TONSE ALLIANCE CONDEMNATION OF GOVERNMENT’S DECISION TO CLOSE LEARNING INSTITUTION’S IN KABWE TO ACCOMMODATE PRESIDENT HAKAINDE HICHILEMA’S POLITICAL RALLY
Liberty House, 19th March 2025
1. The TONSE ALLIANCE would like to condemn, in the strongest terms possible, the decision by the UPND Government to close private and public primary, secondary and tertiary learning institutions in Kabwe, today, 19th March 2025, and the instruction to learners to instead go and attend a political rally being hosted by President Hakainde Hichilema at Kabwe Warriors Stadium.
2. Firstly, the education of learners must be prioritized, and should not be sacrificed at the altar of political expedience. Given the fact that we are in youth-month, our youths must be respected and not be used as political tools to provide artificial support to embattled politicians.
3. Secondly, our pupils and students have rights and liberties, as enshrined in the Constitution, and should not be forced to offer political support to anyone, even if that person is the Republican President. Political support, by any citizen of Zambia, should be provided willingly and not by force. Therefore, Government should not have compelled learners to attend President Hakainde Hichilema’s political rally, but offered those who are willing, to do so.
4. Additionally, instead of disturbing the learning calendar of pupils and students, if Government needed people to fill up Kabwe Warriors Stadium, so as to make President Hakainde Hichilema’s political rally a ‘success’, they should have considered transporting prisoners from Mukobeko Maximum Prison to the rally. Such an arrangement would have been better because prisoners are usually bored and idle, and would be happy to have some entertainment from President Hakainde Hichilema’s political rally.
5. Lastly, the fact that now, Government has to close learning institutions and force learners to attend President Hakainde Hichilema’s political rally, in order to make it a ‘success’ is a clear indication that the President has lost the support of the majority of the Zambian people, and is on the way out of office next year. The President’s only remaining lifeline is a back-door route, through an amendment to the Constitution. It is for this reason that the Zambian people must remain resolute and resist Mr. Hakainde Hichilema’s ploy to amend the Constitution before the 2026 general elections. There shall be no back-door route back to State House. His time is up.
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Issued By:
Sean E. Tembo (SET)
PeP President & TONSE ALLIANCE Spokesperson
Lusaka, Zambia