spy on students, but policies that make education affordable, create real job opportunities, and provide students with financial support so they don’t feel they must sell their dignity for survival. How about making education free, or at least affordable? How about building an economy that gives young people opportunities to thrive, not exploit their vulnerabilities? These are the real solutions, not CCTV cameras that invade privacy without solving anything.
Vamadongodongo! This Is Political Theater
Let’s be honest: This entire CCTV plan is a political stunt—nothing more than an empty gesture meant to create the illusion of action while doing nothing to address the real issues. The government is more concerned with appearing to “do something” than actually solving the problem. The real issue isn’t sugar daddies; it’s an economy that forces young people into compromising positions just to make ends meet. It’s an education system that burdens students with insurmountable debt and provides no financial safety net. And yet, the government thinks that installing cameras will change any of that? Ridiculous.
Sugar daddies won’t be stopped by a few cameras. They will find new ways to operate, and the young students who are desperate for money will keep on selling their dignity, as they have always done. This plan doesn’t attack the root causes; it only targets the symptoms. It’s a meaningless, superficial approach that won’t change a damn thing. But hey, it might look good in a press release, right?
The Dangers of Simplifying Complex Issues
This CCTV plan represents everything that’s wrong with the government’s approach to social issues—oversimplification. Relationships between students and sugar daddies are not black and white. They’re complex, multi-layered situations shaped by poverty, lack of opportunity, and a failure of the state to provide for its young people. By focusing solely on surveillance, the government is glossing over the real issues and treating symptoms without any real thought for long-term solutions.
This is not a problem that can be solved by installing cameras. It’s a problem that demands significant economic and social reform. It demands an education system that doesn’t bankrupt students. It demands an economy that doesn’t exploit its youth. Until the government faces these realities, this CCTV plan will remain a foolish, wasted attempt at a “solution.”
Scapegoating and Political Point-Scoring
What’s worse, this entire plan is a convenient distraction from the real issues. It’s much easier for the government to point fingers at sugar daddies—those easy, immoral villains—than to confront the uncomfortable reality that their economic policies are failing the very people they are supposed to serve. Sugar daddies are not the cause of the problem; they are merely a symptom. The cause is systemic inequality and a lack of meaningful opportunities for young people. But why address the deep-rooted issues when you can just install cameras and pretend you’re doing something, right?
This plan is pure scapegoating. It’s a way for the government to shift the focus away from its own failures by demonizing individuals who are themselves victims of a broken system. Rather than tackling the fundamental issues that force students into toxic relationships, the government is content with offering a shallow, ineffective measure that changes nothing.
Conclusion: A Waste of Time, Money, and Trust
To the government: Stop wasting taxpayers’ money on this absurd, intrusive surveillance scheme. If you want to address the problem of sugar daddies in universities, start by fixing the underlying issues. Make education affordable. Provide financial support to students. Tackle the economic insecurities that force young people to make such desperate decisions. Until you do that, no amount of CCTV cameras will solve anything.
Vamadongodongo!
This plan is nothing but a disgraceful charade—a waste of time, money, and resources. Instead of throwing cameras at a problem that can only be solved through meaningful economic and social reforms, why not tackle the root causes? Until the government addresses the real issues facing young Zambians, this CCTV initiative will remain the laughable, ill-conceived waste of taxpayer funds that it is.