Former University of Zambia Students’ Union president Vincent Chaile says the real reason why government doesn’t want to open UNZA and CBU is because it is broke.

In a statement, Monday, Chaile, who now leads a political party called Radical Revolutionary Party, told government to stop using Cholera as a scapegoat.

“Cholera is just a scapegoat …Let the minister of education and her goverment tell the nation the truth over the closure of UNZA and CBU. As a fomer union leader (UNZASU president)..it is sad to hear the people we have entrusted with leadership are failing to tell the truth over a straight forward matter. We are aware that govt has no money, the national purse has been depleted completely,” Chaile stated.

Chaile said it was disappointing for Higher Education Minister Professor Nkandu Luo claim that the two institutions would only be reopened once health inspectors were certain that there was no contaminated water because workers at both UNZA and CBU had been operating normally without reporting any cholera cases.

“We are also very much aware that government has been struggling to pay its workers on time.
Opening the two institution is not a priority for now because govt has no money to give students bursaries and other allowances. It’s quite unfortunately for the entire Minister of Higher Education can misled the nation that UNZA and CBU will only open when water at the two institution is free from contamination. Which contamination is the minister talking about when workers at UNZA and CBU have never been on break and there is no record of anyone getting sick of cholera,” stated Chaile.